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Review
. 2023 Jan 31:10:20499361221149773.
doi: 10.1177/20499361221149773. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy: will it change the future of HIV treatment?

Marisa Brizzi  1 , Sarah E Pérez  2 , Sarah M Michienzi  3 , Melissa E Badowski  4
Affiliations
Review

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy: will it change the future of HIV treatment?

Marisa Brizzi et al. Ther Adv Infect Dis. .

Abstract

The treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has greatly advanced over the past few decades from complex regimens, with high toxicities, multiple daily dosing, and incomplete viral suppression to more simplified, highly effective, daily oral regimens. Although these advancements greatly improved access and tolerability, the need for daily antiretroviral (ARV) administration remained until recently. With long-acting (LA) injectable ARV options emerging, patients may choose how they want to receive treatment. By eliminating the barrier of daily medication adherence, LA injectable ARV formulations have the potential to not only improve health outcomes for the individual, but also the community by reducing HIV transmission. At the time of this writing cabotegravir/rilpivirine (LA-CAB/RPV) is the only LA injectable ARV regimen approved as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV in adults and adolescents (⩾35 kg and ⩾12 years of age) who are virologically suppressed. However, additional studies of LA-CAB/RPV in expanded populations, and of other LA ARVs, are underway. The goal of this article was to summarize clinical data and review pertinent clinical considerations for the use of LA-CAB/RPV in the management of HIV.

Keywords: HIV; antiretroviral therapy; cabotegravir; injections; intramuscular; rilpivirine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Recommended dosing schedule of cabotegravir/rilpivirine: (a) monthly dosing and (b) every 2-month dosing. *For gluteal intramuscular injection only.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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