Title of Collaborative Activity: |
Interagency Agreement with CDC for HPTN 052: A Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Antiretroviral Therapy plus HIV Primary Care versus HIV Primary Care Alone to Prevent the Sexual Transmission of HIV-1 in Serodiscordant Couples |
Description of Collaborative Activity: |
These clinical studies are based on data collected in Africa and Thailand. There is a correlation between HIV viral load (blood levels) and HIV transmission. Specifically, the higher the viral load in the blood, the more likely the chance for transmission. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the viral load in the blood, as well as in genital secretions (for both men and women), and the drugs can be detected in semen and vaginal and cervical secretions. All of this information strongly suggests that ART may make HIV-infected people less contagious. HPTN 052 compares the HIV-infection rates of two groups of HIV-serodiscordant couples. |
