Preparing for the second generation of HIV PrEP: exploring the acceptability of long-acting injectable PrEP among Belgian and West-African MSM

Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain to be at highest risk for HIV acquisition in high-income countries such as Belgium, and low-resource settings such as in West-Africa. Oral PrEP is currently being implemented worldwide, but may be insufficient in reducing the number of HIV infections. Injectable PrEP is the first promising form of long-acting PrEP. The objective of this proposal is to explore the acceptability of this novel HIV prevention option among Belgian and West-African MSM, in relation to the already existing options such as oral PrEP.
We will gain insights into the attitudes of Belgian and West-African MSM towards injectable PrEP via ongoing research activities. We will analyse 8 focus group discussions in collaboration with community-based research teams in West-Africa. Additionally, we will triangulate in-depth insights from 25 semi-structured interviews with questionnaire data from +/- 200 Belgian PrEP users.
The results will be important to prepare and submit two complementary research proposals on injectable PrEP use. Demonstrating the acceptability of injectable PrEP among a sub-group of MSM will be crucial to show the potential added value of this novel tool. The results of this PPP will thus generate insights for developing and testing hypotheses about factors that may influence uptake and use in real-life in different groups of at-risk MSM.