The Dapivirine Ring Study represents an important scientific achievement in the field of women’s health and can give HIV prevention a whole new face. It is a result of the NRC’s collaboration with IPM (International Partnership for Microbicides).
Women in South Africa bear the brunt of the AIDS virus and its possible spread. Contraception with condoms is not acceptable for the majority of men, and certainly not in a committed relationship. The Ndlovu Care Group has been aggressively promoting the use of condoms for years. The Ring Study tested a completely new form of contraception. The study investigated whether monthly contraception with a vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine can safely help to prevent HIV infections in women.
The Ring study is one of two large Phase III studies – the parallel study ASPIRE was conducted by MTN (Microbicide Trials Network). Together, over 4,500 women were tested in a long-term study. The ring study showed that the monthly dapivirine ring reduced HIV infections by a total of 31% (compared to the placebo). ASPIRE achieved similar results: they found an overall 27% reduction in the risk of infection. This is the first time that two Phase III studies have confirmed the statistically significant efficacy of microbicides in preventing HIV.
The results of the study were presented at the CROI (Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections) in Boston in February and received a standing ovation.
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