Making PrEP easier to get at pharmacies for Kenyan adolescent girls and young women
Enhancing PrEP outcomes among Kenyan adolescent girls and young women with a novel pharmacy-based PrEP delivery platform
This project offers HIV prevention pills and a monthly vaginal ring at retail pharmacies with nurse support to help Kenyan adolescent girls and young women stay protected from HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178635 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
At pharmacies in Kisumu, nurse-navigators will offer oral tenofovir-based PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring to adolescent girls and young women who come for contraception. The program adapts an existing family-planning PrEP model and is tested across 20 pharmacies using a cluster randomized design. Researchers will track who starts and continues PrEP, reasons people choose or decline each option, and willingness to pay. The work is done with Kenya Ministry of Health partners to inform larger-scale pharmacy delivery if results are promising.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescent girls and young women in Kisumu, Kenya who are seeking contraception at retail pharmacies and are at risk for HIV are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who do not live in the study area, do not use retail pharmacies for contraception, or who have medical contraindications to oral PrEP or the vaginal ring are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could expand convenient PrEP access and help prevent new HIV infections among young women who visit pharmacies for contraception.
How similar studies have performed: Clinic-based integrated PrEP programs and small pharmacy pilots have shown promising uptake and willingness to continue PrEP, but large randomized tests of pharmacy-based delivery are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pintye, Jillian — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Pintye, Jillian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.