Selected African countries preparing to roll out the new HIV prevention drug, Lenacapavir, are being urged to actively share lessons and implementation strategies, as global health leaders emphasise that knowledge exchange will be critical to maximising the impact of the vaccine.
The call was made during a digital press briefing hosted by the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Regional Media Hub, on Tuesday.
Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, Brad Smith, emphasised that cross-country collaboration would be central to the success of the Lenacapavir rollout, especially as the U.S. Government’s new Global Health Strategy seeks to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies across high-burden countries.
He said although it is too early to draw lessons from Eswatini because the vaccines have just been delivered, the countries set to receive the vaccinces can share strategies on how effectively make use of the drug.
“The first doses are being delivered today, so it is very early in the process. But we think sharing lessons across countries is going to be an important part of this work, whether it’s around Lenacapavir, increasing domestic health resources, or a wide variety of other topics,” he said.
Smith said the US, the Global Fund and other partners plan to facilitate these exchanges, though he acknowledged that many countries are already informally coordinating as they prepare for the arrival of the drug.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Becky Bunnell, said insights from previous rollouts of long-acting HIV medicines will also be essential.
She stressed that successful implementation hinges on focusing on populations and districts with the highest HIV risk and investing in strong demand creation.
“When we do that, we not only deliver long-acting prevention, we strengthen testing efforts, identify undiagnosed HIV infections and link people to treatment. This innovation can be catalytic in ending mother-to-child transmission by focusing on women of reproductive age, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers,” she said.
Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands added that countries must also draw from their past HIV prevention efforts, including oral PrEP, pointing to Zimbabwe’s extensive experience as an example.
“Zimbabwe has considerable experience with oral PrEP. Lenacapavir addresses some of the barriers to oral PrEP, stigma and adherence. There’s a lot to be learned both from Zimbabwe’s experience and from other countries,” Sands said.
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