What changes can the new HIV/AIDS drug bring?
A new injectable drug against HIV/AIDS is on the way
Africa Daily · BBC World Service
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (open.live.bbc.co.uk) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
For years the fight against HIV/AIDS was fought with antiretroviral drugs.
But in October the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe announced that it had approved the use of a new medicine against HIV/AIDS.
CAB-LA is long-acting injectable cabotegravir with the aim of preventing HIV.
The World Health Organisation welcomed the step taken by Zimbabwe.
This is particularly important considering the high HIV prevalence rate in the southern African country.
The news of CAB-LA approval came shortly after a report published by the United Nations suggested that a young woman in Africa is infected every two minutes.
So will this new injectable drug make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the stigma that comes with taking antiretroviral drugs, taken in pill form?
Mpho Lakaje has been speaking to two men with long experience with the disease.
Farai Masekela is with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe and explained how this new drug works.
Ntimbwe Mpamba is 40 years old and has been HIV positive since birth. He shared his long journey living with the disease.