Fast-dissolving insert found safe, shows promise as method for preventing HIV through anal sex

A fast-dissolving insert being developed as an “on-demand” HIV prevention method was found to be safe and well-tolerated in the first study of its use rectally. The results, which were presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2023) in Seattle, also found the insert delivered high levels of the anti-retroviral drugs tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and elvitegravir (EVG) to rectal tissue and fluid, with very little drug circulating elsewhere in the body, and results of laboratory tests suggesting the insert could potentially provide protection for up to three days after use.