South Africa is entering a transformative moment in HIV prevention. The Department of Health has announced plans to roll out a six-monthly injectable HIV prevention option – based on lenacapavir, a long-acting antiretroviral – to more than 300 clinics by 2027, beginning with pilot sites in early 2026.
This milestone follows the success of Gilead Sciences’ PURPOSE 1 clinical trial, which demonstrated that lenacapavir provides highly effective protection against HIV infection in adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda. Synergy Biomed Research Institute (SBRI) was proud to be one of the South African research sites that contributed to this landmark study.
“We are incredibly proud to see our research contribute to what is now becoming a public-health intervention with the potential to protect millions of lives,” said Dr Mookho Malahleha, CEO of SBRI. “As a scientist, a mother, and a member of the global community, I’m deeply encouraged that safe and effective HIV prevention options are becoming more accessible for everyone — including future generations.”
In July 2025, members of the SBRI team joined fellow investigators and Gilead Sciences representatives in Kigali, Rwanda, for a global PURPOSE 1 celebration — an event that brought together research partners from across Africa to honour the collective achievement and the communities that made it possible.
“It was an inspiring moment for our team,” SBRI noted. “Being in a room with peers who share the same commitment to advancing science for public good reminded us that we are part of a truly global research community — one that works every day to pioneer innovations that improve the health and wellbeing of our people.”
As South Africa prepares for the national rollout, SBRI remains committed to ensuring that the Eastern Cape – and the broader African region – benefit fully from this breakthrough in HIV prevention.
SBRI will continue to advance evidence-based prevention and strengthen local capacity to deliver world-class biomedical research in South Africa.For media enquiries or to learn more about SBRI’s HIV prevention portfolio, visit www.sbri.org.za or follow @sbri_research on Instagram.