Lenacapavir HIV prevention could significantly shorten the time South Africa needs to bring HIV transmission under control. However, modelling suggests the country would need millions of people to receive the long-acting injection each year to realise its full potential. Clinical trials found that lenacapavir provided almost complete protection against HIV infection. The injectable prevention option could also address a persistent…
Tag: Gilead
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Lenacapavir HIV Prevention Injection: SA Rollout Faces Heat
South Africa’s long-acting HIV prevention programme has entered a new phase. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi led an official rollout event in Secunda, Mpumalanga, on 5 June 2026. The twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir prevents HIV infection when used as prescribed. Health officials position the product as a major addition to the country’s prevention toolkit. This is alongside…
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Lenacapavir Access Under Scrutiny by Health Advocates
A global coalition of health advocates is intensifying its campaign against pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences. They demand equitable access to its revolutionary long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir. Activists are calling for a universal generic price of $40 per person per year for all low and middle-income countries. They warn that Gilead’s current policies entrench life-threatening inequities in the global…
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HIV Prevention Injection Changes the Game in Treatment
South Africa will introduce a new lenacapavir injection. This twice-yearly shot is for HIV prevention. It will be in select public clinics by April 2026. This marks a big step forward for the nation. It offers a great alternative to daily pills. However, another injectable, cabotegravir, is stalled. It had a four-year head start. The availability of a new HIV…
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HIV Prevention Injection Changes the Game in Treatment
South Africa will introduce a groundbreaking twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, lenacapavir, in select public clinics by April 2026. This move marks a significant step forward in the nation’s fight against HIV, offering a highly effective and convenient alternative to daily pills. However, this progress comes as another long-acting injectable, cabotegravir (CAB-LA), remains stalled despite having a four-year head start. The…
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Lenacapavir injection: The new frontier in HIV prevention
At the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference (HIVR4P) in Peru, groundbreaking data on the lenacapavir injection revealed its remarkable efficacy in HIV prevention. With a single injection every six months, the drug completely halted new HIV infections among women and girls. It achieved a 96% risk reduction for other gender-diverse individuals aged 16 and up. Despite lenacapavir’s transformative potential,…
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New HIV prevention shot promises six months of protection
A new injection containing the antiretroviral drug lenacapavir has demonstrated highly effective results in preventing HIV infection for six months per shot. The findings, announced by pharmaceutical company Gilead, mark a significant improvement over the current two-month protection offered by the long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injection. Lenacapavir, part of a new class of antiretroviral drugs called capsid inhibitors, works by interfering…