NATIONAL
The Uganda National Drug Authority (NDA) on Monday (January 5, 2025) announced that it had approved HIV Prevention vaccine, Lenacapavir, as part of the country’s efforts to end HIV by 2030.
NDA says the approval is a game changer for HIV prevention in Uganda.
“Uganda’s National Drug Authority has just approved Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly dose PrEP manufactured by Gilead, a USA based company! This is a game-changer for HIV prevention, especially for those at high risk. This is great step towards ending AIDS by 2030,” NDA said.
About the Vaccine
Lenacapavir HIV Prevention vaccine is used as pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP. The drug targets people who are at a higher risk of HIV infection. Manufactured by Gilead Sciences, a United States-based pharmaceutical firm, the injection is given only twice a year unlike other PrEP pills. This reduces the burden of daily adherence, which has been a challenge for many users.
With this approval, the authority will now focus on access, pricing and integration of the vaccine into the already existing HIV Prevention programmes.
The drug demonstrated high effectiveness as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in clinical trials conducted among adolescent girls and young women in Uganda and South Africa. Following these results, Uganda was earmarked to receive a donation worth USD 1.1 million from the Global Fund this month, placing the country among the first beneficiaries of donated doses.
