Follow Up Study to Evaluate a Non-Surgical Device for Adult Male Circumcision for Screen Failure Subjects

Overview

It is well known from a range of observational and epidemiological studies that the lifetime risk of acquiring HIV among males can be significantly reduced via circumcision by 53%-60% and by up to 73% in post-trial observation. Numerous papers on the topic have been published over the past two decades to elevate HIV prevention awareness, especially in sub-Saharan countries. Results from the Decision Makers' Program Planning Tool (DMPPT) models, performed in 2011, suggest that scaling up adult voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) to reach 80% coverage in the 13 countries by 2015 would entail performing 20.34 million circumcisions between 2011 and 2015 and additional 8.42 million between 2016 and 2025. Such a scale-up would result in averting 3.36 million new HIV infections through 2025. In addition, while the model shows that this scale-up would cost a total of US$2 billion between 2011 and 2025, it would result in net savings (due to averted treatment and care costs) amounting to US$16.51 billion. To date, there are over 38 million adolescent and adult males in Africa that could benefit from male circumcision (MC) for HIV prevention. The challenge Africa faces is how to safely scale up a surgical procedure in resource limited settings.

Rwanda has a national plan to offer a Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) program to 2 million adult men in 2 years as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. The PrePex device was granted with pre-qualification approval on May 2013 by the World Health Organization (WHO), for scaling up VMMC in Africa. The device works by stopping the flow of blood to the distal foreskin, leading to necrosis of the tissue, which is removed with the device after 7 days. The PrePex device was developed to facilitate rapid scale up of non-surgical adult male circumcision in resource limited settings, and it is the first MC device which was granted with a WHO recommendation in addition to CE and FDA approvals. Prior studies showed that between 8%-12% of men are contraindicated for the standard PrePex technique due to very narrow foreskin from border cases to severe Phimosis, preventing insertion of the Inner Ring of the PrePex device. The main objective of the study was to test the safety of a new male circumcision technique, using the same PrePex device (PrePex with incision). The new technique entails the use of local anesthesia and thereafter an incision in the foreskin. PrePex with incision technique was planned to allow PrePex non-surgical contraindicated patients to undergo VMMC with the device, thus avoiding conventional surgery and suturing. The study also included analysis of potential benefits the PrePex with incision technique has over conventional surgical circumcision. The study has 3 phases, the current results represent Phase I - testing the feasibility and safety of the PrePex with incision procedure, intended to screen failure subjects of the standard PrePex procedure. Phase I includes performing feasibility testing on 6 subjects using 2 different techniques and once feasibility is demonstrated to include an additional Analysis phase of data collection from additional 30 subjects to reinforce the safety of the one chosen technique. Phase II will includes a special non-surgical PrePex procedure for patients with narrow foreskin that will entail the usage of Lidocaine anesthetic cream 30 minutes pre procedure and additional force in inserting of the Inner Ring (hereto: Special PrePex procedure). Phase III will includes performing additional PrePex with incision procedures with local anesthesia and special PrePex procedure incision to achieve a statistical significant sample size and determine the recommended guideline and procedure for performing PrePex on men with narrow foreskin and phimosis.