Social Barriers Less Common Among Patients Taking Long-Acting Injectable Antiretrovirals For HIV Treatment And Prevention, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (4/14, Nye) reports a study found that “public health interventions are needed to help promote equitable access and uptake of long-acting injectable (LAI) antiretrovirals for HIV treatment and prevention.” In contrast to “daily oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), LAI formulations only need to be administered 6 to 12 times per year.” Researchers observed that “in between-group analyses, patients on LAI treatment reported significantly lower rates of food insecurity, financial strain, smoking, and substance use disorder,” plus they were “less likely to be affected by adverse social determinants of health.” According to the researchers, “patients and clinicians should engage in shared decision-making about LAI for either PrEP or ART to help mitigate health disparities.” The study was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.