Long-acting HIV Treatments: Study Design, Logistics, and Access

Abstract

Abstract New long-acting HIV treatment products have the potential to change the HIV epidemic in the United States and globally. Phase 3 clinical trials of HIV treatments tend to underrepresent populations bearing a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic—including women, racial minorities, trans and gender-diverse people, older adults, the unhoused, people who inject drugs, those in rural areas, individuals with mental illness, and other marginalized groups. These populations commonly face significant challenges in adhering to daily HIV treatment regimens. Conducting clinical trials of long-acting treatment targeting specific unmet medical needs of these populations can improve understanding of optimal care approaches, broaden the indication for use of long-acting products, and inform treatment guidelines, all of which can influence reimbursement and access policies. Innovative trial designs and programmatic implementation can improve inclusivity for long-acting therapy. This article summarizes discussions of a multistakeholder workshop on study designs for long-acting HIV treatments.