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Two large clinical HIV-prevention
trials in Africa will test the safety and effectiveness of a vaginal ring
containing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine. Both studies are being conducted
in partnership with the US National Institutes of Health-backed Microbicide
Trials Network.
If effective, the ring will add “a
long-acting, female-initiated technology to the existing toolkit of HIV
prevention options,” said Dr. Zelda Rosenberg, CEO of the International
Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a nonprofit group that is developing the
ring. Because it only needs to be replaced once a month, the ring may help
address some of the problems with getting women to use vaginal gels
consistently each time they have sex, Rosenberg said during the 19th
International AIDS Conference.
The IPM study will enroll 1,100
women ages 18-45 at four sites in South Africa; they will be randomly assigned
to use the ring or a placebo. Researchers plan to expand the trial to Rwanda
and Malawi.
The other study, called ASPIRE, will
test the ring in 3,476 women ages 18-45 in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Dapivirine is part of a class of
antiretroviral drugs that have long been used to treat HIV and prevent
mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Results are expected in 2015. Both
trials are seeking at least a 60 percent reduction in HIV risk, but researchers
hope for an even better outcome.
“Because the vaginal ring is a
long-acting intervention, it has a potential added benefit in that women may
find it relatively easy to use,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Women in the studies will be offered
condoms and HIV prevention counseling. Women who become pregnant will
discontinue use of the ring and will continue to be monitored.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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