Johannesburg — UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has issued a powerful call for urgent, fair, and affordable access to the new HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, warning against repeating historical inequalities that have delayed lifesaving medicines for the Global South.
Speaking at the G20 High-Level Meeting titled “From Breakthrough to Access: Making Lenacapavir Affordable for All”—co-hosted by Unitaid and the South African Department of Health in Johannesburg as part of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting—Byanyima described lenacapavir as “the closest thing to a vaccine against HIV we have ever had.”
“My urgent call is that lenacapavir must not become another breakthrough that goes out only after a decade to those who need it most,” Byanyima said. “At UNAIDS, we’ve been working to support governments to prepare and push for fair pricing and faster access. We’ve challenged industry, convened partners, and worked alongside civil society to keep people at the centre.”
Byanyima emphasised that innovation without equity is a betrayal of global solidarity. “Breakthrough health technologies reach the Global North, while millions in the Global South wait—and die,” she said. “We must invest in research and development, regional manufacturing, and universal health coverage to end inequalities and save lives.”
Her remarks came amid growing momentum in South Africa, where the government has announced plans to roll out lenacapavir in early 2026, marking a historic milestone in HIV prevention.
There are currently 8 million people living with HIV in South Africa, and around 1,000 adolescent girls and young women become newly infected each week.
According to UNAIDS Country Director South Africa Eva Kiwango, lenacapavir’s rollout could be a turning point—if equity drives implementation. “Science continues to offer us new tools, but innovation alone is not enough,” Kiwango said. “Communities, especially young women and key populations, have waited too long for HIV prevention they can trust and use with dignity.”
The drug, developed by Gilead Sciences, will initially be made available to 450,000 people at high risk of HIV infection through a US$29 million Global Fund grant. South Africa is among nine countries globally selected for the first rollout phase.
UNAIDS and the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics—which Byanyima also chairs—used the G20 forum to highlight how inequality continues to shape global health outcomes.
Byanyima noted that “inequality is not inevitable—it is a choice,” urging G20 leaders to act decisively. “Surviving the next pandemic could depend on where you live,” she warned. “Ending the inequality crisis requires bold political will—but it can be done.”
The G20 meeting, part of South Africa’s presidency under President Cyril Ramaphosa, adopted the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, reflecting the country’s drive to place inequality and universal healthcare at the heart of global action.
President Ramaphosa, receiving the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality Report, commended Byanyima and her colleagues for their leadership. “Inequality is a betrayal of people’s dignity, an impediment to inclusive growth, and a threat to democracy itself,” Ramaphosa said.