By Michael Gwarisa
Zimbabwe has become the third African country to receive doses of injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention after Malawi and Zambia in a move that is set to expand HIV prevention methods for Zimbabweans.
The injectable cabotegravir for HIV PrEP will be administered by healthcare providers. Initially, a person receives an intramuscular (IM) injection of cabotegravir one time each month for the first two months. After that,a person will receive an IM injection of cabotegravir one time every two months.
Speaking in an interview with HeathTimes, Carey Spear, the PEPFAR Country Coordinator for Zimbabwe confirmed that Zimbabwe had taken delivery of 2000 doses of injectable PrEP.
The injectable PrEP, called CAB LA, is manufactured, and shipped by ViiV. ViiV has manufactured and delivered approximately 2,000 doses of CAB LA to Zimbabwe in March 2024,” said Spear.
CAB-LA is the third PrEP product recommended by WHO for HIV prevention. Tenofovir-based oral PrEP was recommended in 2015 and the dapivirine vaginal ring, another long-acting product, in 2021.
“Zimbabwe has received limited doses of injectable PrEP. We have taken great care to not raise exceptional demand and not surpass the limited quantity allocated to Zimbabwe. To date, we have not encountered any challenges to deliver injectable PrEP to Zimbabwe. CAB LA is in country, training of health care workers is nearly complete, and CAB LA will be rolled out this month.”
PEPFAR head, Dr John Nkengasong said PEPFAR had provided 24,000 doses of injectable PrEP in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi by 6 March and has plans for an “aggressive scale-up,” He added “The drug has the potential to bend the curve on the annual 1.3 million new HIV infections globally.”
HE raised concern over the availability and cost of injectable PrEP and said could limit its impact. (PEPFAR’s own future funding has been in limbo, but congressional negotiators last week agreed to extend it through March 2025.)
In Zimbabwe, PEPFAR’s commitment to Zimbabwe in 2024 is $210 million from October 2023 to Sept 2024 and $200 million from October 2024 to Sept 2025.