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

March 29, 2024 updated by: Hektoen Institute for Medical Research

Transgender Youth and PrEP: PK, Safety, Uptake & Adherence

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

51

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

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

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

Ages Eligible for Study

15 years to 24 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

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:

  • 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

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

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Recipients
PrEP Demonstration Project intervention will be given
Behavioral: PrEP 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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
PrEP Acceptability Questionnaire
Time Frame: 48 weeks
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.
48 weeks
Tenofovir diphosphate levels
Time Frame: 48 weeks
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.
48 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Hektoen Institute for Medical Research

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sybil Hosek, PhD, Cook County Health

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)

March 14, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 25, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

September 4, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 2, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 29, 2024

Last Verified

March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01MH114753-3
  • R01MH114753 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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