The Ministry of Health has made an announcement to introduce a long-acting injectable drug in the prevention of HIV, commonly known as Cabotegravir, CAB-LA, starting in September 2024. This would be a leap ahead in the country’s continued fight against HIV.
Cabotegravir, the long-acting injectable—CAB-LA—is administered bi-monthly to offer protection against HIV from all types of exposure. Dr. Herbert Kadama, the Health Ministry’s coordinator for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, said that the country is set to receive about 10,000 doses of the drug from the United States Agency.
“We are supposed to roll out CAB-LA in seven PEPFAR USAID supported sites beginning this September. We will then expand to four more sites by February 2025 with support from the Global Fund,” Dr. Kadama revealed to this reporter recently during a media orientation in Kampala on new technologies for PrEP and research into Lenacapavir.
He added that once injected in the buttock, the slow release of the drug into the blood stream helps in “building up in the body’s cells, where, again, it would effectively work against HIV infection.” He said that first, the level of risk for an individual to contract HIV has to be ascertained. “If you are HIV-negative and at risk, you will get the injection every two months as long as the risk persists,” he added.
HIV PrEP options being used at the moment in Uganda include oral PrEP and the vaginal ring. Since 2017, people using oral PrEP have grown from 800 to over 700,000. The current PrEP products are being offered through seven public health facilities under the PEPFAR USAID Mosaic Funded Project. These centers are Mbarara Health Center IV, Bufunda Health Center II, Gulu Regional Hospital, Kitgum Hospital, Namakwekwe, Bison Health Center III, and Malawa Health Center IV. The medical officer, Dr. Kadama, said that such services will be rolled out across the country as soon as resources become available.
Besides Cabotegravir, other injectable PrEP medications being studied are Lenacapavir, and F/TAF. According to Dr. Flavia Matovu, the Director of Research at MU-JHU,Lenacapavir rest in the body for 6 months and has proved to prevent HIV infection by 100%. While CAB-LA is administered bi-monthly, Lenacapavir is administered only twice a year. Dr. Matovu, however, outlined that it is an area with a greater need for research on the possible delivery method that should be utilized in Uganda for Lenacapavir, either through hospitals, health facilities, a pharmacy, or home delivery.
Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health explained that “the new prevention strategies are key in the implementation of the Uganda National HIV Prevention Strategy that seeks to reduce the burden of HIV prevalence and incidence in Uganda. “New products like injectable Lenacapavir and the PrEP ring offer hope. We remain committed to expanding access to an end to this public health threat by 2030,” Dr. Atwine said. She also urged journalists to keep their voices loud while disseminating information to the community, especially about preventing HIV and behavioral change processes.
This development is a milestone in Uganda’s struggle against HIV as the country joins the world in the evolving advancements in addressing the continued challenge of HIV/AIDS that may have the possibility of eradicating the disease from being a public health threat.
