On Wednesday, 5th August 2026, the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Lubowa played host to the HIV Research Community Symposium. The event brought together researchers, health advocates, and community youth leaders to address advancements and persistent challenges in HIV treatment, prevention, and cure research.
Hosted by musician and HIV advocate Moses “Supercharger” Nsubuga through his organization, Joint Adherent Brothers and Sisters Against AIDS (JABASA), the symposium utilized high-energy musical performances to emphasize vital health messages around testing, adherence, and drug resistance.
The program featured key scientific presentations by Dr. Albert Machinda, Co-Principal Investigator and Head of Secretariat of the Africa HIV Cure Consortium (AHCC), and Dr. George Ssenyange, Research Scientist at JCRC.
A focal point of the symposium was an insightful session led by Dr. Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, MU-JHU’s Research Director and Principal Investigator on the Gilead Sciences PURPOSE 1 study. Opening her address with a quote from the IAS President, “Community leadership isn’t an add-on to scientific progress, it is the foundation that turns breakthroughs into real access, dignity, and equity for young people living with HIV”, Dr. Kiweewa underscored that scientific discovery requires community momentum to achieve real-world impact.
During her presentation, Dr. Kiweewa provided key updates on long-acting HIV treatment trials:
- Main Highlight — Phase 3 ISLEND-1 & ISLEND-2 Trials: She presented findings from the Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 trials, proving that a single-tablet, once-weekly oral combination regimen of Lenacapavir (Gilead Sciences Inc) and Islatravir (Merck Sharp & Dohme / MSD) demonstrates 95% viral suppression and high tolerability, making it a safe, effective, and robust switch option for virologically suppressed adults.
- Long-Term 104-Week Phase 2 Data on Lenacapavir + bNAbs: She also touched on long-term 104-week Phase 2 trial data presented by Dr. James McMahon, which confirmed that combining Gilead’s capsid inhibitor, Lenacapavir, with two long-acting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), teropavimab and zinlirvimab, maintains deep viral suppression over two years as a twice-yearly regimen.
In an interactive Q&A session on translating research into national policy, Dr. Kiweewa emphasized that the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is widely recognized as a global and regional benchmark for fast-tracking regulatory approvals of high-priority health products, serving as a practical model for regulatory speed.
Dr. Kiweewa concluded with a direct call to action, challenging young advocates to hold regulatory bodies and policy makers accountable for rapid drug registration and access to generic options. She emphasized that sustained investment in both cure research and community-led prevention is essential to protect vulnerable populations, specifically adolescents, pregnant women, and infants in rural communities where new paediatric infections continue to occur.
