By URN
Kampala, Uganda: Demand for Lenacapavir, a newly introduced HIV prevention injection, has exceeded available supplies in Uganda, with health officials reporting unexpectedly high interest from men seeking access to the twice-yearly drug.
Speaking at a meeting attended by HIV advocates, researchers and policymakers on Friday, the Ministry of Health’s Coordinator for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Dr Herbert Kadama, said health facilities are receiving overwhelming inquiries from people eager to access the injectable HIV prevention medicine.
“We continue receiving many calls from different categories of people asking where and how they can access the drug,” Dr Kadama said.
Lenacapavir, which was launched in Uganda in April, is currently reserved for individuals assessed to be at very high risk of acquiring HIV.
At the time of its rollout, only 19,200 doses were available for distribution across 103 designated health facilities nationwide, limiting the number of people who can immediately benefit from the new prevention option.
Dr Peter Mudiope, who heads HIV prevention at the Ministry of Health, said another consignment is expected ahead of the second injection cycle scheduled for October.
However, he cautioned that delivery timelines remain uncertain after the manufacturer reported shortages of a complementary tablet required as a loading dose before administration of the injectable medicine.
Health officials acknowledged that the cost of Lenacapavir remains one of the biggest barriers to expanding access across the country.
Mudiope noted that Uganda is currently unable to independently finance large-scale procurement of the medicine and will continue relying on support from development partners, including the Global Fund and the United States government.
The studies that established the effectiveness of Lenacapavir as a PrEP option in Uganda were conducted among young women in Kalangala, Masaka and Mityana districts.
Dr Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, a Senior Scientist at the Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University (MUJHU) Research Collaboration, said access remains guaranteed for women who participated in the clinical trials.
According to Dr Kiweewa, about 95 percent of the women enrolled in the studies are currently receiving the injection.
She added that MUJHU is prioritising pregnant and breastfeeding women, who currently account for approximately 70 percent of the programme’s available supplies.
Hope for Lower Prices
Health officials remain optimistic that access to Lenacapavir will improve significantly in the coming years. The optimism follows agreements signed by Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of the drug, with six pharmaceutical companies to produce generic versions of Lenacapavir.
The move is expected to substantially reduce costs and make the medicine more accessible to countries with high HIV burdens, including Uganda.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Health is encouraging individuals at risk of HIV infection to continue using other available prevention options.
These include daily oral PrEP tablets and Cabotegravir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug administered once every two months.
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