The Introduction of Oral PrEP in South Africa

Legend: Milestone Categories

The introduction of oral PrEP in South Africa

PrEP demonstration and pilot project details

Ongoing research

Currently there are 17 ongoing and planned PrEP demonstration and pilot projects in South Africa.

For a full list of ongoing, planned, demonstration and implementation projects, see: http://bit.ly/2gr8zF

2016

November 2015

March 2016

June 2016

Clinical trials on PrEP begin in 2005. South Africa is home to a number of completed, ongoing, and planned research projects.

Through partnership work with the Center for Communication Impact, the ZAZI campaign (focused on the empowerment of young women) curriculum will have a new section specifically discussing the importance of new prevention options—including PrEP—for young women.

The DREAMS initiative will roll out PrEP to sex workers in the five DREAMS districts.

Initial PrEP rollout for sex workers launches in 11 existing donor-funded sex worker service provision sites.

Southern African HIV Clinicians Society publishes a revised and expanded set of PrEP guidelines in early 2016, advising PrEP as a highly effective and safe prevention option for HIV prevention when combined with other combination prevention strategies.

For more on DREAMS in South Africa, see:

http://bit.ly/2g42o66

South Africa's Medicines Control Council approves the use of fixed-dose combination of tenofovir disoproxyl fumarate and emtricitabine as PrEP for adults 18+. Questions remain about use among those under 18 years old.

http://www.zazi.org.za/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves Truvada for PrEP use in 2012, signaling to other countries that PrEP is a reliable and safe HIV prevention option.

June 2016

October 2015

The National She Conquers campaign is launched at the International AIDS Conference. She Conquers aims to provide HIV prevention options to adolescent girls and young women, simultaneously tackling teenage pregnancy, school drop out, and gender-based violence.

NDOH calls together local HIV Stakeholders to convene National PrEP and Test and treat Technical Working Group.

2015

2013

2012

2005

March 2016

2016

2017

The adolescent girls and young women PrEP Technical Working Group is formed. The first meeting takes place in March 2016.

November 2013

September 2015

March 2016

January / February 2017

WHO releases global PrEP guidelines, providing an important reference for national entities responsible for drafting national-level guidelines

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) launches the National Sex Worker HIV Plan for 2016-2019. The plan provides for immediate ART to all HIV-positive sex workers and offers PrEP to all HIV-negative sex workers.

As of 29 July, four TDF/FTC products had received approval for use as PrEP in South Africa:

Aspen- Truvada and Tencitab

Cipla- Didivir

Mylan- Tenemine

As part of the SW PrEP rollout, refresher and new site training took place in early 2017. The training included the original oral PrEP launch sites as well as new sites providing services to sex workers.

These guidelines are among the most important catalysts of PrEP rollout in South Africa, as detailed in this interview: