Overview
- Government plans to begin offering lenacapavir from April 2026, with the health minister saying a March start is possible if preparations move faster.
- Initial phase is backed by a $29.2 million Global Fund grant plus $5 million from NACOSA, with a provisional price near $40 per person annually enabling about 456,000 initiations (912,000 doses) over two years.
- Phase one will focus on roughly 23 high-incidence districts and about 300–360 public clinics to prioritize populations at highest risk.
- Gilead’s voluntary licenses to six manufacturers in Egypt, Pakistan and India exclude South African firms; the company cites unmet sterile-injectable standards, drawing objections from civil society.
- Experts warn that achieving impact will require stronger systems to track initiation, six‑monthly follow-ups and persistence, given current limitations in patient monitoring.