In a bold step toward global health justice, Ugandan biotech company DEI BioPharma has announced it will begin manufacturing Lenacapavir (brand name Yeztugo)—a groundbreaking HIV treatment—at a cost accessible to millions in the developing world.
Originally developed by Gilead Sciences and approved by the U.S. FDA just days ago, the twice-a-year injectable drug currently carries a staggering annual price tag of $28,000. But in Uganda, it could soon cost less than $50 (Shs 180,000).
This game-changing move comes as Uganda, under the TRIPS Agreement’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) exemption, is allowed to produce patented drugs without breaching international intellectual property laws until 2034. DEI BioPharma is seizing this window of opportunity to launch production of Lenacapavir within 18 months, potentially becoming the first company in the world to manufacture and supply this patented HIV medication at such drastically reduced prices.
“This will be the first complete treatment of HIV in Africa at a price our people can afford,” said Dr Matthias Magoola, founder and managing director of DEI BioPharma.
“Africa continues to bear the highest burden of HIV, and access has always been the missing link. We are changing that, starting now.”
The implications are massive. HIV remains one of Africa’s deadliest epidemics, but access to life-saving innovations like Lenacapavir has long been hindered by prohibitive costs. The new drug, a capsid inhibitor that can be administered just twice a year, represents a huge step forward in both prevention and convenience.
DEI’s intervention could transform it from a medicine for the wealthy few into a frontline tool in the fight to end HIV across the continent. But Lenacapavir is only the beginning. DEI BioPharma is expanding its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing into other critical, high-cost therapeutics for diseases like malaria, cancer, diabetes and hepatitis.
The firm aims to become a continental leader in affordable access to medicines once considered the preserve of the world’s richest economies. The company operates from a sprawling, state-of-the-art campus in Matugga, Wakiso district, just outside Kampala.
Commissioned in 2021 by Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and William Ruto of Kenya, the facility is poised to become a biotech juggernaut with 30 manufacturing units producing a wide spectrum of medical products— ranging from traditional generics and vaccines to mRNA-based therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, and biological drugs. DEI’s plans are equally ambitious in scale.
The facility is designed to manufacture up to one billion doses of mRNA vaccines annually, adhering to the world’s highest quality benchmarks, including compliance with U.S. FDA, European Medicines Agency (EMA), and World Health Organization (WHO) standards. With over 100 patents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, DEI BioPharma’s approach is deeply rooted in indigenous scientific innovation.
Its promise extends beyond medicine into economics: the company expects to generate more than 40,000 jobs, a boon for Uganda’s scientific community and broader workforce.
“This is not just about medicine— it’s about sovereignty,” said Dr. Magoola. “We’re asserting that Uganda and Africa can innovate, manufacture, and lead in biotechnology at the global level.”
At a time when global inequality in access to healthcare remains stark, DEI BioPharma’s announcement stands as a watershed moment—not just for Uganda, but for all low- income nations fighting for equitable access to modern medicine. In turning a $28,000 drug into a $50 lifeline, Uganda is sending a clear message to the world: health is a human right, not a luxury.
