Breaking News: Long-Acting HIV Prevention Tools Gain Traction in Africa
Lima, Peru — Imagine a world where an HIV prevention method lasts for six months, offering protection without the daily hassle of taking a pill. This could soon be a reality as new long-acting HIV prevention tools move through the research pipeline.
According to Professor Nelly Mugo from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), these prevention tools have the potential to transform the fight against HIV, particularly in areas where daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been difficult to implement.
"If all college students, all teenagers were on these products, that would be amazing," Mugo says. "Because think about it, that is the time when most people get HIV. We need to bridge people through this period of their life, when their hormones are raging, when they’re settling into themselves, when they’re settling down in life, they can settle into their sexual lives in a safer way."
The long-acting HIV prevention solutions gaining traction include the dapivirine vaginal ring, the lenacapavir injection, and CAB-LA, a form of PrEP administered every two months by healthcare providers. These products offer a promising alternative to daily pills, which require strict adherence to be effective.
The dapivirine ring, for instance, is an intravaginal device that can be placed in the cervix and provides protection for an entire month. This topical product is designed to deliver medication directly where it’s needed, minimizing systemic absorption and enhancing safety.
While these products hold great promise, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring they reach the communities that need them most, particularly in rural and underserved areas. This will require a coordinated effort among healthcare providers, researchers, governments, and local communities, Mugo emphasizes.
"There’s no single organization that can do this alone," Mugo says. "KEMRI is involved in the research, but delivery is the responsibility of programs like LVCT Health, the Ministry of Health, and other partners."
In Kenya, LVCT Health, an NGO known for implementing health programs at scale, has already introduced the dapivirine ring, engaging with community members, policymakers, and healthcare providers to build awareness and acceptance of the product.
However, the challenge of access is not just logistical – it’s also cultural. Introducing new products, especially those involving sexual health, can be met with resistance, particularly in conservative communities.
The regulatory environment is another barrier to the widespread adoption of these long-acting HIV prevention tools. In Kenya, for example, the approval of CAB-LA by the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board took a long time to be approved for research purposes.
To overcome these challenges, Mugo stresses the need for policy changes that facilitate the approval of multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that can simultaneously prevent HIV, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The future of HIV prevention in Africa looks bright, with developing long-acting, easy-to-use prevention tools having the potential to dramatically reduce the incidence of new infections, particularly among young people, who are most at risk.
"If we can get these products into the hands of young people, we can protect an entire generation," Mugo says.
The potential for reducing community viral loads is also a game-changer.
"The fewer people with HIV in a community, the lower the risk of new infections," Mugo says. "By providing long-acting prevention tools to as many people as possible, we can create a ripple effect that reduces the overall number of infections and moves us closer to eliminating HIV."
With continued research, collaboration, and community engagement, the dream of a world with fewer HIV infections and ultimately, no HIV at all – may soon become a reality.