The United States said Tuesday it has delivered a new treatment to prevent HIV in two African countries, months after President Donald Trump dramatically cut global aid.
The U.S. plans to expand the rollout of the drug Lenacapavir by working with an international group, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as the Gilead Sciences pharmaceutical company.
Some 1,000 doses have been delivered in total to Eswatini and Zambia and they will start to be administered this week, said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund.
Jeremy Lewin, who coordinates aid at the State Department, said the United States planned to finance two million doses of the drug to low- or middle-income African nations.
He said the initial goal will be to reach the target by 2028 but that it could be met by mid-2027.
Lenacapavir is a new injectable HIV treatment that only needs to be taken twice a year. According to experts, it represents a major improvement over treatments requiring a daily pill.
Manufactured by Gilead Sciences, an American firm, Lenacapavir could significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections, particularly among pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has slashed more than 80 percent of foreign assistance, calling it wasteful and arguing that it does not serve U.S. interests.
