Preventing Prevention Trial Failures: A case study and lessons for future trials from the 2004 Tenofovir trial in Cambodia

This document is published by the Global Campaign for Microbicides and is based on interviews conducted in Cambodia and by telephone from mid-2006 through 2008 with key players in the events surrounding the 2004 trial to determine whether tenofovir disoproxil fumarate was safe and effective for use as a pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission. Before the trial formally began, preparations for it were halted by the Cambodian government following protests led by the Women’s Network for Unity (WNU), the union of Cambodian sex workers. This report reviews the events leading up to the cancellation of the trial in order to identify lessons that can be learnt from the process and consider how these problems can be avoided in future trials.