COLOMBO, October 14 2026, Sri Lanka is set to introduce an injectable HIV prevention medication in early 2027 amid efforts to contain a rise in new infections and achieve its goal of eliminating HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
Dr Nimali Jayasuriya, a consultant venereologist with the National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP), said the country planned to import injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which would be administered twice a year.
She said the initiative would strengthen existing prevention measures and help reduce the number of new HIV infections.
Sri Lanka recorded 874 new HIV cases in 2025, followed by another 487 cases in the first half of 2026, according to NSACP data.
The increase in infections has raised concerns as global HIV infections have declined by about 65 per cent since 1994.
Jayasuriya said the planned introduction of injectable PrEP formed part of Sri Lanka’s broader efforts to address barriers to HIV prevention and achieve its 2030 public health target.
-BERNAMA
