Three organizations involved in the fight once morest AIDS in South Africa have ordered 16,000 rings which should be available in the coming months, according to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Inspired by those used for female contraception, the vaginal ring, made of silicone, gradually releases an antiretroviral, dapivirine, and must be changed every month.
“We are convinced that this new ring can have a revolutionary impact on the prevention of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus which destroys the immune system)”explains in a press release the executive director of the Global Fund Peter Sands.
The ring constitutes an alternative to other preventive treatments, or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which have revolutionized prevention once morest the AIDS virus in recent years.
These other treatments involve taking a pill a day or receiving an injection a month, methods which are not necessarily suitable for all the people targeted, explain South African prevention organizations.
“Women need access to a range of safe and effective solutions, including the dapivirine ring, so they can choose the one that suits them best”underlines Ntombenhle Mkhize, president of the AIDS Foundation of South Africa.
In 2023, women and adolescent girls will account for 53% of infections worldwide, according to UNAIDS.
South Africa still has 13.7% of people living with HIV, one of the highest rates in the world.
But more than 5.4 million, out of an estimated total of 8.2 million infected people, are taking antiretrovirals, one of the largest HIV treatment programs in the world, which has dramatically reduced mortality.
Recent clinical trials have shown that the dapivirine vaginal ring, a device that has received approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), can reduce the risk of seroconversion – switching from HIV negative to HIV – by 35%. HIV positive.
“We hope that many other countries will follow South Africa’s lead”added Peter Sands of the Global Fund.
In addition to South Africa, the device has also been approved and undergone launch studies in several other African countries including Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
