The future of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence: reducing barriers and increasing opportunities

Abstract

The effectiveness of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) hinges on adherence, which has been restricted by multifaceted barriers. Uptake of PrEP has been impeded by poor access resulting from high costs, provider uncertainty, discrimination, stigma, and poor understanding within the health-care community and the public of who can benefit from PrEP. Other important barriers to adherence and persistence over time relate to individuals (eg, depression) and their community, partners, and family (eg, poor support), and their effects vary substantially with each person, population, and setting. Despite these challenges, key opportunities for improving PrEP adherence exist, including novel delivery systems, tailored individual interventions, mobile health and digital health interventions, and long-acting formulations. Objective monitoring strategies will help to improve adherence interventions and alignment of PrEP use with the need for HIV prevention (ie, prevention-effective adherence). The future of PrEP adherence lies in person-centred approaches to service delivery that meet the needs of individuals while creating supportive environments and facilitating health-care access and delivery.