AIDSmeds: Adherence Challenges in Intermittent HIV PrEP Study

via AIDSmeds.com

Intermittent use of Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis was associated with poor adherence, compared with daily use of the tablet to prevent HIV infection, according to results of a small clinical trial published in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE.

Using electronic pill caps, the Kenyan study found that the adherence rate associated with daily PrEP use was 83 percent. Among those using intermittent therapy—Truvada taken on Monday, Friday and within two hours following sexual intercourse—the adherence rate was 55 percent. Among those who only took Truvada within two hours following sexual intercourse, the post-coital adherence rate was only 26 percent.

Truvada as PrEP was recently recommended for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval by the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee. The recommendation is based on data from several clinical trials, all exploring the safety and efficacy of Truvada PrEP used daily.

There has been interest in exploring alternative dosing strategies, notably scheduled and as-needed intermittent use of the drug. Experts hypothesize less frequent dosing may reduce the risk of side effects and prove easier for people to use, in light of the poor adherence that has been noted in clinical trials evaluating daily use of Truvada.

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