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** A Leap Forward For the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, the Next Steps Are Critical
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September 17, 2020

Dear Advocates,

A fresh episode of AVAC’s Px Pulse podcast is ready for download ([link removed]) , looking at what the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring ([link removed]) means for women and for HIV prevention from several perspectives.

The ring is the first woman-initiated HIV prevention option to receive a positive regulatory opinion since the female condom in 1993.

In this episode, Zeda Rosenberg ([link removed]) , founder and chief executive officer of the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) ([link removed]) —the ring’s developer—walks us through next steps for securing access now that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) ([link removed]) has released a positive regulatory opinion ([link removed]) . Cleopatra Makura ([link removed]) , a 2019 AVAC Fellow and HIV prevention youth advocate leader in Zimbabwe, Sharon Hillier ([link removed]) , head of the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), and Benny Kottiri, Research Division Chief in the Office of HIV/AIDS at USAID ([link removed]) , discuss the work of
advocates, why the ring is a promising new option and the need for continued investment in ring rollout. And Lori Heise ([link removed]) , professor of social epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an early champion of microbicides research, draws on powerful lessons from the past to guide what must come next in rolling out the ring.

Check out AVAC.org’s dedicated page for the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring ([link removed]) , as well as thering page on PrEP Watch ([link removed]) for the full background and status of the ring, including resources for advocacy and access.

Want to learn more? Please join this webinar hosted by the PrEP Learning Network ([link removed]) on Thursday, September 24, 2020 9:00 AM EDT | 15:00 CAT | 16:00 EAT, providing an overview of the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and the regulatory process, a framework for ring introduction as part of combination prevention, and national considerations for introduction in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

For the full podcast episode, highlights and more resources, visit avac.org/px-pulse ([link removed]) . And subscribe on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts!

Best,
AVAC

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