CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP) – 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 one million could be produced annually. The devices release a drug that helps prevent HIV infections and are authorised by nearly a dozen countries and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The non-profit council owns the rights to the rings, which are now made by a Swedish company. About 500,00 rings are currently available to women in Africa at no cost, purchased by donors.

Ben Phillips, a spokesman at the UN AIDS agency, said the advantage of the ring is that it gives women the freedom to use it without anyone else’s knowledge or consent.

“For women whose partners won’t use a condom or allow them to take oral [preventive HIV] medicines, this gives them another option,” he said.

The ring releases the drug dapivirine in slow doses over a month. It currently costs US$12 to US$16, but experts expect the price to drop once it is widely produced in Africa.

Developers are also working on a version that will last up to three months, which should also lower the yearly cost.