What You Need to Know
Mozambique has launched lenacapavir, a new injectable drug for HIV prevention, starting in Maputo and Zambézia provinces. This initiative aims to reduce the high rate of new infections, particularly among adolescents. The drug will be administered to HIV-negative individuals, with support from the U.S. and WHO, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to health education and prevention.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. The new medicine will only be administered to people who test negative for HIV and provides for two doses per year, in an initial phase in 55 health units in Zambézia province, in central Mozambique, and in Maputo province and city, in the south of the country.
Mozambique began using the injectable drug lenacapavir for the prevention of HIV infection today, with the first dose administered in Maputo province, aiming to reduce new infections and accelerate control of the disease in the country.
“We are here today, with great pride, to launch this new innovative therapy, effective for the health of the Mozambican people, because we know that, together, with these combined interventions that we are introducing here, we will be able, in the medium and long term, to have healthy people,” said Mozambican Health Minister Ussene Isse during the launch ceremony.
The new Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) option was presented at the Ndlavela Health Centre in Matola, on the outskirts of Maputo, marking the introduction of an “innovative technology” in the response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), with initial application to people aged 15 and above.
Mozambique records around 92,000 new infections per year, of which 34,000 are among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24, a group considered a priority in the new prevention strategy, the health minister said.
The new medicine will only be administered to people who test negative for HIV and provides for two doses per year, in an initial phase in 55 health units in Zambézia province, in central Mozambique, and in Maputo province and city, in the south of the country.
Ussene Isse also underlined the potential of the new approach to reduce stigma and increase adherence to prevention, especially among young people and adolescents.
“It will reduce stigma and discrimination (…) and we will have greater adherence because most of the people who use these services are adolescents and young people and we must invest in this age group, we must save this youth, these adolescents,” he added.
The minister stressed that Mozambique now joins a group of nine African countries with access to the new technology, considered long-acting and highly effective in prevention, but warned of the need for strict control in the administration of the drug, stressing that it is free of charge in the National Health Service and must only be administered in health units.
“We do not want to hear that they are charging for it outside, that they are administering the injection outside,” he warned.
The introduction of lenacapavir in Mozambique is supported by the Government of the United States of America and the World Health Organization (WHO), within the framework of international partnerships to strengthen HIV prevention and control in the country, institutions represented at the ceremony.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Mozambique, Abigail Dressel, said that the launch “represents the continued commitment (…) to accelerating control of the HIV epidemic”.
The representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Nelida Cabral, described the introduction of lenacapavir as “a decisive milestone in the response to HIV in Mozambique”, highlighting its potential to reduce new infections in risk groups.
Health authorities stressed that lenacapavir must be used in combination with other prevention measures, including condom use, regular testing and community education, in efforts to curb the epidemic in the country.
HIV/AIDS has been a significant public health challenge in Mozambique, with approximately 92,000 new infections reported annually. The government has implemented various strategies to combat the epidemic, focusing on vulnerable populations, especially youth. The introduction of lenacapavir marks a crucial step in enhancing prevention efforts and aligns with global health initiatives to control HIV transmission in the region. This new treatment option is part of a broader commitment to improving health outcomes and reducing stigma associated with HIV.
