Clinical-stage biotechnology company Continuity Biosciences LLC announced on Wednesday that it has been awarded a grant of up to USD9.6m from the Gates Foundation to advance a subcutaneous, ultra-long-acting antiretroviral (ARV) implant for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Continuity said that its implant is designed to deliver HIV prevention medicine continuously for multiple years after a single insertion under the skin. It is intended as an alternative to daily oral pills and to periodic injections, giving people at risk of HIV a prevention option that requires fewer dosing decisions and clinic visits.

The grant will support development of Continuity's ultra-long-acting ARV implant through Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies, submission of an IND application, and initiation of a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical study.

As part of the grant, Continuity has made Global Access commitments to the Gates Foundation, including making the resulting technology available at an affordable price to people most in need in low- and middle-income countries and broadly sharing knowledge gained from the programme.