Treatment as Prevention Clinical Trials

There is only one ongoing efficacy trial of treatment as prevention, in which researchers are looking at using antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV in HIV-positive people to reduce their risk of passing HIV to others. This trial is HPTN 052, which aims to enroll 1,750 serodiscordant couples (one HIV-positive and one HIV-negative partner) to look at ARV treatment as prevention. It asks whether HIV-positive participants who start ARVs upon enrollment, regardless of their CD4 cell count, are less likely to transmit to their partners, compared to participants who delay ARV initiation until it is clinically indicated. All participants in the trial receive a basic prevention package including treatment for sexually transmitted infections, condoms, and behavior change counseling. HPTN 052 has trial sites in Brazil, India, Malawi, Thailand, the US, and Zimbabwe.

There are ongoing discussions and planning for a study that would evaluate the feasibility of a community-focused enhanced HIV test-and-treat strategy in the US. Revisit this page for additional details, which will be provided when available.