The Impact and Cost-effectiveness of Safer Conception Strategies for HIV-discordant Couples (SAFER) (SAFER)

September 27, 2019 updated by: Joelle Brown, MPH, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

The Impact and Cost-effectiveness of Safer Conception Strategies for HIV-discordant Couples

This is a prospective, non-randomized, open-label study to look at the uptake, adherence to, and impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), antiretroviral therapy (ART), semen washing, and vaginal insemination to prevent HIV among HIV-discordant couples attempting conception in Zimbabwe.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The reproductive needs of HIV-discordant couples who desire pregnancy represent an urgent public health problem that has been neglected in HIV prevention research. In Zimbabwe , and across sub-Saharan Africa, the vast majority of HIV-infected individuals are adults of reproductive age. Pregnancy and the desire for children are common among HIV-infected individuals, and HIV-discordant couples face a difficult choice between attempting pregnancy and risking HIV transmission to their partners. Recent surveys have found that 30-50% of HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are involved in stable, HIV-discordant relationships, and HIV transmission within married, cohabitating HIV-discordant couples accounts for 44-60% of new HIV infections in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa. While knowledge of HIV discordance can lead to increased condom use, many discordant couples have unprotected intercourse often motivated by the desire to conceive. Currently, HIV discordant couples who attempt to conceive place themselves at considerable risk of transmission. This research study aims to help promote couples' rights to conceive while at the same time decreasing the risk of HIV transmission.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
46

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Zimbabwe
      • Harare, Zimbabwe
        • UZCHS-UCSF CTRC Zengeza Clinical Research Site

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

HIV-discordant couples in Harare, Zimbabwe who are trying to get pregnant

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For all couples:

  • Couple expresses a desire to conceive
  • Sexually active (defined as having vaginal sex with one another at least 6 times in the past 3 months
  • Willing to enter the study as a couple and intending to remain as a couple and have a sexual relationship for the next 12 months
  • Willing to use at least one safer conception strategy
  • For men, age ≥18 years. For women, age 18 - 35 years;
  • Able and willing to provide written informed consent

For HIV-uninfected members of the couple

  • HIV-negative based on parallel negative HIV rapid tests, both at study screening and enrollment visit
  • Adequate renal function, defined by normal creatinine levels and estimated creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min

For HIV-infected members of the couple

  • HIV-positive based on parallel positive HIV rapid tests, based on national algorithm
  • No current AIDS-defining illness

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Amenorrheic
  • Currently pregnant
  • Active and serious infections, including active tuberculosis infection; active clinically significant medical problems including cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, and previously diagnosed malignancy expected to require further treatment.
  • History of infertility defined as a year or more of regular unprotected intercourse with current partner without pregnancy, or otherwise medically diagnosed infertility
  • Currently on any concomitant medication that requires the participant to avoid use of PrEP

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
HIV+male/HIV-female
discordant couple given the choice of using at least one of the following: Antiretrovirals, PrEP (Truvada), or semen washing
Drug: PrEP (Truvada)
oral, daily Truvada for HIV-negative participants
Other Names:
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
Drug: Antiretrovirals
oral daily antiretrovirals and frequent viral load monitoring for HIV-positive participant
Other Names:
  • ART
Procedure: Semen washing
collection of semen from an HIV-positive man, processing semen to remove HIV, followed by intrauterine insemination
HIV+female/HIV-male
discordant couple given the choice of using at least one of the following: Antiretrovirals, PrEP (Truvada), or artificial vaginal insemination
Drug: PrEP (Truvada)
oral, daily Truvada for HIV-negative participants
Other Names:
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
Drug: Antiretrovirals
oral daily antiretrovirals and frequent viral load monitoring for HIV-positive participant
Other Names:
  • ART
Procedure: Artificial vaginal insemination
collection of semen from an HIV-negative man, followed by intravaginal insemination

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Uptake of safer conception strategies
Time Frame: 12 months
proportion of couples choosing the strategy
12 months
Acceptability of safer conception strategies
Time Frame: 12 months
proportion of couples remaining on strategy; reports of satisfaction
12 months
Adherence to safer conception strategies
Time Frame: 12 months
proportion of couples with high adherence to strategy
12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effectiveness of safer conception strategies on HIV prevention
Time Frame: 12 months
incidence of HIV
12 months
Effectiveness of safer conception strategies on achieving pregnancy
Time Frame: 12 months
incidence of pregnancy
12 months
costs of providing safer conception services
Time Frame: 12 months
costs
12 months
cost-effectiveness of safer conception strategies
Time Frame: 12 months
model the cost effectiveness of various combinations of safer conception strategies
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of California, San Francisco

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Gilead Sciences
UZ-UCSF Collaborative Research Programme

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Joelle M Brown, PhD, MPH, University of California, San Francisco
  • Principal Investigator: Felix Mhlanga, MBChB, MMed, UZ-UCSF Collaborative Research Programme

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 13, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 3, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 7, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 7, 2017

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 9, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 30, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 27, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • A126763
  • K01MH100994 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data will be made available at the end of the study on an online repository.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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