Young men who have sex with men (MSM) who are at risk for HIV and received a text-messaging pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) intervention had higher study retention and PrEP adherence as measured by blood drug levels. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of the interactive text-messaging PrEP support intervention (PrEPmate) on study retention and PrEP adherence. Young individuals at risk for HIV acquisition initiating PrEP within Chicago’s safety-net hospital system were randomized 2:1 to receive PrEPmate or standard of care (SoC) for 36 weeks. They found:

• Across all visits, participants who received PrEPmate were more likely to attend study visits and have tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) levels consistent with ≥4 doses/week.
• Overall, 88% of participants reported PrEPmate to be very/somewhat helpful, and 92% would recommend it to others.
• PrEPmate efficacy did not differ significantly by age, race/ethnicity, education, or insurance.