Developing and Introducing a Dual Prevention Pill- Oral PrEP & oral contraception for HIV and pregnancy prevention

7 July 2022

A coalition of partners is developing a novel Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) for prevention of pregnancy and HIV acquisition in high-need countries.

In East and Southern Africa — where the DPP is initially planned for introduction — 65 percent of new HIV infections are amongst women aged 15 and over, and 16 percent of women of reproductive age have an unmet need for contraception. As the “youth bulge” results in millions of young people entering their reproductive years, it will impact efforts to end the HIV epidemic and reduce unintended pregnancies. It is critical to ensure all women have access to both contraception and HIV prevention.

Featured Resources

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“Killing Two Birds with One Stone” – A qualitative study on women’s perspectives on the dual prevention pill in Johannesburg, South Africa

This article from BMC Women’s Health describes the results of a study to investigate the acceptability of a dual prevention pill (DPP), combining oral PrEP and a combined oral contraceptive for HIV and pregnancy prevention, among women in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Harnessing Private Sector Strategies for Family Planning to Deliver the Dual Prevention Pill, the First Multipurpose Prevention Technology with Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, in an Expanding HIV Prevention Landscape

This article from the Journal of the International AIDS Society describes the results of a scoping exercise to evaluate different private sector delivery channels for the Dual Prevention Pill in Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

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Advocates’ Guide to Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs)

Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) are products designed to simultaneously address more than one sexual and reproductive health concern. This advocates’ guide shows the pipeline of products in development, discusses why MPTs are needed, investment, and what advocates can do to push for MPT development and introduction.

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Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Eastern and Southern Africa: The latest insights

Eastern and southern Africa (ESA) is the world’s most heavily HIV-impacted region, with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) disproportionately affected. To support the scale-up of PrEP amongst AGYW in ESA, in September 2021 UNICEF and partners released the implementation brief “Improving the Quality of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in…

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Frontiers in Reproductive Health Special Issue: Multipurpose Prevention Technologies

This special issue of Frontiers in Reproductive Health contains the latest research and insights on Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs), products designed to address two or more health concerns, including prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy. Articles include: Editorial: Multipurpose prevention technologies for HIV, STIs and pregnancies Turning the promise of multipurpose prevention technologies…

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How Might We Motivate Uptake of the Dual Prevention Pill? Findings from human-centered design research with potential end users, male partners, and healthcare providers

This article from Frontiers in Reproductive Health describes the results of a study to identify barriers and motivators for Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) uptake to inform the development of a DPP demand generation strategy and broader introduction efforts for Multipurpose Prevention Technologies.

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Rapid Landscape Analysis of National Vertical Transmission Policies for Inclusion of PrEP for Pregnant and Breastfeeding People

Elimination of vertical transmission of HIV will require expanded access to HIV prevention strategies, such as PrEP, for pregnant and breastfeeding people. Guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) supports provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to pregnant and breastfeeding people (PBFP) who are at continuing substantial risk of HIV infection. Evidence has shown that…

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Dual Prevention Pill: Market Preparation and Introduction Strategy

This strategy, updated in August 2023, is intended for donors, governments, implementing partners and civil society to inform priorities and planning for DPP rollout. The strategy describes activities required to build a cohesive body of evidence and recommends an approach to DPP introduction to focus efforts. Where possible, activities will be embedded into existing programs…

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Integrated Study Dashboard

This dashboard, produced under the BioPIC project, reflects all currently known activities relating to implementation research, modelling, clinical research, and landscaping for new late stage biomedical HIV PrEP options, including cabotegravir for PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring. To update or add any activities missing from the dashboard, or if you have questions on using…

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Cost-Effectiveness of the Dual Prevention Pill for Contraception and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

This journal article from Frontiers in Reproductive Health explored what populations and in what use cases the DPP (dual prevention pill) would be cost-effective.