When PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) became available in 2012, it was a game changer. By taking a once-daily pill, people could be 99% protected against HIV infection. Today, people can choose between daily pills or injections for PrEP, and even more options are on the horizon.
Dr. Ken Ho is a renowned infectious disease expert and former Allies for Health + Wellbeing board member and vice president. He currently serves as medical director of the Pitt Men’s Study. He says that having multiple options for PrEP allows people to choose what works best for them.
“Everybody has a different life, they have different partnerships with people,” he said. “We also acknowledge that our patients lives are complicated and having more options can help them protect themselves better.”
As part of his work at the University of Pittsburgh, Ho is part of a team running clinical trials on PrEP in the form of a douche or enema.
“People use enemas and douches for hygiene and preparation for sex,” Ho said. “Wouldn’t it be great to combine something protective with something that’s preparation for sex?
“The REV UP study – HPTN106 – looking to enroll people around the country to try out this douche for a couple months and then try out on-demand oral PrEP with Truvada for a couple months and basically compare the two,” Ho said.
Ho said that using a douche for PrEP gives people an option that’s “event-driven.” Rather than a regular pill or injection, which offers ongoing protection, a douche can be used whenever a person plans to have sex.
Ho added that a PrEP douche concentrates the medication in the rectal canal, where an HIV exposure would take place.
“You get lots of PrEP where you need it, but you don’t get it anywhere else in the body,” Ho said, noting that this can be a benefit for people who are worried about medication side effects.
Ho is seeking people to participate in the REV UP study to test the PrEP douche he's developed. If you are interested in taking part, contact Sherry Karas Certo by calling or texting 412-818-4942 or email sjk91@pitt.edu(opens in a new tab).
