November 2, 2016 – Sayana Press

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Anchor lead: Can a self-administered injection help African women achieve effective family planning? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Imagine an easy to use, inexpensive and reliable means of birth control that no one can tell if you’re using. Amy Tsui, an international family planning expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that’s the promise of a new device now in clinical trials in Uganda.

Tsui:  This is called Sayana Press, it’s the brand name. it’s the lower tech, you might say, to what’s been used for a long time in sub-Saharan Africa, the Depo-Provera shot, which is also used in the United States and many other countries.  This product has become very popular during this trial that is being run by PATH, which is an international nongovernment organization, to be able to see whether women can now self-administer.   :28

Tsui says Sayana Press requires a simple subcutaneous injection, much like that required for insulin therapy, and that most women can learn how to use it in a matter of minutes. It must be administered every three months to remain effective, and right now, the Gates Foundation is underwriting much of the cost.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.