Mobile Men examine: injectable PrEP beats capsules for males who journey for work

The first outcomes from the Mobile Men examine, introduced on the twenty sixth International Aids Conference in Brazil in July, present that long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) helped males who journey for work keep on HIV prevention for longer than oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The examine additionally discovered that same-day HIV testing and beginning injectable PrEP was possible. For these taking oral PrEP, the examine discovered that event-based PrEP (alone or mixed with every day) was most popular to daily-only dosing.

The examine, performed in Uganda and South Africa, explored the uptake, persistence (persevering with to obtain therapy on schedule) and preferences for long-acting injectable PrEP in contrast with oral PrEP amongst males whose work requires frequent journey. Researchers enrolled individuals by means of cell clinics at taxi ranks, building websites, and truck stops within the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and thru referrals from fishing communities to a clinic in Masaka, Uganda.

“Men who travel for work have often been overlooked in HIV prevention research, despite facing an increased risk of HIV acquisition, and this study aimed to address that gap,” mentioned Dr Eugene Ruzagira of the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute (MRC/UVRI) and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Uganda Research Unit, who introduced the brand new findings at AIDS 2026 on behalf of the Mobile Men examine group. “As new prevention tools become available, ensuring that services are flexible and responsive to people’s needs will be critical to reducing new HIV infections across sub-Saharan Africa.”

The Mobile Men examine was performed in two levels. First, 400 HIV-negative males had been randomly assigned to obtain both oral PrEP or long-acting injectable PrEP for 9 months. Men taking oral PrEP might select between every day or event-based (2+1+1) dosing. During a second nine-month interval, individuals had been free to decide on which kind of PrEP (oral or long-acting injectable) they most popular. Researchers additionally evaluated cost-effectiveness of the 2 PrEP methods, the feasibility of HIV self-testing, sexually transmitted infections and HIV outcomes – with evaluation of those knowledge nonetheless ongoing.

Overall, persistence on PrEP (i.e., persevering with to take PrEP all through) through the first, randomised stage was 22%. When evaluating the 2 PrEP kind teams, persistence was considerably larger amongst males receiving long-acting injectable PrEP than these taking oral PrEP (28% versus 16%). For these taking oral PrEP, event-based PrEP (alone or mixed with every day) was most popular to daily-only dosing general, although this diversified sharply by web site.

“This study clearly shows that choice matters,” mentioned Dr Nigel Garrett, chief scientific officer on the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, who ran one of many trial websites. “Long-acting injectable PrEP achieved higher persistence than oral PrEP, but we also found that many men continue to prefer oral PrEP, particularly event-driven dosing. These findings reinforce the importance of making a range of HIV prevention options available so that services can better meet the diverse needs of men who travel for work.”

“I am so excited to see some of the results of the Mobile Men study being presented at Aids 2026 ,” mentioned Professor Limakatso Lebina, Director of Science on the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI). “This was one of the most innovative clinical trials we have implemented at AHRI – involving a decentralised clinical trial site using a mobile clinic at a taxi rank. Thank you to all our collaborators, stakeholders, participants and funders on this great partnership.”

A key milestone of the Mobile Men examine was the sharing of outcomes with taking part communities. In line with good participatory observe (GPP) tips, examine findings had been shared with communities at across the similar time as their presentation on the Aids 2026 convention. These classes acknowledged individuals’ contributions, supplied a chance to debate the findings, and strengthened the examine’s dedication to community-centred analysis.

“Returning results to the communities who made this research possible is a fundamental part of good clinical research,” mentioned Professor Julie Fox of King’s College London. “Sharing findings with participants alongside our presentation at Aids 2026 reflects our commitment to community-centred research and ensures that the people who contributed to the study have timely access to its outcomes.”

Top photograph: The AHRI Mobile Men clinic on web site on the Mtubatuba taxi rank in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 

*This venture (Grant Agreement No 101103140) is supported by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking and its members. Funded by the European Union underneath the Global HealthEDCTP3 Joint Undertaking. Views and opinions expressed are nevertheless these of the creator(s) solely and don’t essentially mirror these of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking nor its members. Neither of the aforementioned events might be held chargeable for them.