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Vaginal microbicide ring study releases first data on participants
Gus Cairns, 2015-06-19 08:10:00
An efficacy study of a new method of HIV prevention has published its first data. ASPIRE is one of two large efficacy trials that have been taking place over the last three years of a vaginal ring microbicide.
The vaginal ring is a soft silicone-rubber ring infused with an anti-HIV drug that is designed to be inserted into a woman’s vagina once a month and sit on the cervix. The idea of a long-lasting device like the ring is to get round the problem of daily adherence to PrEP pills and microbicide gels that id the main reason for the failure to show efficacy of three out of four large studies of these prevention methods conducted in younger women in southern Africa.
ASPIRE (MTN-020), and its companion study, the Ring study (IPM 027) are expected to announce their efficacy results early next year or even at the end of this year. The current paper describes the recruitment and characteristics of ASPIRE participants and sheds some light on the environment in which they live.
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