Uganda has received its first consignment of 19,200 doses of Lenacapavir from the Global Fund, the Ministry of Health confirmed.
“The drug is administered every six months to prevent HIV among people at substantial risk of infection. It will be distributed to high-burden and high-incidence districts starting March 2026,” the ministry said.
In January, Uganda’s National Drug Authority approved lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention (PrEP) injection manufactured by Gilead Sciences. The approval is considered a game-changer for HIV prevention, especially for populations at high risk, and marks a critical step toward the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
This development comes just six months after the United States Food and Drug Administration approved long-acting injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention. Administered once every six months, the medicine represents a major improvement over daily oral PrEP, offering people at risk greater convenience and adherence.
Gilead Sciences announced a U.S. list price of $28,218 (about Shs 101,574,641) per person per year. However, a research paper published this week in The Lancet HIV found that generic lenacapavir could be produced for between $35 (Shs 12,598) and $46 (Shs 16,583) per person per year, potentially dropping to $25 (Shs 89,991) per person if five to ten million people commit to treatment in the first year — making it comparable to, or even cheaper than, current oral PrEP.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS and UN Under-Secretary-General, hailed the approval as a breakthrough.
“This is a breakthrough moment. Lenacapavir is the result of decades of public investment, scientific excellence, and the contributions of trial participants and communities,” she said.
She added: “This medicine could be the tool we need to bring new infections under control — but only if it is priced affordably and made available to everyone who could benefit. UNAIDS has seen research showing production costs as low as $25 per person per year within a year of rollout. It is beyond comprehension how Gilead can justify $28,218. If this game-changing medicine remains unaffordable, it will change nothing. I urge Gilead to drop the price, expand production, and give the world a real chance at ending AIDS.”
