St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is turning Memphis into a front line in the fight against HIV, recruiting local volunteers for a Phase 3 clinical trial of a once-monthly oral prevention pill. Researchers say swapping a daily tablet for a monthly option could help more people stay consistently protected, which they hope will slow new infections in the Mid-South and beyond.
What The EXPrESSIVE-11 Study Is Looking At
The EXPrESSIVE-11 trial is a randomized, active-controlled, double-blind Phase 3 study pitting an investigational once-monthly pill, known as MK-8527, against the standard daily PrEP medication emtricitabine/tenofovir. According to St. Jude, the Memphis site is enrolling sexually active people ages 16 and up. The trial also appears on ClinicalTrials.gov as MK-8527-011 (NCT07044297).
Why Memphis Is In The Spotlight
Memphis and Shelby County remain among the country’s trouble spots for new HIV diagnoses, and local health officials say the steepest rise is among residents ages 15 to 24. As reported by Action News 5, more than 13 percent of people living with HIV in Shelby County are unaware they have it. Academic and public-health studies similarly rank Memphis near the top of U.S. metro areas for HIV incidence, which is a big reason prevention research is being pushed so hard here.
MK-8527 And The Global EXPrESSIVE Program
MK-8527 is an investigational oral compound designed to be taken once a month for HIV prevention and is being evaluated in Merck’s EXPrESSIVE Phase 3 program after mid-stage results found it was generally well tolerated. The NIH’s HIVinfo patient drug record describes MK-8527’s development specifically for once-monthly PrEP use, and industry coverage has characterized EXPrESSIVE as a large, multi-country Phase 3 effort that compares monthly dosing with existing daily pills. If the drug proves safe and effective, a monthly oral option could become an additional prevention tool for people who struggle to remember or maintain a daily regimen.
How Memphis Residents Can Enroll
St. Jude’s Linkage PrEP Research team is currently screening potential participants. If you are 16 or older and sexually active, you can ask about joining the study by calling or texting (901) 216-1166. Local resource EndHIV901 lists the EXPrESSIVE-11 trial and directs interested people in the Memphis area back to St. Jude for more information on taking part, while Action News 5 provides a local rundown of the study and its eligibility criteria.
Local advocates argue that giving people more prevention choices is especially important for young folks in the 901. St. Jude notes that a monthly pill "may make it easier for individuals to stay protected," according to St. Jude, and researchers say the EXPrESSIVE-11 trial could expand the HIV prevention options available in the community if MK-8527 ultimately clears the safety and effectiveness bar.
