SOUTH AFRICA – A new highly effective, long-acting injectable HIV preventive treatment has been rolled out by UNITAID in South Africa to bolster the fight against HIV virus.

UNITAID is an international organization hosted by the World Health Organization in Geneva that invests in new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria quickly, cheaply and effectively.

The rollout is part of two large-scale operational projects funded by global health agency UNITAID targeting highly at-risk individuals in South Africa and Brazil.

According to UNITAID, the injectable version of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been found to be more effective than daily oral PrEP in reducing the risk of HIV infection, with just six injections a year.

Under the partnership, the body will provide sustainable and additional funding to significantly impact market dynamics to reduce prices and improve access to high quality medicines, diagnostics and related commodities.

South Africa has the biggest HIV epidemic in the world with 7.7 million people living with HIV and nearly 4,500 South Africans are newly infected every week out of which one-third are adolescent girls/young women ages 15-24.

The human immunodeficiency virus targets cells in the immune system and weakens the body’s ability to fight against infections including some types of cancer.

The virus destroys white blood cells in the immune system and replicates itself inside these cells which impairs the function of immune cells causing infected individuals to gradually become immunodeficient.

The push for South Africans to get the injectable version of PrEP comes at a time when treatment is needed to keep the immune system working and prevents illness among individuals in the nation.

The anti-retroviral medication works like other HIV treatments by stopping the virus from replicating in the body hence effectively reducing the viral load.

In addition, viral suppression helps prevent transmission to others through sex, needle sharing as well as from mother to child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

The new medication also seeks to address the slow uptake in the existing oral medication that prevents HIV in 99 per cent of cases but has missed targets in reducing new infections.

UNITAID spokesperson Herve Verhoosel observed that the challenge in oral medication uptake is as a result of people with HIV fearing stigma, discrimination or intimate partner violence if they take the pill every day.

He emphasized that long-acting PrEP could have a game-changing impact, improving choice and making HIV prevention a more viable option for more people.

However, the high cost of the injection costing around US$20,000 a year for wealthy nations would be restrictive in developing countries.

Herve Verhoosel maintained that the global health agency would ensure adequate and affordable supply of the injectable PrEP so that people everywhere across South Africa can benefit without delay.

He also stressed that people at risk of HIV will be among the first to benefit from the project including a second new long-acting HIV prevention product targeting adolescent girls and young women named the dapivirine vaginal ring.

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