Kiara Health to Manufacture HIV-Preventive Vaginal Rings in Africa
By Pierre Herubel
Kiara Health, a company based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has partnered with the Population Council to manufacture vaginal rings designed to provide protection against HIV. According to the Associated Press, the collaboration is expected to result in the production of about 1 million rings annually in the years to come.
The rings, developed by a Swedish company, release a drug called dapivirine, which aids in preventing HIV infections. With the authorization of nearly a dozen countries and the World Health Organization (WHO), the rings can now be availed by women in Africa at no cost, thanks to donations.
The Population Council, which holds the rights to the rings, anticipates that Kiara Health’s involvement will lead to increased production and affordability of the rings. Currently, each ring costs between $12 to $16, but experts expect a price reduction once mass production is established in Africa. Additionally, developers are working on an extended-release version that can last up to three months, further lowering the annual cost.
The WHO has noted that HIV remains a significant health concern, especially among women of reproductive age in Africa, where 60% of new infections occur in women. As a discreet and flexible preventive option, vaginal rings allow women to use them without the knowledge or consent of others, providing an alternative in situations where partners may be unwilling to use condoms or oral preventive HIV medicines.
With the endorsement of advanced studies and regulatory approval from more than a dozen African countries, the WHO has positioned the rings as an additional tool for women at significant risk of HIV. Research has indicated a reduction in women’s chances of contracting HIV by about a third. The move by Kiara Health to produce these HIV-preventive rings in Africa is seen as a significant step toward making them more accessible and cost-effective.
The announcement comes at a time when hopes for an HIV cure are on the rise, with the remission of a man known as the “Geneva patient” after a stem cell transplant for blood cancer. If symptoms continue to stay absent, he may join the rare HIV-cured individuals. Overall, these developments continue to contribute to ongoing efforts to address the HIV epidemic, particularly among high-risk populations.
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