Innovative South African Company Producing Vaginal Rings to Protect Against HIV
A pioneering South African company is set to manufacture vaginal rings designed to provide protection against HIV. AIDS experts laud efforts to enhance availability and affordability of this potential game-changing technology.
The Population Council revealed that Kiara Health of Johannesburg will commence the production of silicone rings in the coming years, with an estimated annual output of 1 million units. These rings release a drug that aids in preventing HIV infections and are authorized by nearly a dozen countries and the World Health Organization.
The nonprofit council holds the rights to the rings, which are currently produced by a Swedish company. Approximately 500,000 rings are currently available at no cost to women in Africa, thanks to generous donations.
Ben Phillips, a spokesperson for the U.N. AIDS agency, highlighted the advantage of the ring, emphasizing that it affords women the freedom to use it discreetly without the need for anyone else’s knowledge or consent.
“For women whose partners won’t use a condom or allow them to take oral (preventive HIV) medicines, this gives them another option,” he stated.
HIV continues to be the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in Africa, with 60% of new infections occurring in women, as per WHO figures.
The ring delivers the drug dapivirine in controlled doses over a month. Presently costing $12 to $16, experts anticipate a drop in price once widely manufactured in Africa. There are also plans to develop a version that lasts up to three months, which should further reduce the annual cost.
WHO has recommended the use of the ring as an additional tool for women at “substantial risk of HIV,” and regulators in over a dozen African countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, have given their approval. WHO cited two advanced studies in its approval, revealing that the ring reduced women’s chances of contracting HIV by approximately a third, while other research suggested the risk could be slashed by more than 50%.
During last year’s major AIDS conference, activists stormed the stage in a passionate plea for donors to provide the silicone rings to African women.
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