PrEP Use High but Wanes After Three Months Among Young African Women and Adolescent Girls

Innovative Adherence Strategies Needed to Support Long-Term Usage, NIH-Funded Study Suggests

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. Data from the study, known as HPTN 082, were presented today at the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.