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. 2025 Apr;29(4):1235-1246.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-024-04598-3. Epub 2025 Jan 9.

Long-Acting Injectable Prep for People Who Inject Drugs at a Syringe Services Program: A Qualitative Acceptability and Feasibility Study

Edward Suarez Jr  1 , Hansel E Tookes  2 , Marissa Coppola  3 , Marina Plesons  3 , David Serota  2 , Sara M St George  3 , Tyler S Bartholomew  4
Affiliations

Long-Acting Injectable Prep for People Who Inject Drugs at a Syringe Services Program: A Qualitative Acceptability and Feasibility Study

Edward Suarez Jr et al. AIDS Behav. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Although people who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of acquiring HIV, knowledge and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among this population remain low due to numerous psychosocial and structural barriers. Multiple implementation strategies have been proposed to address this gap, notably providing long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations of PrEP and offering PrEP at syringe services programs (SSPs). This qualitative study explores the acceptability and feasibility of offering LAI-PrEP for PWID at risk for HIV at Florida's first legal SSP. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with PWID (n = 25) and healthcare providers (n = 5), and transcripts were analyzed using iterative thematic analysis. The provision of LAI-PrEP at the SSP was overwhelmingly acceptable to both PWID and providers, and specific advantages and disadvantages of LAI-PrEP compared to oral PrEP among this population were elucidated. Likewise, PWID and providers identified facilitators and barriers to offering LAI-PrEP at the SSP and proposed recommendations for implementation. Overall, this study adds to the growing evidence that provision of LAI-PrEP at SSPs is acceptable and feasible and holds promise in expanding access to and uptake of HIV prevention services among PWID.

Keywords: HIV; People who Inject Drugs; PrEP; Syringe Services Programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: The study was approved by the University of Miami Institutional Review Board in March of 2022 (IRB# 20220127). Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in this study. Consent for Publication: Not applicable. Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: TSB and HET receive research funding from Gilead Sciences.

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