Gilead has announced the first shipments of its HIV prevention drug lenacapavir to Eswatini and Zambia, a milestone in the mission to end sub-Saharan Africa's HIV epidemic.
The shipments mark an important moment in the ongoing efforts to increase equitable access to HIV prevention and treatment across sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately two thirds of people living with HIV globally live here, with 18 countries represent approximately 70% of the HIV burden in the region.
Gilead plans to complete regulatory submissions for lenacapavir in these countries by the end of 2025. It has already been approved in South Africa and Zambia, and regulatory submissions have been filed for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Gilead also plans to supply lenacapavir at no profit for up to two million people until manufacturers are able to meet the demand in countries supported by the Global Fund and the US Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
"The arrivals of the first doses of lenacapavir in Eswatini and Zambia mark an important milestone in HIV prevention. For the first time, a new HIV medicine is reaching communities in sub-Saharan Africa in the same year as its US approval," said Daniel O'Day, chairman and chief executive officer of Gilead. "Our work with the Global Fund, PEPFAR, governments, and many others, accelerates access and moves us closer to finally ending the HIV epidemic."
Lenacapavir is a twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, which works to prevent HIV by blocking the outer shell, or 'capsid', which protects the HIV virus. There is currently no cure for either HIV or AIDS, making preventative medicine crucial in the fight against sub-Saharan Africa's HIV epidemic.