Zambia to receive long-acting anti-HIV AIDS injectable drugs in October —Govt

Zambia is expected to receive the Cabotegravir (CAB-LA), the new Antiretroviral (ARV) injectable drug in October this year.

This is according to the Ministry of Health Director of Infectious Disease Lioyd Mulenga in South Africa.

Mulenga, who is also Acting Director General for the National AIDS Council (NAC), said Zambia would this year receive the long-acting ARV offered for prevention of HIV among people at high risk of acquiring the virus through a method of preventing HIV called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by First Secretary Press and Public Relations at Zambia High Commission to South Africa Tamara Nyirenda.

He said at the the closure of the Country Operational Plan (COP23) Co-Planning Meeting in South Africa that the government was working at enhancing HIV prevention including accelerating the introduction of the injectable ARVs.

Mulenga said that the planned arrival of the CAB-LA was in response to the presidential directive but also to the urgent need for enhancing prevention.

“Between now and October, there will be a lot of sensitization on the drug and which populations can receive it.

“People need to know that this drug is not for treatment of HIV but for prevention of HIV. There is another drug combination containing Cabotegravir and another injectable called Rilpivirine which is used for HIV treatment, but this one will not be available this year for people living with HIV,” Mulenga said.

He said who are not at high risk of acquiring HIV do not need to take this CAB-LA.

Mulenga said the health facilities would also need to be prepared as well as health workers trained on how to administer these drugs.

He said the national training would commence in April this year and technical experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other bodies would be available to support the country.

“Since it will be a new drug in our population, we will also institute monitoring how our people will be responding to this drug in terms of side effects- a concept called pharmacovigilance.

“For now what we know is that the drug has minor side effects like pain from the site of the injection and also a few people may have mild headache,” Mulenga said.

Contributed by Julius Phirl

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