A long-acting antiretroviral treatment (LA-ART) given every four to eight weeks, and delivered with comprehensive support services, suppressed HIV in people who were previously not virologically suppressed. This is according to an ongoing demonstration study of 133 people with HIV in San Francisco, funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The study focused on reaching people who have historically had decreased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), including people experiencing housing insecurity, mental illnesses, and substance use disorders. The study findings indicate that long-acting injectable ART can benefit people who face many treatment barriers and are historically underserved.
Between June 2021 and November 2022, 133 study participants with HIV started on LA-ART, including 57 people (43%) with untreated or unsuppressed HIV and 76 people (57%) who were virologically suppressed on oral ART. The researchers performed biweekly review of each participant’s health status, and pharmacy staff conducted regular outreach to remind patients of their injection appointments.
Among participants who began the study with virologic suppression, all (100%) remained suppressed over the period of follow-up. Among participants who did not begin the study with virologic suppression, at a median of 33 days, 55 out of 57 (96.5%) had achieved virologic suppression. Only two of the 133 study participants did not achieve or maintain viral suppression, a rate of 1.5%, in line with findings from previous clinical trials that studied LA-ART in people with HIV who had achieved viral suppression on daily oral ART.
Participants had a median age of 45, and 88% identified as cisgender men, 68% identified as non-white, 58% reported having unstable housing, 8% reported experiencing homelessness, 38% reported having a mental illness, and 33% reported substance use.
