A study that began in November 2017 has had a breakthrough with a new injection that shows great efficacy in the prevention of HIV in women.

The clinical trial, headed by Dr Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, a research professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and director of research at the Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute, shows that a long-acting injection, called Cabotegravir has been proven to be safe and superior in preventing HIV infection in women as opposed to the Truvada oral drugs currently being used.

The injection will need to be administered every eight weeks and will go a long way in AIDS prevention efforts. It also offers women a more discreet alternative to daily oral drugs.

Young women may be twice as likely as men to get HIV in some areas of the world, according to Delany-Moretlwe.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor at the National Institute for Health in the U.S  says, “This is a major, major advance… I don’t think we can overemphasize the importance of this study.”

The study saw 3,200 women at research sites in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe randomly assigned to get either the shots every two months or daily Truvada pills.

Independent monitors advised stopping the study after seeing that only 0.21 percent of women receiving the shots caught the AIDS virus versus 1.79 percent of women on the pills.

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Designate of Wits University says, “This announcement demonstrates the important role that research entities and research-intensive universities play in transforming society and saving human lives. Universities like Wits continue to generate high-quality, locally-relevant knowledge that match and exceed global standards. Congratulations to the Wits RHI team for leading world-class research from Africa that addresses the burden of disease on the continent – this incredible breakthrough will certainly save the lives of many women living in sub-Saharan Africa, and beyond.”

By Naadiya Adams