By Davis Buyondo
Kampala-Uganda
Ponsiano Sserwadda is the Secretary-Positive Youths In Action (POYA) under Uganda Cares, one of the AIDS Organizations operating in the Southwestern Uganda.
His journey as a leader for youths living with HIV/AIDS in the region has been a challenging one. He has seen firsthand the struggles that come with living with the virus, including the stigma, discrimination, and the daily medication regimen that can be exhausting.
He has been on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for years but he finds it difficult to take oral drugs every day.
Like many other positive youths in Uganda, Sserwadda has been calling for more convenient ways of ART uptake. He believes that injectable treatments could be a game-changer, making it easier for people living with HIV/AIDS to manage their condition.
With this in mind, he has been working tirelessly to advocate for more research into new and innovative solutions.
Fortunately, Sserwadda’s efforts may soon pay off. Recent developments in medical research have led to a promising breakthrough: the potential of injectable treatments for PLHV.
Experts are now exploring this possibility, and many people are hopeful that this could revolutionize the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Uganda and beyond.
“I am excited about the prospect and so eager to see the impact it could have on the lives of those living with the virus,” he noted.
Currently, Uganda has 1,400,000 People Living With HIV (PLHIV) of which 500000 are adult men, 840000 adult women and 88000 children. According to the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) and USAID statistics 2021, the annual AIDS-related death stands at 17,000 people.
The 95-95-95 UNAIDS ambitious targets are simply another pathway for ending HIV. This calls for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection to start sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy to have complete viral suppression by 2025.
With a rise in infections, Uganda approved the injectable, a long-lasting HIV drug (Cabotegravir) in December 2022. The country, however, became the second African country to approve the injectable drug after Zimbabwe.
Studies have indeed proven that the first non-pill HIV treatment approach is more effective than oral pills.
“The use of the injectable drug will be more effective and simplify uptake of ART since most people especially men fear oral pills,” he notes.
With the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Uganda and the ongoing need for effective treatment, this development offers new hope for those living with the disease.
The Insight Post Uganda takes a closer look at the ongoing efforts to develop injectable HIV/AIDS treatments, and how they could revolutionize the way HIV/AIDS is treated in Uganda and beyond.
Injectable treatments for HIV/AIDS offer several potential advantages over traditional pill-based treatments. In particular, injectables could provide a longer-lasting and more convenient form of treatment, potentially reducing the burden of daily medication adherence.
Experts
Additionally, injectable treatments could help address issues of stigma and discrimination associated with traditional pill-based treatments, which can be visible and lead to social ostracism.
With these potential benefits in mind, experts are hopeful that injectable treatments could represent a major step forward in the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS, both in Uganda and around the world.
Dr. Andrew Kambugu, Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI), told Ugandans that researchers from IDI and Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) are making progress towards developing an injectable treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The aim of this development is to relieve the burden of daily drug intake for HIV patients. According to Kambugu, the preliminary results of the ongoing research are promising, offering hope for a breakthrough in HIV/AIDS treatment.
He emphasised that the success of injectable treatment in the USA offers hope that it could work in Uganda as well. The ongoing studies aim to confirm that injectable treatment is effective in the Ugandan context.
In preparation for the Parliament HIV/AIDS Advocacy Week scheduled to take place from 25th to 27th April 2023, the Committee on HIV/AIDS and Related Matters organized a press briefing.
The event aimed to support the government’s efforts towards an intensified HIV/AIDS awareness campaign and advocacy, utilizing MPs, staff, the press, and other stakeholders.
The Committee Chairperson, Sarah Netalisire, highlighted that the committee had organized the event in response to a presidential directive that called for all stakeholders to scale up the dissemination of HIV messages.
Netalisire also noted that a significant proportion of donor and government funding is directed towards HIV treatment, leaving minimal resources for prevention efforts.
“We want to drum harder and inform Ugandans that when you live positively and adhere to treatment, you will live longer and reduce the 326 people who die weekly due to HIV-related cases,” Netalisire says.
She highlighted the statistical progress made in the fight to end HIV/AIDS by 2030, noting the 37 per cent decline in annual AIDS-related deaths as cited in the Ministry of Health Report of 2021.
The Head of HIV Prevention at Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. Daniel Byamukama called on Parliament to consider reviewing policies and laws that are a deterrent to the HIV/AIDS fight.
He cited policies that criminalize HIIV transmission and people who inject drugs as those that need review.
“If you criminalize HIV/AIDS transmission, it is tricky. It is not easy to prove; there is a worry that one would rather not bother to know their HIV status for fear of being indicted,” says Byamukama.
During the advocacy week, Dr. Stephen Watiti, who represented the Persons Living with HIV Network, urged Parliament to send a message of hope to those who have not yet sought treatment due to the stigma associated with the disease.
Watiti appealed to the legislators to use the opportunity to encourage people living with HIV/AIDS and to eliminate the stigma that prevents them from seeking treatment.
Why they are essential?
He highlighted that the shame associated with HIV/AIDS has contributed to a bottleneck in treatment and prevention efforts, and called on lawmakers to take action to remove this barrier.
Injectable HIV/AIDS treatment is essential as it offers significant benefits over the current oral treatment options. First, the injectable treatment has longer-lasting effects, typically requiring administration every two months, compared to daily oral medication.
This reduces the burden on patients, who no longer have to remember to take their medication every day, improving adherence to treatment.
Additionally, injectable treatment can help address the issue of drug resistance that arises when patients miss doses or do not take their medication as prescribed.
Injectable treatment ensures that patients receive their medication regularly, reducing the risk of developing resistance to the drugs.
Finally, injectable treatment can help reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS as patients will no longer have to disclose their condition to others through visible pill-taking. These benefits make the development of injectable HIV/AIDS treatment a critical step towards improving treatment and prevention efforts for HIV/AIDS.
95-95-95 Targets
Despite the government and AIDS Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) providing free and accessible services, the rate at which HIV/AIDS is increasing is a cause for concern.
Regardless of having HIV/AIDS treatment and care services in all public health facilities, health experts say men are not fully involved the country is still slow-walking and currently at 89 percent of the second global HIV targets of 95-95-95.
The 95-95-95 UNAIDS ambitious targets are simply another pathway for ending HIV. This calls for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection to start sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy to have complete viral suppression by 2025.
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