Partial post-exposure protection by topical inserts containing tenofovir alafenamide fumarate/elvitegravir in a macaque model of rectal SHIV infection

On-demand topical inserts for HIV prevention may be a good option for people who have a low frequency of sexual activity. We recently demonstrated in a preclinical macaque model that rectal application of inserts containing tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) and elvitegravir (EVG) conferred protection against SHIV infection (93% efficacy) when applied as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) 4 hours before SHIV exposure. Here, we show that the same inserts provide significant post-exposure protection (82.9% efficacy) when applied four hours after SHIV exposure. Our findings further support the ongoing clinical development of TAF/EVG inserts for on-demand HIV prevention.