HPTN STUDY: SUSTAINED EFFICACY OF LONG-ACTING CABOTEGRAVIR FOR PREP AMONG CISGENDER WOMEN

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- New findings from the HPTN 084 long-acting cabotegravir (CAB) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) study has revealed that reductions in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) incidence were sustained in the 12 months following trial unblinding (Nov 5, 2020 through Nov 5, 2021).

Researchers from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) presented the updated results of the study at the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal, Canada, HPTN said in a statement.

“These results are encouraging as CAB efficacy was sustained during the 12 months following unblinding, confirming a high level of protection against HIV acquisition among study participants assigned female at birth,” said Dr. Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, HPTN 084 protocol chair, director of research at Wits RHI, and research professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

HPTN 084 is an ongoing Phase 3 randomised, controlled trial that previously demonstrated the superiority of ViiV Healthcare’s CAB compared to daily oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for HIV prevention in individuals assigned female at birth.

HPTN 084 enrolled 3,223 cisgender women at research sites in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Dr Myron Cohen, HPTN co-principal investigator, and director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, said: “HIV infection continues to threaten the health of women worldwide.

“Empowering women with safe and effective PrEP options is critical to reducing HIV as a global health threat.”

HPTN is a worldwide collaborative clinical trials network that brings together investigators, ethicists, community members, and other partners to develop and test the safety and efficacy of interventions designed to prevent the acquisition and transmission of HIV.

-- BERNAMA