How often should women take the HIV prevention pill? a new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT05057858
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how often cisgender women in Kenya need to take the HIV prevention pill Truvada (TDF-FTC) to keep protective drug levels in their blood. Participants are randomly assigned to take 2, 4, or 7 doses per week for up to 16 weeks, and their drug levels are measured. The study also explores how pregnancy may affect these levels, to help guide PrEP dosing recommendations for pregnant women.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help define the optimal dosing schedule for oral PrEP to prevent HIV in cisgender women, including during pregnancy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small Phase 2 study focused on drug levels, not on actual HIV prevention outcomes. Results may not translate to real-world adherence or effectiveness.
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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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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72 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Finished
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Oct 2024
- 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 to 30 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Age ≥18 and ≤30 years old * Willing to undergo urine pregnancy tests * Has understood the information provided and has provided written informed consent before any study-related procedures are performed. * HIV uninfected based on negative HIV rapid tests, according to Kenyan national algorithm * Normal renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate \>60 mL/min) * Hepatitis B surface Ag negative * No active clinically significant medical or psychiatric conditions that would interfere with study participation * Lack of severe anemia * Willing to use DOT and come to clinic frequently for DOT PrEP for at least 8 weeks * Willing to have home visits for follow up * Has access to an active smartphone to allow off-site observation of dosing if unable to come to the clinic or as determined by the study staff, the participant resides in close location to clinic to permit home visit if unable to come to the clinic. i.e., potential participants without a smartphone may be enrolled in the study if investigator determines that the participant resides within reasonable distance from the clinic that would permit home visit id the participant misses their visit. * Intention to stay within the study site's catchment area for at least 8 weeks. * Resides or works in catchment area with high speed internet coverage to permit video streaming Specific for non-pregnant cisgender women cohort * Not pregnant or breast feeding * At low risk for HIV. In Kenya, national guidelines define substantial risk for HIV and recommend PrEP be an option for individuals reporting: partner of HIV-infected person not on ART or on ART for \<6 months, \>1 partner of unknown status, transactional sex, recent STI, recurrent PEP use, inconsistent condom use, or injection drug use. So, non-pregnant cisgender women reporting any of these factors will not be eligible for the study but will be linked for PrEP at clinic of choice including at Thika Site itself. * Willing to be randomized to non-daily PrEP and come to clinic frequently for DOT PrEP * Willingness and ability to be abstinent for at least 7 days after each vaginal biopsy visit. Specific for pregnant cisgender women only * At screening, evidence of a viable pregnancy with gestational age of 13-26 weeks after the date of conception with sonographic confirmation. If adequate sonographic results are not available from medical records at screening, an ultrasound must be performed in the interim so that the result is available at study entry. * At elevated risk for acquiring HIV according to Kenya guideline for PrEP. This is to ensure an ethical approach for provision of PrEP in pregnancy (i.e., only exposing PrEP to those who want and might benefit from it). Kenya national guidelines define substantial risk for HIV and recommend PrEP be an option for individuals reporting partner of HIV-infected person not on ART or on ART for \<6 months, \>1 partner of unknown status, transactional sex, recent STI, recurrent PEP use, no or inconsistent condom use * At study entry, willing to use PrEP during pregnancy for HIV prevention Exclusion Criteria: * For all cisgender women * Inability to give informed consent * Positive screening HIV+ as determined by standard rapid serologic assays or suspected acute HIV infection in the opinion of the clinician. (example signs and symptoms of acute HIV infection include combinations of fever, headache, fatigue, arthralgia, vomiting, myalgia, diarrhea, pharyngitis, rash, night sweats, and adenopathy cervical or inguinal) * Positive HBV surface antigen test at screening * Calculated creatinine clearance \< 60 ml/min. * Any laboratory value or uncontrolled medical conditions that, in the opinion of the investigators, would interfere with the study conditions such as, heart disease and/or cancer. * Prohibited concomitant medications are: investigational agents (within 30 days of enrollment), aminoglycosides, ganciclovir/valganciclovir, chronic high-dose acyclovir/valacyclovir (\>800mg acyclovir or \> 500mg valacyclovir for \>7 days), cyclosporine, amphotericin B, foscarnet, and cidofovir, and products with same or similar active ingredients as the study medications including TAF®, ATRIPLA®, COMPLERA®, EMTRIVA®, VIREAD®; or drugs containing lamivudine or adefovir, which are close analogs of FTC and tenofovir, respectively. * Current or past use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) * Not willing to have home visits Specific for non-pregnant cisgender women cohort * Pregnancy or plan to become pregnant in the next 6 months or unwillingness to use birth control * Current breastfeeding * High risk of HIV infection (for example: sexually active with an HIV infected partner; engages in condomless intercourse with HIV-infected partners or partner of unknown status during the study; females who exchange sex for money, shelter, or gifts; active injection drug use or during the last 12 months; newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in last 6 months. Specific for pregnant cisgender women cohort * Mother has a known history of any of the following, as determined by the site investigator or designee based on maternal report and available medical records: * Sickle cell anemia (excluding sickle cell trait), chronic bleeding, blood transfusion within the past 120 days (excluding for chronic illness) or other blood dyscrasias * Fetus has a known or suspected major congenital anomaly, from chart review of prior data, defined ultrasound. * Complications in prior pregnancies that would be considered exclusionary
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Kenya Medical Research Institute - Partners in Health Research and Development
Thika, Kenya
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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