Posted on July 25, 2019
Source: NIH
"In a study of open-label Truvada as daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV among 427 young African women and adolescent girls, 95% initiated the HIV prevention strategy, and most used PrEP for the first three months. However, PrEP use fell among participants in this critical population during a year of follow-up clinic visits, although HIV incidence at 12 months was low. The preliminary results suggest that tailored, evidence-based adherence support strategies may be needed to durably engage young African women in consistent PrEP use. The study, known as HPTN 082, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both parts of the National Institutes of Health. The data were presented at the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.
"Young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa account for 3 million of the 4 million people aged 15-26 with HIV in the region. The NIH-sponsored HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) reports that recent clinical trials had unacceptably high HIV incidence rates of 5-6% per year among young African women in this age group.
“'Young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa must be empowered to make informed choices about HIV prevention methods, including PrEP, that have the potential to protect individuals’ health as well as turn the tide of the HIV epidemic,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “The new data suggest that we need to do more to help this population use PrEP every day as prescribed to effectively prevent HIV acquisition.'”
