LIRA – The Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, has officially launched Lenacapavir a new injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug for HIV prevention at Lira Regional Referral Hospital.
The event was witnessed by senior officials including US Embassy Deputy Head of Mission in Uganda Mikael Cleverly, Dr Richard Kabanda (representing Director General of Health Services Prof Charles Olaro), Lira Regional Referral Hospital Director Dr Andrew Odur, partners, and Lira City leaders.
However, alongside the celebration came a firm warning: this is not a vaccine, and it is not a license for risky behavior.
Dr Andrew Odur the acting lira regional referral hospital director opened his remarks by drawing a clear line. "Today is a very important day in the lives of Ugandans. As a region, we want to join the rest of the country in celebrating the launch of the Lena drug. It is not a vaccine," he emphasized.
"I want to add my voice to the MC. Let's not talk about vaccine for this launch. This is a drug that is meant to prevent HIV infection."
Dr Odur then expressed deep concern. "Madam Minister, I'm a bit worried. I'm worried that there's already a group of people who think that all the problems are now solved with this drug. I think this is a very important area that we must focus energy on – a group of people that think now this drug has come, we can now do anything."
He urged that the messaging around Lenacapavir must be crystal clear. "We must make sure that the message is very clear so that the well-intended drug is not misused."
Despite the caution, Dr Odur welcomed the launch with pride. "On my own behalf and on behalf of the staff of the regional referral hospital, we are happy to host this launch."
He also highlighted ongoing non-communicable disease (NCD) efforts. "One of the things we are proud of is that we launched the first-ever wellness clinic in the hospital. The fight against NCDs is very important as we champion the reduction in the burden of HIV, because we are seeing a rise in statistics of people suffering from these conditions."
He invited guests to tour the hospital and access free blood pressure and sugar checks at the wellness clinic.
"I say all this for God and my country," Dr Odur concluded.
The launch signals Uganda's continued push for innovative HIV prevention tools – but as Lira's top doctor made clear, no drug replaces responsibility.
