By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/a-new-hiv-prevention-drug-is-showing-promising-signs-but-its-difficult-to-find-in-africa-and-beyond Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter A new HIV-prevention drug is showing promising signs, but it's difficult to find in Africa and beyond Health Nov 3, 2026 11:01 AM EST MBARARA, Uganda (AP) — In the red light district in Mbarara, a city in western Uganda known in part for sex tourism, a sex worker named Lisa Mutoni insists on using condoms when men enter her room, to protect her against HIV and other infections. The problem: Some try to remove or tear the condom while having sex. She takes HIV-prevention medication called PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, which can come in the form of daily pills or periodic injections. But there's a new option for her and millions like her — if they could only get it. It's a drug called lenacapavir that studies have shown can offer nearly complete protection from HIV with just two shots a year. READ MORE: Zimbabwe rolls out long-acting HIV drug, among first countries to…
A new HIV-prevention drug is showing promising signs, but it's difficult to find in Africa and beyond
In short
The breakthrough medication provides near-total protection against transmission with only two shots required per year, yet local facilities in places like Mbarara, Uganda, are turning patients away because doses are depleted. Tentative approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a generic version seeks to deliver the drug across 120 low-income countries at roughly $40 annually, a fraction of its $28,218 U.S. list price. The Global Fund is working to deliver these doses to 3 million people by the end of 2028. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders is pressing the manufacturer to permit direct sales to humanitarian groups and widen distribution to neglected territories.
Key points
- Severe international supply shortages are forcing clinics to turn away high-risk patients…: Severe international supply shortages are forcing clinics to turn away high-risk patients who desperately need preventative care.
- The Global Fund has established a benchmark to deliver the affordable generic therapy to…: The Global Fund has established a benchmark to deliver the affordable generic therapy to 3 million individuals by the end of 2028.
- Humanitarian organizations including Doctors Without Borders are demanding direct purchas…: Humanitarian organizations including Doctors Without Borders are demanding direct purchasing access to speed up distribution across additional nations.