{"id":52130,"date":"2024-12-06T12:30:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T12:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-set-to-launch-injectable-hiv-drug\/"},"modified":"2024-12-06T12:37:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T12:37:29","slug":"rwanda-set-to-launch-injectable-hiv-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-set-to-launch-injectable-hiv-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda set to launch injectable HIV drug"},"content":{"rendered":"

The launch is expected by January 2025 and will be spearheaded by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC). It will mark a major step forward in the country’s efforts to curb new infections and offer innovative treatment solutions for individuals at high risk of contracting the virus.<\/p>\n

The drug, known as long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA), is a new form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). It offers an alternative to daily oral PrEP, requiring only a bi-monthly injection following two initial doses spaced four weeks apart.<\/p>\n

Approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, CAB-LA has been described as a “safe and highly effective prevention tool” for individuals at substantial risk of HIV infection.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Basile Ikuzo, Director of the HIV Prevention Unit at RBC, the drug will initially be introduced on a pilot basis at two health centres.<\/p>\n

“We aim to assess client acceptability and determine if it can be a new intervention. If the feedback is positive, we plan to scale it up across the country,” Dr. Ikuzo said in a recent interview with The New Times.<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s adoption of CAB-LA also addresses the challenges of adhering to oral PrEP. Many individuals find it difficult to maintain a daily pill routine, making long-acting injectables a more convenient and reliable option.<\/p>\n

The rollout will initially target high-risk groups, including female sex workers and discordant couples. Currently, over 10,000 individuals in Rwanda use oral PrEP, representing 30% of those identified as high-risk. The new initiative aims to expand access to prevention services and further lower HIV prevalence among vulnerable groups.<\/p>\n

The introduction of CAB-LA aligns with Rwanda\u2019s commitment to meeting and surpassing the UNAIDS “95-95-95” targets, which aim to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV are diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.<\/p>\n

Rwanda has made notable progress in addressing HIV\/AIDS, with prevalence rates among high-risk groups showing a steady decline. For instance, HIV prevalence among female sex workers has decreased from 45% a decade ago to 35%. Overall, the HIV prevalence rate among Rwandans aged 15-64 stands at 3%, according to the 2019 Rwanda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (RPHIA).<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Health has emphasized the importance of maintaining preventive measures while embracing new solutions. <\/p>\n

Minister of Health, Dr. Nsanzimana Sabin, believes that long-acting injectables could alleviate the burden on individuals who require lifelong HIV treatment.<\/p>\n

“This approach offers a practical alternative to the daily regimen, ensuring better adherence and improving quality of life,” Dr. Nsanzimana said during a previous address.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Government of Rwanda is preparing to roll out an injectable HIV prevention drug as part of its comprehensive HIV\/AIDS management program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000078159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-52130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000078159,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/webp","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/hi.webp","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000078159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52130"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=52130"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=52130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}