South African company to start making vaginal rings that protect against HIV

A South African company will make vaginal rings that protect against HIV, which AIDS experts say should eventually make them cheaper and more readily available. The Population Council announced Thursday that Kiara Health of Johannesburg will start making the silicone rings in the next few years, estimating that 1 million could be produced annually. The … Read more

South Africa, Colombia are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa, Colombia and other countries that lost out in the global race for coronavirus vaccines are taking a more combative approach towards drugmakers and pushing back on policies that deny cheap treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV. Experts see it as a shift in how such … Read more

Scottish officials approve UK’s first drug consumption room intended for safer use of illegal drugs

LONDON — Scottish authorities on Wednesday approved a 2.3 million-pound ($2.8 million) pound drug consumption room, the first government-backed place in the U.K. where users can take illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin under the supervision of medical staff. Local officials in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Wednesday approved the facility, which had … Read more