Rwanda to roll out six-month HIV prevention injection

Rwanda is expanding its HIV prevention programme with the introduction of Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable drug administered every six months, from December 1.

The Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) announced that the medicine, known as Lenacapavir and marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, will initially be available at 12 selected health centres across the country.

Dr. Zephanie Nzeyimana, an RBC official responsible for HIV prevention among populations at increased risk, told The New Times that the first shipment arrived in Rwanda on November 3, 2026.

The medicine will be provided free of charge to eligible individuals, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Initial rollout will prioritise populations considered at increased risk of HIV infection, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, HIV-negative partners of people living with HIV and other eligible individuals.

According to Dr. Nzeyimana, Lenacapavir will complement existing HIV prevention services rather than replace them.

Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and injectable Cabotegravir will continue to be available.

Although the medicine itself will be free, some accompanying healthcare services may attract charges depending on an individual’s health insurance coverage, including Rwanda’s community-based health insurance scheme, Mutuelle de Santé.

The first phase will cover Kigali and all four provinces.

In Kigali, the selected facilities are Remera and Kacyiru health centres in Gasabo District, Kabusunzu in Nyarugenge and Gikondo in Kicukiro.

The Eastern Province will have two sites, Mukarange and Nyamata health centres, while Rubengera and Gisenyi will serve the Western Province.

In the Northern Province, the medicine will be available at Muhoza Health Centre in Ruhengeri and Kinigi Health Centre.

Gitarama and Rango health centres have been selected in the Southern Province.

The introduction follows growing international efforts to expand access to long-acting HIV prevention medicines.

In July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended injectable Lenacapavir twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis option, recognising its potential to overcome challenges associated with taking preventive medication daily.

Clinical trials, including PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2, demonstrated high effectiveness, with the medicine reducing the risk of acquiring HIV by 96% or more in the studied populations.

Kenya became the first country in East Africa to officially launch the medicine in February 2026, offering it free of charge to eligible people through selected public health facilities.

The rollout comes as Rwanda continues efforts to reduce new HIV infections and strengthen prevention, testing and treatment services.

According to the 2025 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey, HIV prevalence among people aged 15 to 49 stands at 2.2%, with women recording 2.8% compared with 1.5% among men.

Meanwhile, RBC reported that approximately 234,593 people were living with HIV in Rwanda in 2025.