Mozambique's Ministry of Health has taken a landmark step in its HIV prevention strategy, officially launching lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable PrEP drug shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of HIV infection by over 99%, at a ceremony in the southern municipality of Matola on Wednesday.

Health Minister Ussene Isse described the launch as positioning Mozambique among a select group of pioneering nations offering such an advanced preventative intervention, noting that the injection is administered only twice a year and is available to individuals aged 15 and above.

This convenience factor is considered a critical advantage over daily oral PrEP regimens, which require strict adherence to be effective.

The urgency behind this rollout is underscored by the scale of Mozambique's HIV burden.

The country recorded approximately 92,000 new HIV infections in 2024, with a particularly alarming 15,000 cases occurring among adolescents and young people aged 10 to 19, according to figures cited by Minister Isse at the launch.

Deputy National Director of Public Health Aleny Couto explained that lenacapavir builds on lessons learned from a 2024 pilot of cabotegravir, another injectable PrEP, which was trialled in the northern province of Nampula, providing a data-informed foundation for the nationwide scale-up.

The phased rollout will initially cover 55 health units across 15 districts in the central province of Zambézia, as well as Maputo city and province, with broader national deployment to follow.

By adopting lenacapavir, Mozambique joins a growing cohort of southern and eastern African nations including Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, that have already integrated similar long-acting prevention tools into their public health infrastructure, signalling a regional shift away from reliance on daily oral medication.