Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Africa Trust (Sat) vaginal ring study coordinator, Tchangani Tembo, has said they are done with research and just waiting for approval from regulators.

The ring, which is not yet on the market, is meant for females aged between 18 and 45 years to protect them from contracting HIV, which causes Aids. It offers 71 percent protection.

He was speaking at an awareness meeting with students in Mzuzu on Saturday.

During the meeting, Sat Country Director, Robert Phiri, said they were targeting sexually active groups.

“We have been engaging stakeholders and, today, engaged students because they are a critical group. If we have to successfully rid the country of the HIV menace, we have to court the youth and promote biomedical products,” Phiri said

“We want to promote the use of condoms, Pep [post-exposure prophylaxis] and products, like diprivine ring, which are in the pipeline.”

One of the students, Bethsaida Lapozo, said the ring had good prospects of being widely used, especially because “it would be in use for 30 days when inserted”.

Students were drawn from Malawi Institute of Journalism, Malawi College of Accountancy, Mzuzu Technical College, University of Livingstonia and Mzuzu University.