IPPF ARC
IPPF’s Member Association in Eswatini, the Family Life Association of Eswatini (FLAS), is soon to roll out the first women-controlled HIV prevention product, the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR).
FLAS will be among the first organisations to offer the DVR outside implementation or pilot studies anywhere in the world. Made of flexible silicone, the ring is inserted into the vagina by a woman and slowly releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine in the vagina over a one-month period, helping to reduce a woman’s risk of acquiring HIV.
In 2023, in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections and every week, 3,100 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years became infected with HIV.
Therefore, there continues to be an urgent need for HIV prevention methods that females can use to protect themselves.
The DVR is a product women can control themselves and use without the knowledge or consent of their partners, unlike condoms, which men often refuse to use.
The DVR is inserted into the vagina and left for a one-month period, where it can then be replaced each month for continued protection. Unlike daily oral PrEP, the DVR does not rely on remembering to take a pill each day and is also discreet as it stays inside the vagina throughout the month.
The DVR does not prevent pregnancy or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), so women choosing to use the ring may want to consider combining it with condoms and methods of contraception.
The availability of the DVR is an exciting step in supporting women’s autonomy and choice in HIV prevention.
This need for women-controlled HIV prevention products has long been advocated for, with the African Women Prevention Community Accountability Board launching the HIV Prevention Choice Manifesto in early 2023.
The Choice Manifesto prioritises the principle of choice to ensure that women and girls have the right to choose which HIV prevention methods work for them.
Currently the ring is available at selected facilities through implementation studies across six countries in East and Southern Africa; South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Uganda.
Diantha Pillay, Associate Director for Product Access for IPM South Africa NPC (an affiliate of the Population Council), said it is encouraging to see the efforts made by FLAS and IPPF to support the choice agenda for HIV prevention for women and make effective HIV prevention methods.
“We hope this can pave the way for introduction of future pipeline products that speak to the needs of women.”
The Population Council is currently developing a longer duration DVR that women would use for three months versus one month to significantly lower annual product costs and offer women a more convenient option to protect themselves, said Pillay.
Thabo Lizwe Masuku, Programs Manager for FLAS added that women have for long been calling for a variety of methods for HIV prevention, since they are highly exposed.
“For women and girls to truly have a choice about what works for them as they navigate different stages and circumstances of their lives, policy makers, donors, governments and implementers must ensure the mix of HIV prevention methods are available, accessible, and affordable. Access to the ring through our clinics in Eswatini now gives women choice and options to protect themselves against HIV,” sadi Masuku.
