News | 15 Apr 2024
The Community Voices & Preparedness for New Treatment Innovations project, led by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), is all about creating conversations between HIV treatment experts and the people affected by HIV. This project focuses on a new type of HIV treatment called Long-Acting Injectables (LAIs), which are showing promise in both treating and preventing HIV.
During these discussions, important ideas came up. Community leaders showed that they need more information about HIV and LAIs, so there is a need for better education. People were worried about things like side effects, safety, and how often they’d need injections. They also talked about problems with getting to healthcare facilities and getting the treatment they need. But even with these concerns, they could see that LAIs might help people stick to their treatment better and take some pressure off healthcare providers.
Taking HIV medication regularly helps people with HIV stay healthy but also plays a big part in stopping the virus from spreading. When someone takes their medication as directed, it lowers the amount of HIV in their body, which makes it less likely for them to pass the virus to others, especially during sex. This is why it is important for people to stick to their treatment plan to stay healthy and to help prevent HIV from spreading to others.
A concern highlighted by scientists is about what happens when HIV becomes resistant to drugs. This means that certain changes in the virus can make the medicines used to treat it not work anymore. People with drug-resistant HIV have a higher risk of their treatment not working, getting sicker, and even dying. This resistance can happen when people miss their doses of HIV medicine, giving the virus a chance to grow and change. When they start their treatment again, some of the virus copies might have changed in a way that makes the medicines not work anymore.
This new Long-Acting Injectables are a type of long-acting treatment called Cabotegravir/Rilpivirine (CAB/RPV). People who can use this treatment include teenagers who weigh at least 35kg, adults who have their HIV under control, and people who haven’t had problems with their HIV treatment before. This has the potential to be a ground-breaker in the HIV response by improving adherence, particularly in settings where it is difficult and costly to get to clinics.
We can all work together to combat HIV and keep people healthy by addressing their concerns, making sure that they have access to these treatments, and educating them on how these treatments work.