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CompletedNCT04077151Updated Apr 2, 2024

Transgender Youth and PrEP: PK, Safety, Uptake & Adherence - Demonstration Project

An interventional study of PrEP Demonstration Project in HIV/AIDS, Gender and Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms, sponsored by Hektoen Institute for Medical Research. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 15 Years to 24 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-04-02.

Sponsored by Hektoen Institute for Medical Research · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
51
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
15 Years to 24 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To address the critical scientific gaps in PrEP safety for transgender youth and to plan for appropriate implementation of PrEP in transgender youth communities, the study will be conducted in 3 integrated phases. In Phase 1, a pharmacokinetic (PK) study exploring the interactions of cs-HT for both TW and TM youth on TDF/FTC will be conducted. Simultaneously, in Phase 2, ethnographic data via focus groups (FGs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) to inform the development of a tailored intervention to improve uptake and adherence to PrEP for transgender youth will be collected. In Phase 3, a small demonstration trial of PrEP use in transgender youth, utilizing the ethnographically developed intervention to improve uptake and adherence, while also monitoring renal and bone safety outcomes will be implemented.

The project has the following important specific aims:

Aim 1: To evaluate the differential PK of TDF/FTC in a cohort of transgender youth on cs-HT by conducting a PK trial of daily TDF/FTC among 24 TW taking estradiol and 24 TM taking testosterone (ages 15-24 years) using video-based directly observed therapy (DOT) to insure daily adherence and maximize drug exposure.

Aim 2: To develop a culturally, developmentally, and gender-affirmative intervention to increase uptake of and adherence to PrEP among TW and TM youth that is grounded in theory (Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model of Behavior Change, Gender Affirmation, Empowerment Theory) and incorporates the PK data from Aim 1. Investigators will conduct FGs with young TW (N=20-30) and TM (N=20-30) and conduct IDIs with participants from the PK study (Total N=10-14). Investigators will solicit continuous input and feedback from TW and TM on the project's Youth Advisory Board.

Aim 3: To conduct a small randomized controlled trial within a PrEP demonstration project comparing the newly developed intervention with standard of care (SOC) in TW (N=50) and TM (N=50) ages 15-24 years.

Read the detailed description

Transgender women (TW) are one of the most vulnerable populations for acquiring HIV infection, and the scant available data on transgender men (TM) suggests they are also at risk. TW have accounted for only 0.2% of all participants in bio-behavioral HIV prevention trials using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and TM have typically not been included. TW and TM adolescents have received even less attention in PrEP trials.

Although tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC), the FDA-approved PrEP drug, would not be expected to interact with cross-sex hormone therapy (cs-HT; estradiol and testosterone) based on known mechanisms and data from studies with hormonal contraceptives, there are no data that prove this. Given this lack of data, TW and TM youth on cs-HT have decreased PrEP uptake and adherence due to concerns that PrEP may reduce the effectiveness of cs-HT. To address these critical scientific gaps in PrEP safety for transgender youth and to plan for appropriate implementation, the investigators propose the following study in 3 integrated phases. In Phase 1, investigators will conduct a PK study exploring the interactions of cs-HT for both TW and TM on TDF/FTC. Simultaneously, in Phase 2, investigators will collect ethnographic data via focus groups and in-depth interviews to inform the development of a tailored gender-affirmative intervention to improve uptake and adherence to PrEP in transgender youth. In Phase 3, investigators will conduct a small demonstration trial of PrEP use in TW and TM youth, utilizing the ethnographically developed intervention to improve uptake and adherence, while also monitoring renal and bone safety outcomes.

02

Conditions studied

  • HIV/AIDS
  • Gender
  • Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

Keywords

  • Transgender
  • Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
  • HIV Prevention
  • Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine (TDF/FTC)
  • Cross-sex Hormone Therapy
  • Adherence
  • Behavior Change
  • Gender Affirmation
03

In context

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

2,099 studies on the registry are indexed under Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; 273 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 51 is below the median of 104 across 1,590 interventional studies indexed under Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Browse Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

Hektoen Institute for Medical Research is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
15 Years to 24 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Self-identification as a transgender individual [As determined by the two-step process of gender identification whereby potential participants will be asked their gender identity and sex assigned at birth]
  • HIV-uninfected by EIA and viral load within 7 days of study entry
  • Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min by Cockroft Gault for ages ≥18 years (Schwartz equation for those \<18)
  • Willing to comply with all study procedures
  • On a stable dose of cs-HT for at least 2 months verified by clinical chart review and willing to not change doses for duration of PK study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hospitalization within 30 days of study entry (elective procedures okay with team approval)
  • Condition (medical, psychological, or social) that, in the opinion of the study investigators, would preclude the participant from completing study-required procedures
  • Previous participation in an HIV vaccine study, unless the participant can document placebo arm assignment
  • Use of TDF/FTC in the past 3 months
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
51 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intervention Recipients

    PrEP Demonstration Project intervention will be given

    Behavioral: PrEP Demonstration Project

Interventions

  • BehavioralPrEP Demonstration Project

    In phase 2, a culturally, developmentally, and gender-affirmative intervention to increase uptake of and adherence to PrEP among TW and TM youth will be developed by incorporates the PK data from phase 1 and data gathered from focus groups and in-depth interviews with young transgender women and transgender men. During phase 3, this intervention will be given to the experimental arm and tested versus a standard-of-care control group.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. PrEP Acceptability Questionnaire

    Acceptability and feasibility of PrEP among TM and TW youth will be measured; details unavailable at the current time as specific study has yet to be developed.

    Time frame: 48 weeks

  2. Tenofovir diphosphate levels

    Adherence to PrEP among TM and TW youth will be measured; details unavailable at the current time as specific study has yet to be developed.

    Time frame: 48 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
    Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 2, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04077151
Lead sponsor
Hektoen Institute for Medical Research
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 4, 2019
Start date
Mar 14, 2022
Primary completion
Nov 30, 2023
Completion
Nov 30, 2023
Last update
Apr 2, 2024

Study contacts

Sybil Hosek, PhD
principal investigator · Cook County Health

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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