HIV Drug Trial in Africa Fails As Participants Do Not Follow Prescriptions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — None of the HIV drugs tested in a large clinical trial in Africa reduced the rates of HIV acquisition, partly due to the failure of the participants to properly follow the prescriptions, results of the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday showed.

The trial entitled VOICE for Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic was carried out by the US National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) from September 2009 to August 2012 in Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Most of the 5,029 female participants were keeping up with the clinic visits schedule and about 90 percent of participants reported that they follow the prescribed regime of taking medications.

However, the blood samples showed the majority of study participants were not taking their assigned medicines. The HIV drugs were found in less than 40 percent of samples, results of the study showed.

The study revealed that participants were skipping drugs mostly because of prejudices resulting from a lack of education.

According to the journal, most women joined the trial because it guaranteed free gynecological exams every month at a professional clinic, as well as a stipend of $10 to $15 per visit.