HIV Prevention News Around The Globe

New HIV Prevention Injection Safe, Effective – Study

One of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention Injections, Lenacapavir, that was being studied in the PURPOSE 1 HIV prevention study among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda, is safe and highly effective against the virus.

The study enrolled over 5,300 cisgender adolescent girls and young women ages 16-26 in South Africa and Uganda. The study evaluated injectable Lenacapavir for PrEP and daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF) for PrEP.

A companion trial, PURPOSE 2, is underway in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand and the US, testing twice-yearly Lenacapavir for PrEP among cisgender men who have sex with men, transgender women, transgender men, and gender non-binary people. Results from PURPOSE 2 are expected by early 2025. Additional studies in critical populations, including PURPOSE 3 among cisgender women in the US and PURPOSE 4 among people who use injection drugs, are also underway, and it will be imperative to understand how today’s results influence these trials. A schematic of the suite of studies is here.

You can read more about the study here

AVAC Welcomes Groundbreaking HIV Prevention Trial Results

A PURPOSE 1 HIV prevention study carried out among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda has Demonstrated 100% Efficacy and Superiority to Daily Truvada for HIV Prevention this is according to Gilead Sciences, the developer of the lenacapavir, one of the HIV prevention drugs that was being studied in the trial.

In a release signed by Kay Marshall, Senior Communications Advisor for AVAC, the organization welcomes the groundbreaking results of the PURPOSE 1 study which enrolled over 5,300 cisgender adolescent girls and young women ages between the age of 16 and 26 in South Africa and Uganda.The study evaluated injectable lenacapavir for PrEP and daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF) for PrEP.

An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB), at a scheduled review of the trial data, found the regimen to be safe and highly effective, with no infections seen among trial participants who received injectable lenacapavir. Mitchell Warren, AVAC’s executive director explained that the trial result is one of the most important results seen to date in an HIV prevention study, “Adding additional HIV prevention options means more people may find an option that is right for them.

You can read more about the update here

Ghana recorded 17,774 new HIV infections in 2023 —AIDS Commission

The number comprises 4,869 youth between 15 and 24, 1,698 children under 15, 1,520 adolescents between 10 and 19, and 16,076 adults above 15.

Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission who disclosed this in Accra on Wednesday, said that the projection showed a 14.8 percent decrease in new infections between 2013 and 2023 “The data indicates that Ghana has not been able to achieve its annual target of a 17 per cent reduction in new HIV infections in the last ten year,” he said. Dr Atuahene said Ghana was expected to achieve a 41 per cent increase in the decrease of new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030.

According to the projections, 334,095 people in Ghana—115,891 males and 218,204 females—were living with HIV in 2023. Last year, there were 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents between 10 and 19, 33,245 young adults between 15 and 24, and 316,545 adults aged 15 and up who were living with HIV. The data showed that the HIV population increased by nine per cent between 2013 and 2023 and was expected to increase by 6.8 percent by 2030.

You can read more about the update here

Gilead says its HIV prevention shot was 100% effective in a clinical trial

Gilead announced that its twice-yearly injection lenacapavir worked with 100% efficacy at preventing HIV infections in a late-stage clinical trial.

The pharma giant’s stock rose over 9% to about $69 on Thursday following the company’s announcement.

“With zero infections and 100% efficacy, twice-yearly lenacapavir has demonstrated its potential as an important new tool to help prevent HIV infections,” said Gilead chief medical officer Merdad Parsey in a press release. The double-blind phase 3 trial involved over 5,300 cisgender women in South Africa and Uganda. All 2,134 women who were given lenacapavir were found to not have been infected with HIV in an interim analysis of the study.

In comparison, there were 39 HIV cases in a group of 2,136 women who were given the antiviral pill Descovy. And there were 16 cases of infection in the group of 1,068 people that were given Truvada. Descovy and Truvada, both of which are produced by Gilead, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent HIV infections. Gilead said it ended the trial early after an independent data monitoring committee recommended the company to offer lenacapavir to all study participants.

You can read more about the update here

In South Africa, traditional healers join the fight against HIV.

More than 300 traditional leaders in South Africa will be trained to do HIV tests and educate their largely rural patients about the disease

BUSHBUCKRIDGE, South Africa (AP) — The walls of Shadrack Mashabane’s hut in the rural South African town of Bushbuckridge are covered with traditional fabrics, with a small window the only source of light. What stands out among the herbs and medicines in glass bottles is a white box containing an HIV testing kit.

Mashabane is one of at least 15 traditional healers in the town who, in a pilot study, have been trained by University of Witwatersrand researchers to conduct HIV testing and counseling in an effort to ensure as many South Africans as possible know their status.

It's part of the largest known effort in the country to involve traditional healers in a public health goal and study the results. Later this year, at least 325 other healers will undergo the training and become certified HIV counselors. Researchers will compare rates of HIV testing by healers and clinics. Most traditional healers were already knowledgeable about HIV — some from personal experience — and were eager to get involved, researchers said.

You can read more about the news here

Advocates Spotlight 

WACI Health's youth leadership and advocacy program recently onboarded a new cohort of mentees. This program aims at creating a cadre of high quality and impact youth advocates. Our current cohort has young people from different African countries who meet online twice a week for mentorship. The program involves regularly bringing in mentors and experts to speak on and share their experiences. Meet Faith Ebere Onuh who is an HIV prevention advocate based in Nigeria.

Faith Ebere Onuh, a 24-year-old resilient youth advocate from Nigeria, is an undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Science and Resource Management. She is the founder of the Young Persons Network for Sustainable Lifestyle and Health (Youpen4slah) and a Global Alliance Champion to End AIDS in Children. Faith has dedicated the past decade to working in HIV prevention, starting from her childhood. Her leadership in advocacy extends both within Nigeria and on a global scale, as she serves as a UNAIDS Youth Advocate for West and Central Africa. By joining the AfHNi mentorship program, Faith aims to deepen her understanding of HIV prevention through the expertise of seasoned professionals. She is committed to contributing to the organization's goals by supporting the team and sharing best practices.

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