Safety, Tolerability and Acceptability of Long-Acting Cabotegravir (CAB LA) for the Prevention of HIV Among Adolescent Females

Inclusion Criteria

• Assigned female at birth
• At enrollment, below 18 years of age
• At enrollment, body weight ≥ 35 kg (77 lbs.)
• Willing and able to provide informed assent/consent for the study and/or able to obtain written parental/guardian informed consent
• Self-reported sexual activity with a male (oral, anal or vaginal) in the past 12 months
• Willing and able to undergo all study procedures
• In general, good health, as evidenced by the following laboratory values:
• Non-reactive / negative HIV test results**,
• Absolute neutrophil count > 799 cells/mm3,
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3,
• Hemoglobin ≥ 11g/dL,
• Calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/minute using the modified Schwartz equation,
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 2.0 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) (≤ grade 1) and total bilirubin (Tbili) ≤ 2.5 x ULN,
• Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) negative) and accepts vaccination,
• Hepatitis C virus (HCV) Antibody negative
• Must have a negative beta human chorionic gonadotropin (βHCG) pregnancy test (sensitivity of ≤ 25 mIU/mL) performed (and results known) on the same day as Enrollment and before initiating study product
• Must agree to use a reliable form of long acting contraception, during the trial and for 48 weeks after stopping the long acting injectable, or 30 days after stopping oral study product, from the list below:
• Intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS) that meets <1% failure rate as stated in the product label
• Hormone-based contraceptive that meets <1% failure rate when used consistently and correctly as stated in the product label (implants or injectables only; this excludes combined oral contraception)
• If currently on PrEP from a non-study source, willing to stop said PrEP prior to enrollment and agree to switch to oral CAB for the lead-in period and CAB LA injections.
• HIV-uninfected, based on HIV test results obtained at Screening and at the Enrollment visit. All HIV test results from the Screening visit must be obtained and must all be negative/non-reactive. This includes testing for acute HIV infection, which must be performed within 14 days of Enrollment. Individuals who have one or more reactive or positive HIV test result(s) will not be enrolled, even if subsequent confirmatory testing indicates that they are not HIV-infected (see SSP Manual).

Exclusion Criteria

• Co-enrollment in any other HIV interventional research study or other concurrent studies which may interfere with this study (as provided by self-report or other available documentation)
• Past or current participation in HIV vaccine trial with exception for participants who can provide documentation of receipt of placebo
• Exclusively had sex with biological females in lifetime
• In the last 6 months (at the time of screening):
• active or planned use of any substance use which would, in the opinion of the site investigator, interfere with study participation (including herbal remedies), as described in the Investigator's Brochure (IB) or listed in the Study Specific Procedures (SSP), and/ or Protocol Section 4.4,
• Known history of clinically significant cardiovascular disease, as defined by history/evidence of symptomatic arrhythmia, angina/ischemia, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or any clinically significant cardiac disease
• Inflammatory skin conditions that compromise the safety of intramuscular (IM) injections
• Tattoo or other dermatological condition overlying the buttock region that may interfere with interpretation of injection site reactions
• Current or chronic history of liver disease (e.g., non-alcoholic or alcoholic steatohepatitis) or known hepatic or biliary abnormalities (with the exception of Gilbert's syndrome, asymptomatic gallstones, or cholecystectomy)
• Known history of clinically significant bleeding
• A history of seizure disorder, per self-report
• Medical, social or other con