Long-acting therapies could transform HIV treatment by boosting compliance

One of the most pressing unmet needs in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) market, which is set to reach $22.5 billion by 2025, lies in the current lack of long-acting and safer treatments, a new study states.

According to a report from research and consulting firm GlobalData, adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a significant concern in the treatment of HIV, and current treatment options all require a minimum of once-daily dosing. While long-acting therapies would likely involve clinician-administered injections and would not appeal to all patients, those with adherence challenges or incarcerated patients, for example, might find this kind of antiretroviral regimen desirable.

David Fratoni, a healthcare analyst for GlobalData, explains: “Currently, ART is dependent on combination of several antiretroviral drugs, and this will likely also be the case for long-acting anti-HIV treatments. Therefore, long-acting drugs would ideally be co-formulated as a single, long-acting treatment that could, for example, be administered as an intravenous injection once a month.”