Innovation > Innovation

PREPEX

CIRC MEDTECH, Hod Hasharon / undefined / 2016

Awards:

Gold Cannes Lions
CampaignCampaign(opens in a new tab)
Case Film

Overview

Credits

Overview

CampaignDescription

PrePex is the only non-surgical device for male circumcision developed as a means to scale-up voluntary medical male circumcision. It was especially designed by a global social entreprise in order to overcome demand and supply barriers of the African MC programs. Thoughtful, meticulous planning and engineering led to a simple, easy to use device that is both safe and cost-effective.

PrePex benefits the funding organizations, the local healthcare system and men themselves. in only 5 minutes per procedure, with no need for expensive HR or faclities, PrePex can assist government to reach their national target faster and more cost-effective than with any other method. Easy to train, to set up and to perform, PrePex can be implemented by trained providers in any rural area, increasing health services for men in Africa. PrePex is offered for men free of charge as an alternative to surgical circumcision.

Execution

The PrePex device is compiled of four elements: Placement Ring, Inner Ring, Elastic Ring and Verification Thread. The device creates radial pressure that stops blood flow to the foreskin, inducing a closed ischemic process. The device stays in situ for seven days after which it is removed together with the dried foreskin tissue.

PrePex is safer, faster and more cost-effective than surgical circumcision. It entails no injected anesthesia, no bleeding, no sutures and no need for sterile settings. PrePex enables task-shifting from physicians to nurses and it increases demand among men for MC programs. PrePex offers men a literally painless procedure with aesthetic results and no post-surgery recovery days, meaning no loss of workdays or school.

Currently in its commercial phase, PrePex is funded by PEPFAR, UN organizations and African governments. PrePex was endorsed by Bill Gates, African Ministers of Health, and high-ranking officials in the US Government and UNAIDS.

Outcome

PrePex is available for adults and adolescents (13+), with over 140,000 procedures conducted to date in 12 countries in Africa and Asia; Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Indonesia. New device sizes for infants and children are underway.

12 PrePex Training Centers were established in nine countries, training more than 560 providers across Africa, improving scalability and sustainability. Clinical procedures are implemented by over 30 global and local NGOs in close collaboration with African Ministries of Health and global AIDS stakeholders.

PrePex was developed by private entrepreneurs who sought a solution to the global health challenge - to circumcise 20 million adult men in resource- limited settings. Private investments were made and initial pilot studies were supported by the Gates foundation. After a long period of studies, PrePex is on the verge of making history in HIV prevention programs in Africa.

Relevancy

Every 21 seconds someone dies of AIDS. Every 15 seconds someone contracts HIV.

Male circumcision (MC) is a one-time procedure with lifelong benefits and it can reduce the risk for HIV among men in Africa. This led to the development of PrePex – the only non-surgical device for male circumcision.

PrePex is a unique, innovative technology implemented in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic - the largest global public healthcare challenge of our time. Furthermore, PrePex can change traditional MC practices as they are currently known and improve lives for men and women around the world.

Synopsis

Over 70% of all people infected with HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In 2007, the WHO and UNAIDS cited that Male Circumcision can reduce the risk of HIV among men by 60%. MC also reduces the risk for STD's, penile cancer and cervical cancer among women. Together with PEPFAR, the Gates Foundation and the World Bank, a challenging goal was set: to circumcise 27 Million men in 14 SSA countries by 2020. MC is part of the UNAIDS Sustainable Development Goals and was chosen as one of the 19 best investments in global health, saving millions of lives and billions of dollars in reduced long-term healthcare costs.

However, governments were struggling reaching their national MC target due to lack of surgery rooms, lack of physicians and low demand among men for the procedure. Until a simple solution was found- PrePex. PrePex is WHO Prequalified, FDA cleared, and CE Marked.

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