In light of announcements this past week about new data on PrEP effectiveness, one of the conference abstract sessions (MOAX01) was expanded to include presentations on the Partners PrEP Study and the CDC’s TDF2 study, in addition to four originally scheduled presentations on HPTN 052.
HPTN 052, sponsored by the HIV Prevention Trials Network, was the first randomized clinical trial to definitively indicate that an HIV-infected individual can reduce sexual transmission of HIV to an uninfected partner by beginning antiretroviral therapy sooner. The study involved 1,763 HIV-serodiscordant couples at 13 sites across Africa, Asia and the Americas. The trial results were initially released in May 2011 on the recommendation of an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) and Monday’s session will be the first full presentation of the trial data.
The TDF2 study and the Partner’s PrEP Study are the first to show that a daily oral dose of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection can reduce HIV acquisition among uninfected individuals exposed to the virus through heterosexual sex.
Due to the strong HIV prevention effect seen in the Partner’s PrEP Study, the trial’s DSMB recommended that the study results be made public and the placebo arm of the study discontinued. The study is led by the University of Washington’s International Clinical Research Center and involved 4,758 HIV serodiscordant couples at nine sites in Kenya and Uganda. The results were announced on 13 July.
As a part of the changes to the session, the abstract on the TDF2 study (WELBC01) was moved from Wednesday’s Late Breaker Track C session (WELBC) to this session. The study’s results were also released last week in conjunction with the Partners PrEP Study to ensure all emerging trial data were available to inform public health and policy discussions. The study involved over 1,200 participants at two sites in Botswana.
Now titled Treatment Is Prevention: The Proof Is Here, this session will take place Monday in Session Room 1, 16:30-18:00. The new invited presentation in this session, “Antiretroviral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV-1 prevention among heterosexual African men and women: the Partners PrEP Study”, will be presented by Jared Baeten of the University of Washington.
Current Challenges in HIV Disease Management (MOSY02) has been moved to Session Room 2.