Webinar: The Dapivirine Ring – What’s the story?

A joint STRIVE and AVAC webinar.

For the first time, two large-scale studies have confirmed modest efficacy for a microbicide to prevent HIV. The vaginal ring is made of a flexible silicone material infused with dapivirine, a potent ARV that works by preventing the virus from making copies of itself. The ring enables the drug to be released slowly over time, directly to the site of potential infection, with low absorption elsewhere and is designed to be worn for up to three months at a time.

In this webinar, we discussed:

• Why were the ring results greeted with disappointment by some and joy by others?
• What plans are there to introduce the ring into prevention programs and how will it sit within the roll-out of PrEP?
• What role can/should such biomedical tools play within the overall response to HIV?

Presenter:

Rebekah Webb is an HIV prevention research advocate based in the UK. She has been a campaigner for new prevention options for women since 2002 and was the European Coordinator for the Global Campaign for Microbicides until she began freelancing. Rebekah now works regularly with AVAC, the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) and STOPAIDS to advance political commitment to HIV prevention efforts in Europe.

Recommended Background Reading:

• Use of a Vaginal Ring Containing Dapivirine for HIV-1 Prevention in Women
• Px Wire Volume 9, Issue 2
• European AIDS Treatment Group: Position on HIV Prevention