South Africa to introduce vaginal rings to fight HIV

Three key organisations involved in preventing and responding to HIV in South Africa – AIDS Foundation of South Africa, Beyond Zero, and Networking HIV & AIDS Community of Southern Africa – have placed an initial order of 16,000 Dapivirine Vaginal Rings for HIV prevention with the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Global Fund disclosed this on Friday, in a press statement.

The pre-exposure prophylaxis ring is a silicone ring that is inserted in the vagina every month and delivers long-acting, topical, and localized HIV prevention.

The DVR is the only PrEP ring approved by regulatory agencies for HIV prevention.

Global Fund said the introduction of the PrEP ring in South Africa will expand options for women beyond oral PrEP, which is often unable to meet the unique needs of all individuals who want to use it.

The organisation noted that some people may choose not to use oral PrEP because they struggle with adherence or prefer to use a more discreet option.

“Increasing HIV prevention options, like the PrEP ring, is a key demand of advocacy groups and a core component to the HIV Prevention Choice Manifesto for Women and Girls in Africa published earlier this month.

“Women’s health advocates have long championed the need for a discreet product that women exclusively control,” said the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Peter Sands. “We are convinced that this new PrEP ring can have a revolutionary impact on HIV prevention, and this is why we hope that many more countries will follow South Africa’s move,” it added.