Experimental HIV/ Aids jab hits Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has been chosen among 10 countries worldwide to introduce lenacapavir, an experimental HIV prevention drug that provides protection with just two injections per year. The development is being hailed as a major milestone in the country's decades-long battle against HIV and Aids.

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The initiative, spearheaded by the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, is expected to make lenacapavir available to up to two million people in high-burden countries.

Announcing the breakthrough yesterday, the United States embassy in Harare said the intervention marked a decisive step forward in reducing new infections.

"For decades, we've fought to turn the tide against this epidemic and each day we get closer. Through a partnership with US-based Gilead Sciences and the Global Fund, we're delivering lenacapavir, the first twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine," the embassy said.

"In a large-scale clinical trial, more than 99% of people on lenacapavir remained HIV negative. While this has the potential to save millions of lives, here in Zimbabwe it represents a major step towards ending new infections."

The embassy said special focus would be placed on protecting pregnant and breastfeeding women to prevent mother-to-child transmission, while strengthening Zimbabwe's health system to ensure equitable access.

Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini welcomed the development, noting that Zimbabwe's established health structures would facilitate smooth rollout when the programme begins next year.

"We already have structures which have seen our people accessing ARVs. This is another form of ARV for those who are HIV negative, to prevent infections. ARVs are available even in the most remote areas, and this is how lenacapavir will also reach our people," Kwidini said.

Zimbabwe HIV/Aids Activists Union president Stanley Takaona also applauded the initiative but raised concerns about accessibility.

"The drug is important because prevention is treatment. But the critical issue is its availability and affordability. ARVs were globally supported and dispensed free, so lenacapavir must follow the same path to avoid leaving gaps in access," he said, urging government and partners to educate communities on how to access the drug.

Public health economist Tendayi Chipango stressed that the programme should also target groups often excluded from mainstream health interventions.

"Extending lenacapavir to key populations, including adolescents and the LGBTQI community, will make prevention more cost-effective and accelerate reduction in new infections," she said.

Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike called for greater domestic investment in health to reduce dependence on external donors.

"The overreliance on external partners is risky and unsustainable. Lenacapavir should be integrated into a comprehensive national programme, alongside revitalisation of primary health care and universal health coverage. Only then can Zimbabwe achieve lasting gains," Rusike said.

Gilead Sciences, the American pharmaceutical company behind the innovation, spent 17 years developing lenacapavir, which is being described as one of the most promising new prevention tools in the global HIV response.

With Zimbabwe selected as an early beneficiary, the rollout of lenacapavir is expected to strengthen the country's arsenal against HIV and bring it closer to epidemic control.