United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says the new anti-retroviral therapy cabotegravir could be a “game-changer” as a study shows it is many times more effective in preventing HIV in women as PrEP.
Injected in women every two months, cabotegravir is 89 per cent more effective in preventing HIV than daily pills of PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis.
UNAIDS Chief Winnie Byanyima in a statement note that If donors and countries invest in rolling out access of injectable PrEP to women at higher risk of HIV, new infections could be dramatically reduced.
It add that the trial involved more than 3,200 women between 18 and 45 years old who are at higher risk of acquiring HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The statement explains that the test results were important in boosting the fight against AIDS by offering women new ways to protect themselves beyond using daily pills, ensuring condoms are worn or abstaining from sex.
“Like with a COVID-19 vaccine, we now must work to ensure that these life-changing injections are accessible, affordable and equitably distributed to people who choose to use them,” Byanyima said.
AFP