They announce their intention to extend the injection to prevent HIV infection in Africa

2024/04/17 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Farmakologia
• Medikuntza
• Berdintasuna

PrEP treatment has been very successful in preventing AIDS, so the HIV virus is undetectable in the blood and not transmissible. Unfortunately, not all people in the world are available, so HIV remains a serious health problem in southern and eastern Africa. Now, under the PEPFAR programme, it is intended to close this gap by injecting PrEP.

PEPFAR is an American program that has already distributed thousands of doses in Zanbia, Zinbabw and Malawi. The injectable PrEP contains the antiviral cabotegravir, the advantage of which is that it has a long-term effect (one injection every two months). In addition, tests in Africa have shown that they are more effective than pills.

Even in EE.UU. And Europe's injectable PrPE is approved, its use is not very high, because it's expensive, but through PEPFAR they've managed to expand in Africa, and institutions are negotiating with the pharmaceutical producer to get permission to produce cheaper and make generics. It is not a question of replacing pills, but of opening up prevention pathways and closing cracks between countries.