Incremental value of non-pharmacokinetic adherence measures for dapivirine vaginal ring use in resource limited setting

Description

Andrew Max Abaasa and Sylvia Kusemererwa examine a 2026 question from HIV prevention: can cheap checks stand in for lab tests when tracking use of a drug-releasing vaginal ring? Their data come from a trial in southwestern Uganda where 197 women used dapivirine or dummy rings, checked monthly for two years. Lab measures read drug left in returned rings and drug in blood, while cheap checks relied on self-report and ring colour change.

Agreement between measure types ran moderate in women under twenty-five and strong in older women. Cheap checks predicted true ring use well in the older group yet poorly in the younger one. Two thirds of the women were twenty-five or older, and most finished the two years. In cash-strapped programs, combining cheap checks may serve for older users, the authors conclude, while young women still need lab confirmation.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13483488