What is PrEP?
PrEP is a proven intervention that has been shown to prevent HIV, where an Anti-Retroviral pill is taken prior to being exposed to HIV.
PrEPVacc will test whether a new form of oral PrEP, TAF/FTC (Descovy) taken daily, is equivalent or more effective than TDF/FTC (Truvada) taken daily, in the context of the current PrEP availability situation at the study sites.
The PrEP results of PrEPVacc will be valuable for informing future implementation and uptake strategies by local stakeholders and champions in settings where PrEP uptake is low even when accessible, but is likely to be more widely available in the future.
PrEP in PrEPVacc
Near perfect protection against HIV
Studies in many countries have shown that PrEP using the daily anti-HIV medicine Truvada can provide near perfect protection against HIV when taken carefully during periods of risk.
In PrEPVacc we are testing Truvada PrEP against a new medicine, Descovy PrEP.
No obligation to take it
Participants enrolled in PrEPVacc are not obliged to take PrEP, but they will be encouraged to use it as an HIV prevention option.
Among those that decline it, PrEPVacc researchers will try to find out what the barriers to acceptance are.
Gives vaccines best chance of working
Participants will be offered PrEP during the vaccine immunisation phase (from week 0 to 26 i.e. 6 months) in order to prevent HIV.
This will give the vaccines the best possible chance of working.
