Zimbabwe has received the first 23,000 doses of a US-funded consignment of 43,000 doses of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine, just days before the United States is set to end its health assistance programmes in the country.
Dr Owen Mugurungi, Director of the AIDS, TB and Malaria Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, confirmed the arrival to HealthTimes.
“To date, 23,000 doses of Lenacapavir have arrived from the 43,000 we ordered. We are still expecting the remaining 20,000 to arrive soon,” he said.
The shipment is separate from the approximately 2,000 doses Zimbabwe received earlier this year when it began its initial phased rollout. The latest consignment is expected to expand access, bringing the 2026 target to about 46,500 users.
Lenacapavir is a long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis medicine administered as a six-monthly injection, after an initiation phase, to prevent HIV-1 infection. Unlike daily oral PrEP, it offers a longer-acting option intended to widen choice for people at risk. It was approved for use in Zimbabwe by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe following an expedited regulatory review.
Zimbabwe began rolling out the medicine in February, and early uptake has been encouraging. By May, 1,478 people had been initiated, with women accounting for 67 per cent. About 42 per cent had switched from oral PrEP to long-acting injectable cabotegravir.
The additional supply is particularly significant because lenacapavir formed part of a broader HIV prevention expansion supported through international financing, including US-linked assistance, with earlier plans envisaging reaching tens of thousands of people in 2026.
Its arrival comes less than a week before the United States is expected to conclude its health assistance programmes in Zimbabwe at the end of September, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of programmes and commodities that have benefited from American support.
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