Interest in Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transfeminine Persons in HPTN 075, a Multi-center HIV Prevention Study in Sub-Saharan Africa (2015-2017)

Use of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (O-PrEP) for HIV prevention has not been fully utilized in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among key populations with high HIV incidence and prevalence, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). We examined correlates of interest in O-PrEP among participants in the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) Study 075, a prospective cohort study, conducted between 2015 and 2017, across 4 sites in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa. The study included persons assigned male sex at birth, between 18 and 44 years of age, who reported anal intercourse with a man in the past 3 months. Interest in O-PrEP and potential correlates were assessed among 297 participants who were HIV negative. 52% of the participants reported being aware of PrEP and 73% indicated interest in PrEP once informed about it. PrEP interest was not significantly associated with any of the surveyed demographic or psychosocial variables except study site. Our findings suggest a broad and general interest in O-PrEP among MSM and TGW in sub-Saharan Africa, despite relatively low awareness. While the situation around PrEP will have changed in the included countries, major questions about successful implementation still need to be addressed. El uso de la profilaxis oral previa a la exposici & oacute;n (O-PrEP) para la prevenci & oacute;n del VIH no se ha utilizado plenamente en el & Aacute;frica subsahariana, especialmente entre poblaciones clave como los hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH) y las mujeres transg & eacute;nero (TGW), que demuestran alta Incidencia y prevalencia del VIH. Examinamos los correlatos de inter & eacute;s en O-PrEP entre los participantes en el Estudio 075 de la Red de Ensayos de Prevenci & oacute;n del VIH (HPTN), un estudio de cohorte prospectivo, realizado entre 2015 y 2017, en 4 localidades en Kenia, Malawi y Sud & aacute;frica. El estudio involucr & oacute; a personas asignadas al sexo masculino al nacer que ten & iacute;an entre 18 y 44 a & ntilde;os de edad y que manifestaron haber tenido relaciones anales con un hombre en los & uacute;ltimos 3 meses. Se evalu & oacute; el inter & eacute;s en la O-PrEP y sus posibles correlatos entre 297 participantes que eran VIH negativos. El cincuenta y dos por ciento de los participantes reportaron tener conciencia de la existencia de PrEP y el 73% indic & oacute; inter & eacute;s en utilizar PrEP una vez informados sobre su existencia. El inter & eacute;s por la PrEP no se asoci & oacute; significativamente con ninguna de las variables demogr & aacute;ficas o psicosociales encuestadas, excepto el lugar del estudio. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren un inter & eacute;s amplio y general en la O-PrEP entre HSH y TGW en el & Aacute;frica subsahariana, a pesar de un conocimiento relativamente bajo. Si bien la situaci & oacute;n en torno a la PrEP habr & aacute; cambiado en los pa & iacute;ses incluidos, a & uacute;n quedan importantes cuestiones por abordar sobre su implementaci & oacute;n exitosa.