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Microbicides

The term “microbicide” refers to substances being studied that could be used in the vagina and/or rectum to reduce the risk of HIV infection via sexual exposure. Today, daily oral PrEP is the only HIV prevention tool for women that does not require partner negotiation at or around the time of sex. Access to PrEP is expanding, but more options are needed. Easy-to-use microbicides would fill an important HIV prevention need. They can be used discreetly and their effect is localized to the site of infection (the rectum or vagina) and not systemic (affecting the whole body), characteristics some people will prefer.

A range of microbicide strategies are under investigation, including gels, douches and the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, which is being considered for licensure. Developed by the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), the ring would be the first microbicide and the next prevention tool available since oral PrEP’s approval in 2012. For the latest developments in Dapivirine Vaginal Ring research and plans for potential rollout, visit the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring page on PrEPWatch.

Key Update

AVAC Applauds South Africa Approval of Dapivirine Vaginal Ring as HIV Prevention Option for Women

AVAC enthusiastically welcomes the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (SAHPRA) approval of the monthly Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for use by women ages 18 and older to reduce their HIV risk.

March 11, 2022
Microbicides
AVAC
What We're Reading

How the Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention That Has Been Approved for Use by Women Above 18 in SA Works

If you bring your index finger to your thumb then make a circle, that’s about how small this silicone ring is. Its size is tiny but its impact enormous, which is why SAHPRA’s decision to give South Africa the regulatory go-ahead to make the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) available monthly to women 18 and older has been lauded by women’s health and reproductive rights advocates as seismic.

March 18, 2022
Microbicides
News24

Given A Choice, Young Women Prefer Vaginal Ring for PrEP

When given a choice of two proven HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options, young cisgender women will use both but prefer a monthly vaginal ring, according to data presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2022 (CROI 2022).

March 4, 2022
Microbicides, PrEP
POZ

WHO Recommends the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring as a New Choice for HIV Prevention for Women at Substantial Risk of HIV Infection

The ring is a female-initiated option to reduce the risk of HIV infection. The ring must be worn inside the vagina and is made of silicone and is easy to bend and insert. The ring works by releasing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine from the ring into the vagina slowly over 28 days.

January 26, 2021
Microbicides
World Health Organization
Featured Resources

Statement on the Dapivirine Ring for Women: Call for Accelerated Global Access

This statement, from a coalition of advocates, applauds the WHO for its ongoing support and its 2021 recommendation of the dapivirine vaginal ring as an additional prevention option for women. The advocates call on funders, country governments and community leaders to sustain their support for the ring’s introduction and rollout in African countries where it is needed and for prompt regulatory reviews. And they call on HIV programs to integrate the ring, and collaborate with communities on the design of those programs.

May 2022
Yvette Raphael, Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa
Nomfundo Eland, Emthojeni
Lillian Mworeko, ICW East Africa
Vuyiseka Dubula, AEDC
Chilufya K Hampongo, Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign
Maureen Luba, AVAC
Rosemary Mburu, WACI Health
Definate Nhamo, PZAT
Manju Chatani-Gada, AVAC
Georgina Caswell, GNP+
Dr. Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi, DARE
Microbicides
General

AVAC Report 2019: Now What?

At the threshold of 2020, it’s clear that global goals for HIV prevention will miss the mark by a long shot. Though important progress has been made, the crisis UNAIDS called out in 2016 persists today with new infections around 1.7 million annually, a far cry from the 2020 target of fewer than 500,000. So, we asked ourselves, Now What?, and answered with cross-cutting analysis and an advocacy agenda to match.

November 2019
AVAC
HIV Vaccine, Combination Prevention, Male and Female Condoms, Cure, Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV, Microbicides, Multipurpose Prevention Technologies, PrEP, Treatment, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
AVAC Report
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