Establishing adherence–concentration–efficacy thresholds of TDF–FTC pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in African women: a protocol for the Women TDF–FTC Benchmark Study

Background Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using co-formulated emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is a potent HIV prevention method for men and women, with its efficacy highly dependent on adherence. A pivotal HIV efficacy study combined with a directly observed pharmacological study defined the thresholds for HIV protection in men who have sex with men (MSM), which are the keys to PrEP promotion and development of new PrEP agents. For African women at risk for HIV and belonging to a priority group considered due to disproportionately high incident HIV infections, the variable adherence in PrEP clinical trials and the limited pharmacologic data have resulted in a lack of clarity about the PrEP adherence required for HIV protection. We propose a study to quantify the adherence–concentration–efficacy thresholds of TDF/FTC PrEP among African cisgender women to inform decisions about optimal PrEP dosing and adherence for HIV protection. Methods We randomized 45 low-risk HIV-uninfected African women, aged 18–30 years old, to directly observe the TDF/FTC PrEP of two, four, or seven doses per week for 8 weeks. A complementary age-matched pregnant women cohort at high risk of HIV, who will receive seven doses per week, was recruited ( N = 15) with the primary aim of establishing benchmark concentrations in dried blood spots and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Plasma, whole blood (WB), urine, hair, vaginal fluid, and vaginal tissue (non-pregnant women only) were archived for future testing. Drug concentrations were measured using methods validated for each biological matrix. Pharmacokinetic models were fitted to drug concentrations to quantify concentration–adherence thresholds. To define the drug concentrations associated with HIV protection, we applied the newly defined thresholds from the primary pharmacologic trial to the subset of women randomized to TDF/FTC or TDF in the Partners PrEP Study with the drug concentration assessed in plasma and WB samples. Multiple imputation was used to construct a data set with drug concentrations at each visit when an HIV test was performed for the entire cohort, replicating the work for MSM. Discussion The proposed study generated the first African women-specific TDF–PrEP adherence–concentration–efficacy thresholds essential for guiding the accurate interpretation of TDF/FTC PrEP programs and clinical trials of novel HIV prevention products using TDF/FTC as an active control. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov , identifier (NCT05057858).