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

14 March 2025

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 15 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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“…this could be a noble idea and a game changer.” The Potential of a Dual Prevention Pill for HIV and Pregnancy Prevention among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Zimbabwe

This article from PLOS Global Public Health describes the opinions of adolescent girls and young women and health care providers in Zimbabwe regarding the dual prevention pill (DPP), combining oral contraceptives with oral PrEP to simultaneously prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV.

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Multipurpose Prevention Technologies for the Prevention of Unintended Pregnancy, HIV, and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections: Regulatory pathways and challenges

This article from Frontiers in Reproductive Health discusses potential regulatory pathways for multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs).

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Frequently Asked Questions about the Dual Prevention Pill

This factsheet provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), including what it is, who might use it, and how it can be rolled out.

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Integrating HIV Prevention with Family Planning Services for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Uganda: Perspectives of adolescent girls and young women, health care providers, and policymakers

This article from Frontiers in Reproductive Health discusses the results of a study examining various enablers and barriers to the successful integration of HIV prevention into family planning services in the areas of policy, human resources and infrastructure, resource management, service delivery, community involvement, supply chain management, and monitoring and reporting, and provides insights to…

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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.