Harnessing private sector strategies for family planning to deliver the Dual Prevention Pill, the first multipurpose prevention technology with pre-exposure prophylaxis, in an expanding HIV prevention landscape.

Introduction: The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) combines oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral contraception (OC) to prevent HIV and pregnancy. Noting the significant role played by the private sector in delivering family planning (FP) services in countries with high HIV burden, high level of private sector OC uptake, and the recent growth in self-care and technology-based private sector channels, we undertook qualitative research in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe to prioritize private sector service delivery approaches for the introduction of the DPP.

Methods: Between March 2022 and February 2023, we conducted a literature review and key informant interviews with 34 donors and implementing partners, 19 government representatives, 17 private sector organizations, 13 pharmacy and drug shop representatives, and 12 telehealth agencies to assess the feasibility of DPP introduction in private sector channels.

Corrigendum: How might we motivate uptake of the Dual Prevention Pill? Findings from human-centered design research with potential end users, male partners, and healthcare providers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/frph.2023.

How might we motivate uptake of the Dual Prevention Pill? Findings from human-centered design research with potential end users, male partners, and healthcare providers.

Introduction: Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) combining contraception with HIV prevention offer a promising solution to uptake and adherence challenges faced with oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), which combines oral PrEP with an oral contraceptive pill (OCP), could address unmet need for family planning (FP) and HIV prevention. This study aimed to identify barriers and motivators for DPP uptake to inform the development of a DPP demand generation strategy and broader introduction efforts for MPTs.

Equipping providers to offer novel MPTs: Developing counseling messages for the Dual Prevention Pill in clinical studies and beyond.

Introduction: The pipeline for multi-purpose prevention technologies includes products that simultaneously prevent HIV, pregnancy and/or other sexually transmitted infections. Among these, the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) is a daily pill co-formulating oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and combined oral contraception (COC). Clinical cross-over acceptability studies for the DPP require training providers to counsel on a combined product.

Correlations between oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) initiations and policies that enable the use of PrEP to address HIV globally.

Policies facilitating access to HIV prevention services, specifically for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), can foster enabling environments for service uptake. This analysis aims to establish whether policies enabling broad PrEP eligibility, HIV self-testing, and lowered age of consent to HIV testing and treatment services are correlated with PrEP uptake. Ages of consent vary by country, therefore this analysis focused on how age of consent policies, in general, affect adolescent PrEP uptake.

Integration of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health in the era of anti-retroviral-based prevention: findings from assessments in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Though substantial progress has helped curb the HIV epidemic, high rates of new HIV infections persist among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting critical gaps in reaching them with integrated HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The scale-up of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and multiple novel HIV prevention products on the horizon offer countries a unique opportunity to expand innovative approaches to deliver comprehensive, integrated HIV prevention/SRH services. This article comparatively analyzes findings from rapid assessments in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe across key themes to highlight cross-country trends and contextual realities around HIV prevention/SRH integration, with a focus on oral PrEP and contraception.

Catalyzing action on HIV/SRH integration: lessons from Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe to spur investment.

The HIV pandemic has long revealed the inequities and fault lines in societies, one of the most tenacious being the pandemic's disproportionate impact on adolescent girls and young women. In east and southern Africa, renewed global action is needed to invigorate an effective yet undervalued approach to expanding HIV prevention and improving women's health: integration of quality HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The urgency of advancing effective integration of these services has never been clearer or more pressing.

A novel smoking-specific self-control task: An initial study of feasibility, acceptability, and changes in self-control and cigarette smoking behaviors among adults using cigarettes.

Self-control is a key factor in quitting cigarettes and practicing general self-control tasks may strengthen self-control. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a novel smoking-related self-control task. Seventy-five adults with current cigarette smoking ( = 44.

Self-control and smoking in a sample of adults living with HIV/AIDS: A cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking prevalences are very high in persons living with HIV (PLWH). Identifying variables among PLWH that are linked to smoking in community samples (e.g.

Cigarette Smoking Behaviors and Beliefs in Persons Living With Hepatitis C.

Background And Rationale: Tobacco use is common among persons living with hepatitis C (PLHC), yet little is known about their smoking behaviors and beliefs. Modern hepatitis C treatment offers a unique opportunity to intensively engage this population about other health risks, including smoking.

Main Results: Seventy-seven tobacco users (40 hepatitis C virus [HCV] seropositive and 37 HCV seronegative) enrolled in an interview study in a New York City clinic.

Barriers to Telephone Quitline Use Among Methadone-Maintained Smokers.

Introduction: Drug users have high rates of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease. Telephone quitlines promote smoking cessation, but their reach among drug users is unknown. We thus aimed to assess utilization of and barriers to telephone quitlines among methadone-maintained smokers.

Rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial of varenicline directly observed therapy delivered in methadone clinics.

Background: Tobacco cessation medication adherence is one of the few factors shown to improve smoking cessation rates among methadone-maintained smokers, but interventions to improve adherence to smoking cessation medications have not yet been tested among methadone treatment patients. Methadone clinic-based, directly observed therapy (DOT) programs for HIV and tuberculosis improve adherence and clinical outcomes, but have not been evaluated for smoking cessation. We describe a randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether a methadone clinic-based, directly observed varenicline therapy program increases adherence and tobacco abstinence among opioid-dependent drug users receiving methadone treatment.

Varenicline efficacy and safety among methadone maintained smokers: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Aims: To test the efficacy and safety of varenicline as an aid to smoking cessation in methadone-maintained smokers.

Design: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with random assignment to 12 weeks of varenicline 1 mg twice daily (n = 57) or matched placebo (n = 55), with in-person and telephone counseling.

Setting: Urban methadone programs in the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.