Uganda’s National Drug Authority (NDA) has approved lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug manufactured by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences.
“This is a game-changer for HIV prevention, especially for those at high risk. This is a great step towards ending AIDS by 2030,” NDA said on X.
The long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers high-risk adults and adolescents a convenient alternative to daily pills, providing nearly 100% protection against HIV in clinical trials.
The drug, already approved in the U.S. and Europe, acts as an HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, interfering with multiple stages of the virus’s life cycle. It represents a major step in Uganda’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, hailed lenacapavir as “the closest thing to a vaccine against HIV we have ever had” and a “game-changing” tool for prevention.
She emphasised the importance of rapid, equitable rollout, warning that high costs and limited access in low- and middle-income countries could undermine its public health impact.
Uganda joins other high-burden countries in embracing long-acting PrEP, aiming to expand access to populations most at risk and strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
