Nairobi, Kenya, 3rd November 2025: South Africa’s historic approval of Lenacapavir (LEN) , a revolutionary long-acting injectable, marks a critical turning point in the fight against HIV. Tiko is set to play a key role in the rollout, expanding access for girls and young women at the highest risk. Administered just twice a year, Lenacapavir adds to the growing range of HIV prevention options offering greater choice, convenience, and discretion for those who need it most.
Tiko’s Strategy for the introduction of the Lenacapavir will:
- Through its mobilisers and community-based organisations (CBOs), Tiko will also help raise awareness, encourage girls to start and stay on prevention medication, and aim to keep more than 80% of users on PrEP for a full year.
- Leverage its platform and community networks so eligible girls can access it through partner health facilities.
- Continue offering other PrEP options so that girls have a choice, especially as Lenacapavir is introduced.
Serah Malaba, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Tiko said,
“This rapid approval gives us a real chance to make Lenacapavir available faster and brings new hope, an easier and additional empowering prevention choice that fits into girls’ lives and protects their futures. Our goal is to make sure no girl is left behind. Access to medicines and commodities remains a challenge. The six month long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) product lenacapavir has shown extremely high efficacy in preventing HIV among adolescent girls and women in Africa. As with long-acting injectable cabotegravir, the cost of lenacapavir and the speed with which it is made available to potential users will be decisive.”
Tiko is simultaneously focused on strengthening South Africa’s health system for the new era of long-acting prevention. It is part of national working groups, helping develop training materials for health workers, sharing data from the Tiko platform on how girls stay on prevention medication, and helping design ways to increase awareness and demand.
This collaborative rollout builds on Tiko’s success in supporting girls’ access to new health innovations, such as the DMPA-SC self-injection contraception in Uganda, where close partnership with the government helped the method become the choice for 33% of Tiko’s clients.
Demonstrating the power of partnerships can help new health solutions reach more people and last longer.
In South Africa, Tiko is working with the government, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), and UNFPA to launch the Re-Imagine South Africa Platform. This partnership aims to improve how sexual and reproductive health services are delivered to young people, bring in more sustainable funding, and connect these services to the national health insurance system. A main focus of this work will be rolling out Lenacapavir so that young people can access the latest and most effective HIV prevention options.
Tiko calls on governments, health providers, and partners to work together to ensure every young person, especially girls have access to the full range of HIV prevention choices, including Lenacapavir, which must remain available, accessible, and at no cost. Together, we can make HIV prevention simpler, stronger, and more sustainable so every girl can live with confidence, choice, and power over her health.