Uganda is preparing for a major shift in HIV treatment as researchers and health officials work towards introducing long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) that could replace daily HIV pills with injections taken once every two months.
The new treatment, which combines cabotegravir and rilpivirine, is expected to help people living with HIV maintain treatment more easily, improve viral suppression, and reduce HIV/Aids-related deaths.
Health experts say the injectable treatment could particularly benefit patients who struggle to take oral antiretroviral drugs every day for life.
Dr Robert Mutumba, the head of the Aids Control Programme at the Ministry of Health, said Uganda is optimistic about eventually rolling out the injectable HIV treatment.
“The picture looks bright, and very soon, I believe Ugandans will also be able to access some of these combination treatments in injectable form. This is still work in progress,” he said.
The development follows years of research led by African scientists, including Ugandan researchers at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC).
Dr Cissy Kityo, the executive director of JCRC and one of the lead researchers in the African trials, said poor adherence to daily HIV medication remains one of the biggest challenges in HIV treatment.
“The issue of adhering to antiretroviral drugs for those who have HIV is big. So we have been working as researchers to see how we can get these injectable drugs for people who are taking oral antiretroviral drugs every day,” she said.
According to Dr Kityo, African-led studies on the injectable treatment have already influenced global HIV treatment guidelines.
“Last year, we led a study using injectable antiretroviral drugs across Africa. Those results have led to the World Health Organisation revising the guidelines,” she said.
The injectable treatment is administered once every eight weeks instead of requiring patients to swallow pills daily.
Results from the Phase 3b clinical trial, published this year in the scientific journal Nature Medicine, showed that the injections performed just as effectively as oral HIV medication.
Researchers found that after 96 weeks of treatment, 97 percent of participants receiving the injections achieved viral suppression, the same success rate recorded among those taking daily pills.
The study concluded that the injectable treatment provided long-term viral suppression and had an acceptable safety profile, making it suitable for HIV treatment programmes in Africa.
Researchers and health officials are now focusing on making the treatment affordable and accessible through generic drug manufacturing.
Dr Kityo said the availability of cheaper generic versions would be critical in ensuring widespread access, similar to how current HIV drugs became affordable over time.
“What we are doing today with the drugs we are using for HIV, they are produced by generic manufacturers at a low price. That is why everybody now is able to access these drugs,” she said.
She added that generic injectable HIV drugs could become available as early as next year and called on government, civil society organisations, and patients to push for faster access.
“I urge the Minister of Health, let us work together to make the generic drug available for our patients. This is a joint effort,” she said.
The planned introduction of injectable HIV treatment comes as Uganda continues to battle new infections and HIV-related deaths. According to the Uganda Aids Commission, the country recorded 37,000 new HIV infections and 20,000 HIV/Aids-related deaths in 2025. About 1.5 million Ugandans are currently living with HIV/Aids.
Health experts believe long-acting injectable treatment could become an important tool in improving adherence to medication and reducing the spread of HIV by helping more patients maintain suppressed viral loads consistently.
