South Africa steps up the rollout of the new HIV injectable drug

South Africa is stepping up the rollout of Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug, as Gauteng Province received a new consignment of 28,593 initiation packs this week.

The new stock is being distributed to 133 participating health facilities in Gauteng, where some sites had reported temporary shortages following strong demand since the medicine was rolled out in June.

The latest consignment brings the total number of initiation packs received by the province to 57,231, according to South African government authorities.

The development comes as South Africa continues to expand access to Lenacapavir nationwide after officially launching the rollout on June 5.

The first phase covers about 360 public health facilities across six provinces and 24 high-burden districts.

Given by injection once every six months, Lenacapavir is used as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to reduce the risk of HIV infection among HIV-negative people.

Health authorities say the long-acting option can broaden prevention choices, particularly for people who may find it difficult to take oral PrEP on a daily basis.

South Africa received its first batch of about 37,920 doses in early April.

By the end of July, 17,937 eligible people in Gauteng had started using Lenacapavir.

The South African government aims to reach close to one million people with Lenacapavir by the end of 2027 and three million within three years as part of efforts to reduce new HIV infections.

South Africa continues to have one of the world's largest HIV burdens.

According to Statistics South Africa, an estimated 8.15 million people in the country were living with HIV in 2025, accounting for about 12.9% of the population.