New scientific findings to inform HIV prevention efforts were among the key highlights shared at CROI yesterday, according to Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Boston on February 24, we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Dieffenbach to get his take on findings that may be of particular interest to HIV.gov followers.

Dr. Dieffenbach discussed the findings from ASPIRE, a large NIH-funded clinical trial that found that a vaginal ring containing a sustained-release antiretroviral drug conferred partial protection against HIV among women in sub-Saharan Africa. The ring reduced the risk of HIV infection by 27 percent in the study population overall and by 61 percent among women ages 25 years and older. The study results were announced at CROI and simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of MedicineExit Disclaimer . (View the presentationExit Disclaimer by Dr. Jared Baeten. Read the related post)

Tomorrow, Dr. Dieffenbach will return to share brief highlights of the science presented on the conference’s final day.