January 2, 2017
Long-Acting PrEP Injectable Begins First Trial
Brittany Ferrendi READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A new trial begins, with hopes of making HIV prevention more practical to the public.
It's a long-acting injectable form of PrEP, a method used to prevent the transfer of HIV. Only FDA approved HIV prevention tool, Daily Truvada, is a pill that must be taken every day. The Phase III trial will work alongside the pill to determine its effectiveness.
"We urgently need more HIV prevention tools that fit easily into people's lives," said Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony S. Fauci, MD in a press release. "Although daily oral Truvada clearly works for HIV prevention, taking a daily pill while feeling healthy can be difficult for some people. If proven effective, injectable cabotegravir has the potential to become an acceptable, discreet and convenient alternative for HIV prevention."
The trial will use 4,500 HIV negative trans women and cis men who have sex with men.
NIAID and ViiV Healthcare are sponsoring the trial.
