Can text messages break down stigma and boost PrEP access for drug users?
NCT ID NCT07508137
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 29, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This pilot study will test a series of brief, private text messages sent via WhatsApp or Telegram to help people who use drugs in Kazakhstan feel more comfortable seeking PrEP, an HIV prevention pill. The messages address stigma, confidentiality worries, and misinformation. Forty participants will complete surveys before and after the 2-3 week program to see if the approach is acceptable and feasible. No medications or lab tests are involved.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- digital micro-intervention (text-based modules via Telegram or WhatsApp)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a scalable, low-cost way to help people who use drugs overcome stigma and access HIV prevention.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot (40 people) with no clinical outcomes—only surveys. It may not translate to real-world PrEP uptake or work in other settings.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Self-reported drug use within the past six months * HIV-negative or unknown HIV status (self-reported) * Not currently taking PrEP * Able to provide informed consent * Have access to a personal mobile phone capable of receiving Telegram or WhatsApp messages Exclusion Criteria: * Are unable to provide informed consent * Do not have access to a mobile device for digital message delivery * Are currently enrolled in another PrEP behavioral intervention study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Center for Scientific and Practical Initiatives
Almaty, Kazakhstan
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