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The South African Government has launched Lenacapavir, an HIV injectable prevention drug, to bolster the country’s HIV prevention and treatment programme.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, launched the injectable drug at the Lilian Ngoyi Stadium in Secunda, Mpumalanga, on Friday.
Lenacapavir is a six-monthly injection that has proven highly effective in preventing HIV transmission.
According to Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Mid-Year Population Estimates 2025, an estimated 8.15 million people in South Africa were living with HIV, accounting for approximately 12.9% of the total population. Among adults aged 15 to 49, the most affected group, the HIV prevalence rate stood at an estimated 18.1%.
South Africa has battled a high HIV burden for decades and has made significant efforts to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS through expanded access to testing, treatment, prevention programmes, and public awareness campaigns.
Despite progress in increasing access to antiretroviral therapy and reducing AIDS-related deaths, the country continues to record one of the world’s largest HIV epidemics. Public health experts have consistently stressed the need for innovative prevention strategies to curb new infections, particularly among young people, women, and other key populations.
During the launch on Friday, Ramaphosa recounted the country’s battle against the disease, which has killed millions of South Africans over the decades, and described the launch as a historic moment in the country’s history and a turning point in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“Today is a great day because we are hopeful that the pandemic we have been fighting, which is hiv and aids, gives us great hope today. 26 years ago, Nelson Mandela stood before the world at the International AIDS Conference in Dublin and challenged humanity to rise above fear and division. At a time when millions faced what seemed to be an inevitable death sentence,” said Ramaphosa.
“As we gather here, we honour that vision, and we want to thank Nelson Mandela for having given us hope. We take another decisive step today. The launch today of Lenacapavir marks a turning point in our nation’s fight against HIV.”
In April, the Health Minister said stocks of the medicine were being delivered to depots and health facilities ahead of the launch. South African authorities would start with 360 health facilities in the country’s high-burden districts.
Officials say the government has prioritised key populations, including adolescent girls and young women up to the age of 24 years, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, female sex workers, men-having-sex-with-men, transgender people, and injecting drug users in the distribution of the injectable.
The first batch of 37,920 doses of the medicine, a new long-acting antiretroviral drug, specifically an HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, arrived in the country in early April 2026.
The launch of Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug, is expected to strengthen South Africa’s HIV response by providing an additional prevention option for people at risk of contracting the virus. Health officials hope the long-acting injection will improve adherence compared to daily oral preventive medications and help accelerate efforts to reduce new HIV infections.
