Longer-Acting HIV Drugs May Revolutionize Prevention, Treatment In Coming Years

The New York Times (4/17, Mandavilli) reports, “A pill taken once a week. A shot administered at home once a month. Even a jab given at a clinic every six months.” Over the course of the next decade, “these options may be available to prevent or treat H.I.V. Instead of drugs that must be taken daily, scientists are closing in on longer-acting alternatives – perhaps even a future in which H.I.V. may require attention just twice a year.” In addition to being easier to adhere to for patients, long-acting “drugs may ease the stigma of the disease, itself an obstacle to treatment.”