Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
8 April 2026 | 10:37 CAT
2-minute read

Image source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Health announced that South Africa’s first consignment of a twice-a-year anti-HIV injection arrived at OR Tambo International airport via two shipments from Dublin, Ireland last week. Over 35 000 doses reached the country six weeks later than expected, Dr Fikile Ndlovu, the Department of Health’s Deputy Director General for HIV, AIDS, TB and Maternal Health said in an interview on Radio Islam International.

South Africa has approved Lenacapavir, becoming the first African country to authorise the near-100% effective prevention tool that will primarily target at-risk individuals, including adolescent girls, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and other individuals at high risk. The ground-breaking drug is scheduled for a limited public sector rollout starting this month.

Dr Ndlovu explained how the medication works.

“It’s a prevention injection which means anyone who’s HIV negative now can be able to take the injection twice a year and it protects them from getting the infection, the HIV.”

The initial batch consists of 37 920 “initiation packs” (which include both the injection and preparatory pills) for the first quarter of 2026, which is significantly fewer than the 57 135 initiation packs the health department originally ordered.

The country is expected to receive a total of 342 100 doses throughout 2026, consisting of 227 980 initiation packs and 114 120 continuation packs.

“We’ll be getting the other stock, one stock is coming at the end of April, then in May,” Dr Ndlovu said.

Modelling studies suggest that ~ 1-2 million people need to be on the injection annually, which equates to millions of doses per year.

The rollout is primarily funded by a R513-million grant from the Global Fund, which covers a total of 947 450 doses from Gilead Sciences between this year and next. This constitutes about 3% of the total doses needed to end AIDS by 2043.

To cover the massive shortfall between the current donor-funded doses and the actual need, South Africa aims to roll out generics by 2027.

“They’ve also then allowed six other companies to be able to make the generic drug, and then once they’ve made it in the next year or two, we will be getting the generic one, which will come at a much cheaper, that we can also afford as a country,” Dr Ndlovu said.

The 6-week delay in the delivery of the first consignment was caused by a combination of complex logistics between the Global Fund and manufacturer Gilead Sciences, coupled with necessary regulatory approvals.

The Global Fund had to stagger shipments to nine “early adopter” African countries to manage supply chain logistics and optimise the shelf life of the product to prevent wastage. Before the medication could be shipped, two specific approvals were required, including a label exemption from SAHPRA and a VAT exemption from SARS. Additionally, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East resulted in a significant loss of freight capacity for the airlines involved in transporting the medication. 

Listen to the full interview with Dr Fikile Ndlovu on Sabaahul Muslim, presented by Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.