Research on dapivirine ring use among adolescent girls and young women presented at IAS 2021

July 15, 2021—Interim results from REACH, an open-label study of IPM’s monthly dapivirine ring as well as of daily oral PrEP, are being presented at the 11th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2021), taking place virtually July 18-21, 2021. Conducted by our partner the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) in South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe, REACH is the first study to assess the ring’s safety, adherence and acceptability among adolescent girls and young women in Africa. 

During the first two phases of the study (February 2019-April 2021), participants used each product for six months at a time. Key interim findings over this period include: 

  • Both products have been well-tolerated, with no difference in adverse events during ring use and PrEP use periods.
  • Adherence levels for both products were encouraging. For the ring, data indicate that the vast majority of participants (95.6%) used the product at least some of the time and that half of participants used the ring consistently for the full month.
  • Participants found both products acceptable, with 88.5% of participants reporting that they liked the ring.

These results suggest that adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa, who face alarmingly high HIV risk, can and are willing to use the ring. It is hoped that the final study results will support these encouraging interim data.

REACH is currently ongoing in its final phase, during which participants choose whether they want to use the dapivirine ring or oral PrEP for six months, or to choose neither product. The study is expected to be completed by October 2021, with final results anticipated in Q1 or Q2 2022.

To learn more, see additional information on the interim REACH results as well as other ring-related research at IAS 2021: 

  • SA20. Paving the road for new PrEP products: The promise of differentiated, simplified, and decentralized delivery to maximize the potential of new PrEP products
    Monday, July 19, 08:30-09:30 CEST, Channel 2
    Satellite session with panelists including Zeda Rosenberg, IPM
  • PECLB26. Prioritizing the evaluation of HIV prevention interventions in pregnancy: Interim results from a randomized, open-label safety trial of dapivirine vaginal ring and oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine use in late pregnancy (MTN poster)
  • PED415. Acceptability of the dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV-1 prevention among women who engaged in transactional sex (MTN poster)
  • PEC310. Three approaches to forecasting potential numbers of dapivirine ring users for HIV prevention among women in sub-Saharan Africa (CHOICE-USAID poster)