‘Vaccine-like’ HIV injection rolls out in 3 African nations

A revolutionary HIV prevention drug that requires only two injections a year has officially been rolled out in South Africa, Zambia, and Eswatini.

The launch, which coincided with World AIDS Day events earlier this week (December 1-2, 2025), marks the first time lenacapavir has been administered to patients in Africa outside of clinical trials.

Health experts are calling the rollout a 'game-changer' for the continent, as the injection eliminates the need for daily pills, a major barrier for many due to stigma and 'pill fatigue.'

While not a biological vaccine (it does not teach the immune system to fight the virus), lenacapavir is described as 'vaccine-like' because of its long-acting protection.

Manufactured by Gilead Sciences under the brand name Sunlenca, this treatment simplifies HIV prevention into a single injection administered once every six months.

It operates as a first-in-class capsid inhibitor, targeting the cone-shaped protein shell that protects the virus’s genetic material.

By binding directly to this shell, the drug interferes with the virus at multiple stages of its lifecycle, preventing the capsid from breaking down to release genetic material into the host cell or from assembling new, infectious virus particles.

The rollout follows the results of the PURPOSE 1 clinical trial, which stunned the medical community earlier this year.

The study, conducted among 5,300 cisgender women and adolescent girls in South Africa and Uganda, showed 100% efficacy.

Not a single participant who received the lenacapavir injection contracted HIV during the trial.

In South Africa, the first 'real-world' injections (separate from clinical trials) were administered on Tuesday, December 2, at a clinic in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria.

One of the first recipients, a 32-year-old woman who had previously relied on daily oral medication, described the shift as 'life-changing.'

She noted that the injection removes the constant anxiety of missing a dose or hiding pills from family members.

In Zambia, the rollout began at the Kuku Grounds in Chawama, Lusaka.

Zambian Health Minister Dr Elijah Muchima hailed the arrival as a critical milestone.

"The availability of this drug gives hope to those who struggle to take daily HIV prevention doses... and men who prefer to access prevention privately," Dr Muchima stated.

While the drug is now available in limited quantities through donor-funded programmes (such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund), the price remains the biggest hurdle for mass adoption.

In the United States, the drug costs approximately Sh5.2 million (USD40,000) per patient per year.

However, a licensing deal struck in late 2024 will allow generic manufacturers to produce the drug for low-income nations at a fraction of the cost.

Generic versions are expected to be available by 2027, with a projected price tag of roughly Sh5,200 (USD40) per patient per year.

Until then, supply in African nations will rely heavily on donations and global health funding.