HIV Prevention News Around The Globe

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern Africa: The latest insights

Eastern and southern Africa (ESA) is the world’s most heavily HIV-impacted region, with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) disproportionately affected. To support the scale-up of PrEP amongst AGYW in ESA, in September 2021 UNICEF and partners released the implementation brief “Improving the Quality of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern Africa,” highlighting considerations to help improve the quality and coverage of AGYW PrEP programming.

The PrEP landscape has evolved significantly in the three years since the original brief was released, both in scale and variety. This updated brief summarises the most recent evidence on AGYW PrEP provision, serving as a supplement to the original 2021 implementation brief.

You can read more about the report here

CIFF To Propel PrEP Revolution with up to US$2 Million for Immediate Access to PrEP Rings

The partnership between CIFF and the Global Fund, which will kick off in October, aims to support early product introduction to seed the market for wider adoption of the PrEP ring. In collaboration with other partners, including Unitaid, it also aims to bridge the gap to a lower-cost, three-month PrEP ring and/or an African-manufactured PrEP ring, which will lead to lower prices over the long-term.

The one-month ring currently costs US$12.8/month of use. The initiative announced today will create a bridge to the three-month PrEP ring, which will cost less than US$16, excluding distribution, representing a nearly 60% drop in price per month. Several opportunities for further price reductions have been identified and are being explored.

You can read more about the update here

CDC-T lauds HIV care, scaling up method benefits

TANZANIA has made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS following the introduction and scaling up of approaches that combine prevention, care and treatment, a specialist has declared.

George Mgomella, associate director of programmes at the local branch of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirmed this at a science communication engagement event with journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday, organised ahead of the Tanzania Health Summit slated for Zanzibar in October.

Noting that Tanzania was close to overcoming HIV as a public health emergency, he said the scaling up had resulted in 83 percent of Tanzanians knowing their HIV status, being linked to care and achieving virus suppression.

"We have made substantial progress, which is a crucial starting point. We need to learn from other countries and develop local solutions to the main challenges we face, particularly funding for ensuring sustainability," he stated.

Through these approaches, a large number of HIV/AIDS patients are linked to care with significant virus suppression, underlining that when people achieve virus suppression, it marks a significant success.

You can read more about the update here

Gilead set to unveil data from HIV/AIDS trials

Gilead Sciences will announce data from several ongoing trials in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) at the upcoming 25th International AIDS Conference 2024.

The company, considered one of the global leaders in HIV and AIDS research, will present data from three trials at the conference, taking place in Munich, Germany, between 22 and 26 July.

Virology Clinical Development senior vice president Dr Jared Baeten said: “The AIDS 2024 conference convenes the global HIV community – scientists, advocates, and partners from the public and private sectors.

“Our contributions to this year’s meeting demonstrate Gilead’s leadership in person-centred innovations across HIV prevention, treatment, and cure. Our scientific advancements are grounded in collaboration with community and research partners around the world. I look to a future where every person has options to help obtain their own HIV prevention or treatment success and where we’ve come together to end the HIV epidemic.”

You can read more about the update here

Uganda to Introduce Long-Acting HIV Prevention Injections

Uganda is set to receive its first shipment of long-acting HIV prevention injections, marking a significant stride in the country's efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS disease. Scheduled to arrive in October this year, these injections promise a novel approach to HIV prevention by providing protection for up to two months per dose.

Uganda, a country long plagued by the impact of HIV, has implemented various strategies over the years to curb its spread, from behavioral interventions to biomedical advancements. The introduction of these new injections underscores Uganda's commitment to meeting global targets aimed at eliminating new HIV infections by 2030.

Dr. Herbert Kadama, the PrEP Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, highlighted the importance of these injections in expanding HIV prevention options. "Since 2017, Uganda has been proactive in providing oral PrEP to individuals at high risk of HIV. Now, with the imminent arrival of long-acting injectable PrEP, we aim to further enhance accessibility and effectiveness in our prevention efforts," Dr. Herbert Kadama stated.

You can read more about the news here

UNAIDS welcomes the adoption of a key HIV resolution by the Human Rights Council

UNAIDS welcomes the adoption, by consensus, of a critical resolution on human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The 2024 resolution 56/20 Human Rights in the Context of HIV and AIDS, recognizes the centrality of human rights to the HIV response. The resolution reaffirms that, “the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is an essential element in the global response to the HIV epidemic and its sustainability.”

It also recognizes the importance of human rights and community leadership in the HIV response, ensuring access to available and affordable HIV prevention, testing and treatment services for all, without discrimination. The resolution also calls on countries to tackle discriminatory attitudes and punitive laws and policies that prevent access to health services and to support community-led organizations as well as protect civic space.

This ground-breaking text includes the first unqualified recognition of sexual and reproductive health and rights in a UN resolution and calls on countries to scale up comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health with information on, “sexuality and comprehensive HIV prevention, gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, human rights, and physical, psychological and pubertal development, to enable them to build self-esteem and risk reduction skills and to empower them in their decision-making, communication and development of respectful relationships, in order to enable them to protect themselves from HIV infection.” .

You can read more about the press release here

Soundbytes

UPxPulse: The Advocacy Chronicles with Ruth Akulu

“We’ve got PrEP, we’ve got contraceptives, but what would it mean to introduce the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), a multipurpose prevention tool that would both prevent HIV acquisitions and unintended pregnancies?"

Check out the latest Advocacy Chronicles, where Ruth Akulu talks about her work to mobilize regulatory authorities to prepare for the DPP. And while she was at it, the establishment of a groundbreaking new initiative, the Product Regulator’s Engagement Committee, which is supporting ongoing engagement between government regulators and young women representing their communities.

Listen to learn why the DPP is a priority for young women and HIV prevention, the challenges Ruth confronted and tactics that supported the success of this advocacy.

Find the link to listen to the podcast here