PEPFAR delivers first doses of groundbreaking HIV prevention drug to two African countries

The State Department announced Tuesday that PEPFAR has delivered the first doses of a breakthrough HIV prevention drug to two African countries.

Lenacapavir doses have arrived in Eswatini and Zambia.

In September, the State Department announced an effort with Gilead Sciences to bring lenacapavir “to market in countries with high HIV prevalence.”

Lenacapavir users inject the drug twice a year.

In a September announcement, the State Department noted that all participants in Gilead’s clinical trial remained HIV negative. It also said that lenacapavir “may be particularly useful for pregnant and lactating mothers as it safely protects them and prevents mother-to-child transmission.”

“In our new America First Global Health Strategy, the State Department is establishing a first-of-its-kind Innovation Fund to support American-led research, market shaping, and other dynamic advances in global health,” he said. PEPFAR said in a press release on Tuesday.

“The arrival of the first doses of lenacapavir in Eswatini and Zambia is an important milestone in HIV prevention and reflects our commitment to supporting communities with the greatest need,” added Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead. “The same year that a new HIV treatment was approved in the United States, it was first delivered to communities in sub-Saharan Africa.”

The September announcement came against a backdrop of widespread criticism of the Trump-Vance administration’s plan to reportedly defund PEPFAR and reduce domestic HIV/AIDS funding. The Washington Blade previously reported that PEPFAR-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries are being forced to scale back or close services due to U.S. funding cuts.