HIV injections every eight weeks more effective than daily pills for adolescents – study

YOUNG people living with HIV manage the virus better when they receive antiretroviral therapy through injections every eight weeks rather than taking daily tablets, a UCL-led study has found.

Published in The Lancet, the study found that the long-acting injections were more effective at maintaining viral suppression than daily tablets, with researchers calling for the treatment to be made more widely available globally.

Sarah Pett of the UCL Innovative Clinical Trials Unit and chief investigator of the LATA trial said adolescents living with HIV have historically experienced poorer outcomes on antiretroviral treatment compared to adults.

“HIV-positive adolescents as a group have historically done worse on antiretrovirals compared to adults. There is bullying and stigma associated with taking pills every day. Long-acting injectables taken every two months can help young people to lead a more normal life.

“The benefits of this form of treatment for adolescents is stronger than we have seen for adults. Previous trials in adults have shown only that injectables are no less effective than tablets.

“Our results support making injectables more widely available to groups such as adolescents who may not do so well on daily tablets. Nine out of 10 adolescents with HIV live in Africa yet currently this treatment is not accessible to them.”

The LATA (Long-Acting Treatment in Adolescents) trial was conducted at five clinics across Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe and involved 476 adolescents aged between 12 and 19.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either standard daily tablets or the long-acting injectable combination of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, a relatively new HIV treatment.

The study found that 94% of adolescents in the injectable group said receiving treatment every eight weeks was much easier than taking medication every day. Researchers said the findings provide evidence supporting greater access to long-acting injectable HIV treatment, particularly among adolescents who may face challenges with daily medication.