Zimbabwe has begun rolling out lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, making it one of the first countries globally to do so. The programme, funded by the U.S. and the Global Fund, initially targets over 46,000 high-risk individuals across 24 sites.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora said the phased rollout demonstrates Zimbabwe’s commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat. Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, is injected twice a year and aims to improve adherence compared with daily oral PrEP pills.
Zimbabwe has made major strides in HIV control, achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Despite having one of Africa’s highest HIV burdens, new infections have dropped significantly due to expanded testing, treatment, and prevention.
