ANTI-HIV INJECTION LENACAPAVIR ADDED TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES LIST

Thu 20 November 2025:

The Department of Health’s National Essential Medicines List Committee (NEMLC) has approved the addition of the recently registered injectable lenacapavir to the Essential Medicines List (EML).

The department said the decision aligns with the department’s mandate to ensure access to safe, effective, high-quality, and affordable medicines for all citizens in the public sector.

The department highlighted that including treatments like lenacapavir on the EML is vital for encouraging the production of generic medicines, which can enhance their availability and affordability, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa.

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The NEMLC is a non-statutory committee appointed by the Minister of Health, established under the National Drug Policy to develop and review an EML for public sector use, accompanied by standard treatment guidelines for three levels of care – primary, secondary, and tertiary.

The department believes that lenacapavir can effectively address critical gaps in current HIV prevention methods.

Last month, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) announced the registration of lenacapavir, making South Africa the first country on the continent to approve the groundbreaking twice-a-year anti-HIV injection.

This is after Gilead, a biopharmaceutical company based in the United States, applied to SAHPRA, the local drug regulatory authority.

South Africa plans to launch lenacapavir, a groundbreaking long-acting HIV prevention method, as early as March 2026.

According to the department, the EML plays a crucial role as a global public health policy tool and a guide for countries to achieve universal health coverage.

“It ensures that people have access to carefully selected and cost-effective medicines that satisfy their priority health care needs, are of quality and are affordable.”

The department is of the view that access to affordable essential medicines is a vital component of an efficient health care system.

“In our resource-constrained environment with the high burden of disease, the value of the Standard Treatment Guidelines and EML in ensuring affordable and equitable access to medicines should not be underestimated.”

– SAnews.gov.za

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