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Population Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy to Reduce HIV Transmission (PopART)

Population Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy to Reduce HIV Transmission (PopART): A Cluster-randomized Trial of the Impact of a Combination Prevention Package on Population-level HIV Incidence in Zambia and South Africa

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01900977
Acronym
PopART
Enrollment
48540
Registered
2013-07-17
Start date
2014-01-31
Completion date
2018-07-07
Last updated
2022-08-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

HIV

Keywords

Universal Test and Treat (UTT), Combination Prevention

Brief summary

PopART is a community randomized trial that is investigating whether a community-wide combination HIV prevention package including annual home-based HIV testing, active referral and the offer of immediate ART for those testing HIV-positive, along with the promotion of proven HIV prevention methods (such as voluntary medical male circumcision, prevention of mother to child transmission and condom use), will help to prevent transmission and substantially reduce new HIV infections. The study is being conducted in 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa (randomized into 3 arms, each with 7 communities) with a total population of approximately 1.2 million individuals.

Detailed description

HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 071 (PopART) will investigate the impact on HIV incidence of universal voluntary HIV counseling and testing (with referral to care) provided to a community through a house-to-house campaign, in combination with early ART for individuals who are HIV-positive, and other proven preventive interventions. The design of HPTN 071 (PopART) will allow the study team to distinguish between the impact of universal testing with referral for HIV care in accordance with national guidelines, and the impact of universal testing with referral for early ART initiation for those with HIV infection. In addition, HPTN 071 (PopART) will determine if a program of universal voluntary testing, including early ART initiation, is feasible and acceptable when delivered on a large scale to entire communities. Evaluating the effectiveness of universal voluntary HIV counseling and testing with the offer of early ART is a key global health priority.

Interventions

OTHERUniversal Testing with immediate ART

• Combination prevention package including: o House-to-house deployment of: Universal HIV counseling and testing; Active linkage to care for individuals diagnosed as HIV-infected, with immediate eligibility for ART; Promotion of male circumcision and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services; Provision of condoms; Strengthening of HIV testing and services at health facilities and other venues; Strengthening of male circumcision and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services available in the community; and Treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and provision of condoms at health units

OTHERUniversal Testing with ART eligibility according to National Guidelines

Combination prevention package including: House-to-house deployment of: Universal HIV counseling and testing; Active linkage to care for individuals diagnosed as HIV-infected, with ART eligibility according to national guidelines; Promotion of male circumcision and PMTCT services; Provision of condoms; Strengthening of HIV testing and services at health facilities and other venues; Strengthening of male circumcision and PMTCT services available in the community; and Treatment of STIs and provision of condoms at health units.

OTHERStandard of Care

Sponsors

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
CollaboratorNIH
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
CollaboratorNIH
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
CollaboratorOTHER
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
CollaboratorOTHER
Imperial College London
CollaboratorOTHER
Zambart
CollaboratorOTHER
Desmond Tutu TB Centre
CollaboratorOTHER
HIV Prevention Trials Network
Lead SponsorNETWORK

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 44 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Population Cohort 1. 18 - 44 years of age 2. Able and willing to provide informed consent 3. Residing within catchment area of a designated local health unit and intending to remain so for the next three years 4. Residing in a randomly selected household 2. Case-Control Study 1 Inclusion Criteria: 1. At least 18 years of age 2. Able and willing to provide informed consent 3. Resident in the cluster during the first round of testing 4. Visited by a CHiP team and offered testing during the first round of home-based testing 3. Case-Control Study 2 Inclusion Criteria: 1. At least 18 years of age 2. Able and willing to provide informed consent 3. Resident in the cluster during the first round of testing 4. Tested HIV-infected in CHiP home-based testing, or HIV-infected and disclosed that they were previously diagnosed as HIV-infected to CHiP team 4. Case-Control Study 3 Inclusion Criteria: 1. At least 18 years of age 2. Able and willing to provide informed consent 3. Resident in the cluster during the second round of testing 4. Visited by a CHiP team and offered testing during the second round of home-based testing

Exclusion criteria

1. Population Cohort

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
HIV incidence measured over 3 years in the Population Cohort, with the primary analysis including HIV incidence measured between Months 12 and 36 of the study.3 years

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
ART adherence and viral suppression24 monthsHIV viral load at 24 months in HIV-infected members of the Population Cohort who initiated HIV care and ART after commencement of the PopART intervention in the community (if funding available)
Herpes Simplex Virus -2 (HSV-2) incidence12 months, 24 months, and 36 monthsIncident HSV-2 infections at 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months for all individuals in the Population Cohort who were HSV-2-uninfected at enrollment
HIV disease progression, retention in care, and death3 years
ART toxicity3 yearsART safety and clinical events among Population Cohort participants initiating ART after commencement of the PopART intervention in the community, measured using routine health center data, and ART safety and clinical events among health center attendees who initiated ART after commencement of the PopART intervention in the community, measured using routine health center data
Sexual risk behavior3 yearso Self-reported sexual risk behavior at Enrollment, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months in the Population Cohort
Case notification rate of tuberculosis (TB)3 years* Case notification rates of bacteriologically-confirmed TB diagnosed among the general population of patients seeking care at health centers as recorded by health centers * TB mortality among TB cases in the community as recorded by health centers
HIV incidence over the first, second, and third years of follow-up3 years
Uptake of PMTCT3 years* Self-reported use of services for PMTCT at Enrollment, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months among HIV-infected women in the Population Cohort who had been pregnant in the prior 12 months * Uptake of PMTCT services at health centers * Uptake of PMTCT as indicated in data collected in households by CHiPs
Uptake of male circumcision3 years* Self-reported circumcision status/uptake at Enrollment, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months of men in the Population Cohort * Uptake of circumcision in the community as indicated in health center data * Uptake of circumcision as indicated in data collected in households by CHiPs
ART screening and uptake3 years* The proportion of Population Cohort members, identified as HIV-infected who screen for ART eligibility, and who subsequently initiate ART * Proportion of community members, identified as HIV-infected in data from CHiP teams, who screen for ART eligibility, and who subsequently initiate ART, as indicated in health center data
HIV testing and retesting3 years* Self-reported recent HIV testing at Enrollment, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months in the Population Cohort * The number of adults (16 years and older) in the household and the number of HIV tests performed as indicated in data from CHiP teams and health centers
Time between HIV diagnosis and initiation of care3 years* The proportion of Population Cohort members initiating HIV care within 3 months of a positive HIV diagnosis * The proportion of community members initiating HIV care within 3 months of HIV diagnosis as indicated in data from CHiP teams (provision of HIV positive result) and health center data (date of care initiation)
HIV-related stigma3 years* Self-reported data on stigma indicators at enrollment, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months in the Population Cohort * Qualitative interviews in selected members of the general population in Arms A, B, and

Countries

South Africa, Zambia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 3, 2026