SA’s first consignment of lenacapavir, a six-monthly HIV prevention injection for high-risk HIV-negative people, will cover less than 25% of the target population, reported Financial Mail (5 Feb 2026).
The Department of Health plans to begin with around 10% of primary healthcare clinics, roughly 360 facilities, over two years.
Although Lenacapavir will not solve the gap, caused by the withdrawal of US funds, on its own, it could provide a significant new prevention option for people who struggle with daily oral pills.
“Wits University research indicates lenacapavir scale-up could bring the end of Aids forward by seven to 10 years compared with oral PrEP scale-up alone. Estimates suggest South Africa may need 1m to 2m new starters a year, with additional annual costs of roughly R650m to R1.5bn Modelling also suggests infections could fall by tens of thousands a year if annual injections reach 1.4m to 2.1m by 2030.”