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Did US aid cuts break precisely the things we need most for the lenacapavir rollout?

Did US aid cuts break precisely the things we need most for the lenacapavir rollout?

By Amy Green,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

With a new six-monthly injection, South Africa last week launched the most promising new HIV prevention tool in years, but much of the infrastructure that made HIV prevention services accessible to high-risk groups has been dismantled over the last year. Amy Green asks whether we can successfully deliver this breakthrough technology without the trusted pathways that were decimated by cuts to aid from the United States.

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In The Spotlight | All you need to know about the jab that could dramatically reduce new HIV infections in SA

In The Spotlight | All you need to know about the jab that could dramatically reduce new HIV infections in SA

By Marcus Low and Elri Voigt,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

On June 5 2026, an HIV prevention injection will for the first time become available at some of South Africa’s public sector clinics. In this Spotlight special briefing, Marcus Low and Elri Voigt pull together all you need to know about this “breakthrough” jab.

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Why pharmacists still can’t prescribe ARVs, months after court gave the green light

Why pharmacists still can’t prescribe ARVs, months after court gave the green light

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

A Supreme Court of Appeal ruling in October 2025 cleared the way for specially trained and permitted pharmacists to dispense antiretroviral medicines without a doctor’s script. Seven months later, no pharmacists are yet providing these services. Catherine Tomlinson explores the reasons for the delay.

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The evolution of HIV treatment: From multi-pill regimens to better, single pill combos

The evolution of HIV treatment: From multi-pill regimens to better, single pill combos

By Elri Voigt,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

HIV treatment has been improved and simplified significantly over the years yet a small fraction of people living with HIV still take complex multi-pill regimens. Elri Voigt reports on a new combination pill that could make life easier for some in this group. But as two leading experts point out, the development comes against a backdrop where the traditional categorisation of HIV medicines is dissolving.

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Switch to six-month ARV supplies running behind schedule

Switch to six-month ARV supplies running behind schedule

By Christina Pitt,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

By March 2027, the health department aims to have 1.5 million people living with HIV on a new programme where they can get a six-month supply of antiretroviral medicines at a time. Early indications suggest that implementation of the programme is slow and uneven, reports Christina Pitt.

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SA’s ARV programme hardly grew in 2025, according to latest estimates

SA’s ARV programme hardly grew in 2025, according to latest estimates

By Marcus Low,
Posted in: Focus, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

The number of people in South Africa on antiretroviral treatment remained roughly unchanged from 2024 to 2025, according to just-published estimates from the leading mathematical model of HIV in the country. This suggests that the disruption of US aid for HIV services has slowed the growth of our HIV treatment programme, but the impact so far is not as severe as some researchers feared it might be. Marcus Low reports.

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Along dusty roads in KZN, a push for a groundbreaking HIV prevention jab takes shape

Along dusty roads in KZN, a push for a groundbreaking HIV prevention jab takes shape

By Biénne Huisman,
Posted in: Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces, Spotlight

Along dusty roads in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Biénne Huisman speaks to youth leaders, community mentors and leading scientists who are collaborating to bring a groundbreaking HIV prevention jab to this area where HIV infection rates remain stubbornly high.

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To the US and back: SA’s Prof Willem Hanekom reflects on the joys of science and a career ‘running with opportunities’

To the US and back: SA’s Prof Willem Hanekom reflects on the joys of science and a career ‘running with opportunities’

By Biénne Huisman,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

At his Durban office, Professor Willem Hanekom tells Biénne Huisman about taking a ventilated young patient to the Sea Point promenade, living with HIV, the need for an African research agenda, and the recurring joy that has defined his career. 

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EDITORIAL | After major research cuts, SA charts a new path

EDITORIAL | After major research cuts, SA charts a new path

By Spotlight Editors,
Posted in: Editorial, Focus, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight, TB

It has been a bruising year or so for medical researchers in South Africa with the US pausing, cancelling, and then resuming some grants. But as bad as things were, what played out wasn’t the worst case scenario, and momentum is now building toward recovery.

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SAMRC rolls out rescue grants: What next for research projects hit by US funding cuts?

SAMRC rolls out rescue grants: What next for research projects hit by US funding cuts?

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest

Cuts in United States funding for global health research over the past year dealt a heavy blow to South Africa’s health research ecosystem, which has historically been heavily reliant on US financial support. Catherine Tomlinson looks at what the South African Medical Research Council has done to weather the storm and what they have planned for the next few years.

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“When other kids were playing with dolls, I was playing being a doctor”, says SA’s new HIV and TB Czar

“When other kids were playing with dolls, I was playing being a doctor”, says SA’s new HIV and TB Czar

By Biénne Huisman,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest

Biénne Huisman meets South Africa’s recently appointed Deputy Director-General for HIV, AIDS, TB and sexually transmitted infections, discussing the latest HIV prevention medicines, her career turning points, and bedtime reading.

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What breakthrough weight loss meds might mean for people with HIV

What breakthrough weight loss meds might mean for people with HIV

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, NCDs, Spotlight

In part 3 of a Spotlight special series on the role of new weight loss medicines like Ozempic in South Africa, we ask what these breakthrough jabs might mean for people living with HIV in the country. There is some tantalising early research on potential benefits, but also many uncertainties. Catherine Tomlinson reports.

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