- Population Council subsidy reduces price of one-month Dapivirine Vaginal Ring (DVR) to $5.90 per ring, a major reduction from current selling price of $12.78 per ring.
- The one-month DVR is recommended for adolescent girls and women ages 16 and up, including those who are breastfeeding, and has received regulatory approval in 12 African countries.
- An extended use three-month DVR is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency under their EU Medicines for All procedure, with the potential to further increase affordability and convenience.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Francesca Heintz, Director of Communications, Population Council, fheintz@popcouncil.org
New York, USA (December 8, 2025)—The Population Council, an international non-profit research organization, announced today that it is subsidizing the price of its one-month Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV prevention to $5.90 / ring—a 54% price reduction from its current selling price. This significant cost savings allows greater access and choice in HIV prevention products for women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, who bear a disproportionate burden of new HIV infections. The Council has never received a profit from the sale or distribution of the DVR, and it is offered at no cost to users through the public sector.
The one-month DVR—also known as the DapiRing—is the first long-acting HIV prevention method designed specifically for women. Data from the REACH study, conducted by the Microbicide Trials Network, found that 65% of young women and adolescent girls who participated in the study chose the DVR compared to 30% who chose daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Earlier this year, the European Medicines Agency expanded its recommendation of the DVR to include adolescent girls.
“Access to HIV treatment and prevention options has been disrupted globally, putting more women and girls at risk for HIV infection. At this critical stage in the HIV epidemic, we need to make HIV prevention products more available and affordable. By offering the DVR at a lower price, we can increase access and allow more women and girls to make the HIV prevention choice that works for them,” said Brid Devlin, Chief Scientific Officer of the Population Council’s Center for Biomedical Research.
The Population Council has also developed a three-month DVR, which would provide a more efficient, convenient, and cost-effective version of the product for HIV prevention. The three-month DVR is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency and has been licensed by Kiara Health, a South African pharmaceutical company. This price subsidy brings the one-month DVR price closer in line with the cost of oral PrEP—the most widely available HIV prevention product in Africa to date—and with the expected annual cost of the three-month DVR.
Health leaders and advocates have welcomed news of the subsidy, highlighting the importance of affordable access and choice in HIV prevention products:
“Reducing the price of the DapiRing is more than a financial decision, it is a moral necessity. No woman should ever be denied protection simply because it is not affordable; affordability is the gateway to equity. Until every prevention product is priced within reach, our work is not done,” said Joyce Nganga, Senior Policy Advisor and Programme Coordinator, WACI Health and Member, African Women Prevention Community Accountability Board.
“Choice in HIV prevention is essential and making products more affordable improves access to the products that fit their lives and that they want to use. By reducing the cost of the one-month Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, the Population Council is really prioritizing the equitable delivery of PrEP to women and girls. With the extraordinary challenges we are facing in the current HIV response, it is encouraging and a reason for optimism to see organizations step up to fill gaps in access,” said Jim Pickett, Director, The Choice Agenda and Senior Advisor, AVAC.
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