March 3, 2026
Last week, Kenya became the fourth country in Africa to start administering lenacapavir (LEN) for PrEP — the injection that offers near perfect protection against HIV. Widely considered a breakthrough HIV prevention option, injectable LEN is scaling up at record speed, in no small part thanks to the coordinated efforts of advocates and civil society groups to push for accelerated processes.
LEN was launched in Eswatini and Zambia in December 2025 — just five months after the drug received US FDA approval — and in Kenya and Zimbabwe in February 2026. As implementation continues and more countries receive supplies, countries and communities need ongoing support to ensure LEN is delivered with speed, scale and equity, alongside other available PrEP options, to those who need it most.
It’s against this backdrop that AVAC is excited to introduce Access Bridge. Incubated over the past decade at AVAC as part of our Product Introduction and Access team, Access Bridge is an independent, Kenya-based nonprofit organization advancing timely, sustainable and equitable introduction of and access to HIV prevention, sexual reproductive health and related health products.
Led by Executive Director Wawira Nyagah, who led AVAC’s work in this area for the past five years, and a team of product introduction experts, Access Bridge brings a track record of proven success in moving HIV prevention options from evidence to real-world impact.
Building upon lessons learned from oral PrEP and injectable cabotegravir, the Access Bridge team has played a pivotal role in preparing the market for new products and in the initial rollout of LEN. Through high-level think tanks co-convened with WHO and the Coalition to Accelerate Access to Long-Acting PrEP, the Access Bridge team has aligned donors, Ministries of Health, civil society, researchers, and manufacturers around shared strategies and practical solutions. The Coalition’s leadership has helped shape the global LEN agenda, unlock regulatory and licensing pathways, increase pricing and supply transparency, and drive major procurement commitments and regulatory approvals across Africa.
The team worked closely with country stakeholders to establish a Ministry of Health Community of Practice fostering cross-country learning and supported civil society in LEN priority countries including across East and Southern Africa, to ensure community leadership, accountability and transparency throughout the introduction process. Through these initiatives and collaboration with AVAC on its trusted platforms such as PrEPWatch and the Global PrEP Tracker, Access Bridge acts as a trusted convener, translator and technical partner to countries as they prepare for LEN rollout in an expanding PrEP landscape.
As the Secretariat and lead of the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) Consortium (combining oral PrEP with oral contraception), the Access Bridge team has driven the global effort to prepare for and introduce the DPP, enabling major progress across regulatory guidance, country planning, stakeholder engagement, and delivery systems, including private sector delivery, to position the DPP for introduction. Through this coordination, the consortium defined a regulatory pathway for multipurpose prevention technologies, advanced HIV/SRHR integration at country level, built broad stakeholder buy-in, and generated growing interest in integrated prevention solutions, moving the field closer to offering women a new dual-protection option. The team has also led efforts to harness private sector strategies for family planning to deliver the DPP. The team engages directly with commercial distributors, manufacturers, and social marketing organizations to strengthen distribution pathways, expand market reach, and identify opportunities to grow the commercial sector.
Access Bridge was purpose-built to meet this moment — an era marked by scientific breakthroughs and growing demand for integrated, people-centered care. AVAC looks forward to our continued and expanded work to accelerate R&D and product introduction of new options, and will partner closely with Access Bridge into the future.
To support this critical work and learn more, head to healthaccessbridge.org and avac.org.
Access Bridge was there as community health advocate, Samson Mutua, became the first Kenyan to receive lenacapavir at an event as Kenyan Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale looks on.