HARARE – Zimbabwe has received 23,000 doses of the HIV prevention drug lenacapavir from a US-funded consignment, with another 20,000 doses expected to arrive...
HARARE – Zimbabwe has received 23,000 doses of the HIV prevention drug lenacapavir from a US-funded consignment, with another 20,000 doses expected to arrive soon.
The shipment forms part of 43,000 doses secured to expand access to the long-acting HIV prevention medicine, according to Dr Owen Mugurungi, director of the AIDS, TB and Malaria Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
“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,” Mugurungi said, according to HealthTimes.
The latest consignment is separate from about 2,000 doses Zimbabwe received earlier this year when the country began its initial lenacapavir rollout. The additional supply is expected to significantly expand the number of people who can access the prevention option.
Lenacapavir is a long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, administered twice a year. It provides an alternative to daily oral PrEP for people seeking to prevent HIV infection.
Zimbabwe began its first phase of the lenacapavir programme in February 2026, with an initial target of reaching about 46,500 people. The programme has focused on populations considered to have a higher risk of HIV infection, including adolescent girls and young women, sex workers, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The Global Fund and the United States have been supporting the expansion of long-acting lenacapavir across several countries. In April, the two organisations announced an expanded commitment aimed at reaching an additional one million people with lenacapavir over three years, bringing their combined ambition to three million people by 2028. Zimbabwe was among the African countries identified for early rollout.
The new shipment has arrived at a significant time for Zimbabwe’s health sector. The United States has confirmed that its health assistance programmes in Zimbabwe will end at the close of September after the two countries failed to reach agreement on a proposed bilateral health memorandum of understanding.
US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont said the end of the programmes followed Zimbabwe’s decision not to proceed with the proposed health agreement. Washington has said it intends to shift its relationship with Zimbabwe towards broader economic, trade and investment cooperation.
The US has been a major partner in Zimbabwe’s HIV response, supporting prevention, testing, treatment, laboratory systems, healthcare workers and community programmes. The end of the assistance therefore raises questions about how programmes and supplies previously supported through US funding will be sustained.
For lenacapavir, the immediate priority is completing delivery of the remaining 20,000 doses and expanding access through the national programme. The longer-term issue will be maintaining supplies and financing as the US health assistance framework changes.
Zimbabwe’s rollout is part of a wider African expansion of long-acting HIV prevention. The Global Fund said in April that early programme data from countries introducing lenacapavir showed strong uptake among priority populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescent girls and young women, and people accessing PrEP for the first time.
Lenacapavir does not replace HIV treatment for people who already have HIV. It is used as a prevention option for people who are HIV-negative and should be provided alongside appropriate HIV testing and medical guidance.
The arrival of the 23,000 doses gives Zimbabwe additional supplies as it expands access to a prevention method that requires dosing only twice a year. Health authorities will now need to manage the distribution of the new stock while planning for continued access beyond the current US-supported supply.
