The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) celebrates ViiV Healthcare’s announcement to triple its annual supply of long-acting cabotegravir for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (CAB LA for PrEP) for low- and middle-income countries. This marks a significant step forward in HIV prevention, particularly for women and girls who face a heightened risk of HIV infections across Sub-Saharan Africa.
At the HIV R4P 2024 conference in Lima, Peru, ViiV Healthcare committed to making at least two million doses of CAB LA available for procurement during 2025-2026. This comes at a critical time, as new HIV infections continue to rise, especially among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). In 2023 alone, 1.3 million people acquired HIV, underscoring the urgent need to diversify and scale up access to HIV prevention options.
“This announcement offers young women and girls in Africa more choices for HIV prevention,” said Zulaika Nanyonga, a Prevention Champion. “With options like CAB LA, we can protect ourselves in a way that fits our lives. For many of us, this long-acting injectable will be easier to use and less stigmatizing than daily pills.”
Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) data highlights the limited use of oral PrEP due to barriers such as lack of information, limited access, as most facilities are not yet accredited to provide PrEP, and stigma. By tripling the CAB LA supply, women and girls in need of PrEP will have better options, addressing the limitations of oral PrEP and making prevention more accessible.
“We continue to call on PEPFAR and the Global Fund to increase their demand and procurement of innovative prevention options like CAB LA,” said Peluth Natumanya Bampa, Programmes Director at ICWEA. “Sustained political and financial support is essential to meeting the unique needs of women and girls, and CAB LA is a critical part of expanding those choices.”
As a co-lead implementor of the HIV Prevention Choice Manifesto for Women and Girls in Africa, ICWEA reaffirms its commitment to advocating for political and financial support to ensure that all women and girls in Africa have access to the HIV prevention options that best suit their lives and health needs.
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