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We evaluated COVID-19's impact on HIV care indicators among INI/FIOCRUZ's HIV Clinical Cohort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: (1) Adequate care visits: two visits ≥ 90 days apart; (2) Adequate viral load monitoring: ≥ 2 viral load results ≥ 90 days apart; (3) Consistent viral suppression: all viral loads

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake, retention, and adherence and predictors of study non-attendance and low PrEP adherence in a Brazilian trans-specific 48-week study (PrEParadas). Methods: We enrolled transgender women (TGW) engaging in high-risk sexual behaviours between August 2017 and December 2018. PrEP adherence was based on tenofovir diphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots (DBS). We used random effects logistic regression models and ordinal models to estimate the odds of having a missed visit and of low PrEP adherence, respectively. Multivariable models were adjusted for variables with p-value Results: From the 271 eligible, 130 participants were enrolled in the study (PrEP uptake: 48%), out of which 111 (85.4%) were retained at 48 weeks. Multivariable model for study non-attendance included study visit, age, main sexual partner and stimulant use. The odds of missing a visit increased after the week 24. Participants aged 18-24 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 8.76, 95% CI: 2.09-36.7) and 25-34 years (aOR = 6.79, 95% CI: 1.72-26.8) compared to TGW aged 35+ years had significantly higher odds of having a missed visit. The odds of a missed visit were higher among participants reporting stimulant use (aOR = 4.99, 95% CI: 1.37-18.1) compared to no stimulant use. DBS levels at week 48 showed that 42 (38.5%), 14 (12.8%) and 53 (48.6%) of 109 participants had low, moderate and high PrEP adherence. Multivariable model for low PrEP adherence included study visit, age, schooling, race/colour, housing, binge drinking, stimulant use, feminizing hormone therapy (FHT) use and received text message. Low PrEP adherence was significantly higher among participants with less years of schooling (aOR = 6.71, 95% CI: 1.30-34.5) and had a borderline association with Black colour/race (aOR = 6.72, 95% CI: 0.94-47.8). Participants using the FHT available at the site had decreased odds of low PrEP adherence (aOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16-0.88). No participant seroconverted over the course of the study. Conclusions: Although high PrEP retention can be achieved in a gender-affirming setting, PrEP adherence may be an important challenge faced among TGW due to social disparities. The scale-up of prevention tools like PrEP will have to address systemic social determinants as these stand as important barriers for TGW's access to health services. Keywords: adherence; HIV; hormones; PrEP; prevention; transgender women, 1 | INTRODUCTION In countries with concentrated epidemics, transgender women (TGW) bear one of the highest burdens of HIV among all population groups. HIV prevalence among TGW in low- and [...]

IntroductionPharmacy adherence measures such as pharmacy dispensing ratios (PDRs) have previously been shown to be predictive of virologic outcomes. We aimed to determine the optimal interval of PDR assessment for predicting virologic failure for HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART).MethodsUsing national Brazilian ART pharmacy refill data, we examined PDRs for patients ≥18 years of age with at least one HIV RNA level ≥180 days after ART initiation on or after 1 January 2011. Patients with a documented ART change ≤270 days prior to viral load test date were excluded. Logistic regression models were used to describe associations between virologic failure, defined as an HIV RNA level ≥400 copies/mL and PDRs, defined as the number of days index drug dispensed (non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor or protease inhibitor) per 180- and 90-day, interval preceding viral load testing, adjusting for sex, age, race, time since ART initiation and index drug. Backward elimination of insignificant variables was performed after adjusting for PDR. A predictive probability of virologic failure was calculated using the corresponding odds ratios for the PDR and any other significant variables. The diagnostic performance of the PDR interval was assessed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the predictive probability with respect to virologic failure. Results and Discussion A total of 1,025 patients were included (68% were male, median age 40 years, median time on ART 3.4 years). The PDR was found to be significantly associated with virologic failure for all of the PDR intervals (p

Retention in early HIV care has been associated with decreased mortality and improved viral suppression, however the consequences of poor retention in early care in Brazil remain unknown. We assessed the effect of poor retention on mortality in a Brazilian HIV-infected clinical cohort. The analysis included ART-naïve, HIV-infected adults linked to care at the Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz between 2000 and 2010, who did not become pregnant nor participate in a clinical trial during the first two years in care (early care). Poor retention in early care was defined as less than 3 out of 4 six-month intervals with a CD4 or HIV-1 RNA laboratory result during early care. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify factors associated with mortality, and Kaplan-Meier plots were used to describe the survival probability for participants with poor retention versus good retention. Among 1054 participants with a median (interquartile range) follow-up time of 4.2 years (2.6, 6.3), 20% had poor retention in early care and 8% died. Poor retention in early care [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.09; 95% CI 1.65-5.79], AIDS defining illness (aHR 1.95; 95% CI 1.20-3.18) and lower education (aHR 2.33; 95% CI 1.45-3.75) were associated with increased mortality risk. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting strategies to improve retention in early HIV care.

Retention in early HIV care has been associated with decreased mortality and improved viral suppression, however the consequences of poor retention in early care in Brazil remain unknown. We assessed the effect of poor retention on mortality in a Brazilian HIV-infected clinical cohort. The analysis included ART-naïve, HIV-infected adults linked to care at the Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz between 2000 and 2010, who did not become pregnant nor participate in a clinical trial during the first two years in care (early care). Poor retention in early care was defined as less than 3 out of 4 six-month intervals with a CD4 or HIV-1 RNA laboratory result during early care. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify factors associated with mortality, and Kaplan-Meier plots were used to describe the survival probability for participants with poor retention versus good retention. Among 1054 participants with a median (interquartile range) follow-up time of 4.2 years (2.6, 6.3), 20% had poor retention in early care and 8% died. Poor retention in early care [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.09; 95% CI 1.65-5.79], AIDS defining illness (aHR 1.95; 95% CI 1.20-3.18) and lower education (aHR 2.33; 95% CI 1.45-3.75) were associated with increased mortality risk. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting strategies to improve retention in early HIV care.

Retention in early HIV care has been associated with virologic suppression and improved survival, but remains understudied in Brazil. We estimated retention in early HIV care for the period 2000-2013, and identified socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with good retention in an urban cohort from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Antiretroviral therapy-naïve, HIV-infected persons ≥18 years old linked to care between 2000 and 2011 were included. Retention in the first 2 years post-linkage (i.e. early care) was defined by the proportion of 6-month intervals with ≥1 HIV laboratory result. "Good" retention was defined as ≥1 HIV laboratory result recorded in at least three intervals. Overall, 80 % of participants met criteria for good retention and retention significantly improved over the study period. Older age, higher education level and early antiretroviral therapy initiation were associated with good retention. Efforts to improve retention in early care in this population should target younger and less-educated HIV-infected persons.

: Introduction: The HIV epidemic continues to disproportionately impact Latin‐American transgender women (TGW). We assessed factors associated with long‐term pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) engagement and adherence among TGW enrolled in the Implementation of PrEP (ImPrEP) study, the largest PrEP demonstration study in Latin America. Methods: HIV‐negative TGW aged ≥18 years reporting 1+eligibility criteria in the 6 months prior to enrolment (e.g. sex partner known to be living with HIV, condomless anal sex [CAS], transactional sex or having a sexually transmitted infection [STI]) who could safely take PrEP were enrolled. Follow‐up visits were conducted at 4 weeks and then quarterly. We conducted logistic regression to identify factors associated with long‐term PrEP engagement (3+ follow‐up visits in 52 weeks) and complete self‐reported adherence (no missed pills in the past 30 days) during follow‐up. For both outcomes, we constructed multivariable models controlling for country, socio‐demographics, sexual behaviour, substance use, STIs and self‐reported adherence at 4 weeks (long‐term engagement outcome only). Results: From March 2018 to June 2021, ImPrEP screened 519 TGW, enrolled 494 (Brazil: 190, Mexico: 66 and Peru: 238) and followed them for 52 weeks. At baseline, 27.5% of TGW were aged 18–24 years, 67.8% were mixed‐race and 31.6% had >secondary education. Most, 89.9% reported CAS, 61.9% had >10 sex partners and 71.9% reported transactional sex. HIV incidence was 1.82 cases per 100 person‐years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76–4.38). Almost half of TGW (48.6%) had long‐term PrEP engagement, which was positively associated with reporting complete adherence at week 4 (aOR:2.94 [95%CI:1.88–4.63]) and was inversely associated with reporting CAS with unknown‐HIV partner (aOR:0.52 [95%CI:0.34–0.81]), migration (aOR:0.54 [95%CI:0.34–0.84]), and being from Mexico (aOR:0.28 [95%CI:0.14–0.53]). Self‐reported adherence was associated with TGW aged >34 (aOR:1.61 [95%CI:1.10–2.34]) compared to those aged 25–34 and those with >secondary education (aOR:1.55 [95%CI:1.10–2.19]) and was lower among TGW from Peru (aOR:0.29 [95%CI:0.21–0.41]) or reporting PrEP‐related adverse effects (aOR:0.63 [95%CI:0.42–0.92]). Conclusions: Although TGW were willing to enrol in ImPrEP, long‐term PrEP engagement and complete self‐reported adherence were limited, and HIV incidence remained relatively high. A successful HIV prevention agenda should include trans‐specific interventions supporting oral PrEP and exploring long‐acting PrEP strategies for TGW., INTRODUCTION HIV infection disproportionately impacts transgender women (TGW) worldwide, with HIV prevalence being 50 times greater than adults of reproductive age in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs), such as those [...]

BackgroundPrevious cohort studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on viral load suppression. We aimed to examine the factors associated with virologic suppression for HIV-infected patients on ART receiving care at the Evandro Chagas Clinical Research Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.MethodsHIV-1 RNA levels and CD4+ T-cell counts at the date closest to midyear (1 July) were evaluated for 1,678 ART-naïve patients ≥ 18 years of age initiating ART between 1997 and 2010. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for having an undetectable viral load (≤ 400 copies/mL) were estimated using generalized estimating equations regression models adjusted for clinical and demographic factors. Time-updated covariates included age, years since HIV diagnosis, hepatitis C diagnosis and ART interruptions.ResultsBetween 1997 and 2011, the proportion of patients with an undetectable viral load increased from 6% to 78% and the median [interquartile range] CD4+ T-cell count increased from 207 [162, 343] to 554 [382, 743] cells/μL. Pre-treatment median CD4+ T-cell count significantly increased over the observation period from 114 [37, 161] to 237 [76, 333] cells/μL (p < .001). The per-year adjusted OR (aOR) for having undetectable viral load was 1.18 (95% CI = 1.16-1.21). ART interruptions >1 month per calendar significantly decreased the odds [aOR = 0.32 (95% CI = 0.27-0.38)] of having an undetectable viral load. Patients initiating on a protease inhibitor (PI)-based first-line regimen were less likely to have undetectable viral load [aOR = 0.72 (95% CI = 0.63-0.83)] compared to those initiating on a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimen.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate significant improvements in virologic outcomes from 1997 to 2011, which persisted after adjusting for other factors. This may in part be due to improvements in care and new treatment options. NNRTI- versus PI-based first-line regimens were found to be associated with increased odds of having an undetectable viral load, consistent with previous studies. Treatment interruptions were found to be the most important determinant of not having an undetectable viral load. Studies are needed to characterize the reasons for treatment interruptions and to develop subsequent strategies for improving adherence to ART.

Introduction: The efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing sexual acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is well established. Little is known about the feasibility of PrEP implementation in middle-income settings with concentrated epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Methods: PrEP Brasil is a prospective, multicentre, open-label demonstration project assessing PrEP delivery in the context of the Brazilian Public Health System. HIV-uninfected MSM and TGW in 3 referral centres in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo were evaluated for eligibility and offered 48 weeks of daily emtricitabine/tenofovir for PrEP. Concentrations of tenofovir diphosphate in dried blood spot samples (DBS) at week 4 after enrolment (early adherence) were measured. Predictors of drug levels were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models considering the DBS drug level as a 3 level variable ( Results: 1,270 individuals were assessed for participation; n = 738 were potentially eligible and n = 450 were offered PrEP (PrEP uptake was 60.9%). Eligible but not enrolled individuals were younger, had lower HIV risk perception and had lower PrEP awareness. At week 4, 424 participants (of the 450 enrolled) had DBS TFV-DP concentrations, 94.1% in the protective range ([greater than or equal to]350 fmol/punch, consistent with [greater than or equal to]2 pills per week), and 78% were in the highly protective range ([greater than or equal to]700 fmol/punch, [greater than or equal to]4 pills per week). Participants with [greater than or equal to]12 years of schooling had 1.9 times the odds (95%CI 1.10-3.29) of a higher versus lower drug level than participants with Conclusions: The high uptake and early adherence indicate that PrEP for high-risk MSM and TGW can be successfully delivered in the context of the Brazilian Public Health System. Interventions to address disparities on PrEP awareness and HIV risk perception among the younger and less educated are urgently needed in order to maximize the impact of this prevention strategy on the reduction of HIV infection among MSM and TGW in Brazil. Keywords: Pre-exposure prophylaxis; HIV prevention; MSM; transgender women; PrEP uptake; PrEP adherence; DRUG Levels, Introduction The effectiveness of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for prevention of sexually acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection for men who have sex with men (MSM) and [...]

The behavioral impact, acceptability and incidence of HIV infection in persons with easy access to post-sexual exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV is studied. Studies revealed that PEP was safe and did not appear to be associated with increases in reported high-risk behavior and ready access to it did not effect HIV transmission.

Many gay men in Rio de Janeiro are willing to participate in HIV vaccine trials. Of 815 HIV-negative gay men surveyed, 70% indicated a willingness to participate. Those who had the most risk factors were most willing to participate.

Brazilian researchers were unable to identify a set of symptoms that consistently occurred in men with a recent HIV-positive test. However, since few HIV-negative men had any of the symptoms, men who do develop the symptoms should be tested for HIV. Symptoms included fever, night sweats, weight loss of more than five pounds, and incapacitating disease.

Understanding the factors associated with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence may help in the development of strategies to support, motivate and sustain PrEP use. This study estimated self-reported adherence, described perceived barriers and facilitators and investigated factors associated with adherence to daily oral PrEP among men who have sex with man (MSM) and transgender women after 1 year of PrEP use in Brazil. PrEP Brasil was a prospective, multicentre, open-label demonstration study with MSM and transgender women at high risk for HIV infection. We used logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with complete adherence (not forgetting to take any pills in the past 30 days) at week 48. Of 338 participants included in this analysis, 60% reported complete adherence to daily oral PrEP at week 48. Perceived barriers and facilitators to daily oral PrEP were reported by 38.2% and 98.5%, respectively. The most reported barrier and facilitator were 'I forgot to take my pills' (19.2%) and 'Associate PrEP with a daily activity/task' (58.6%), respectively. In final multivariable analysis, living in Rio de Janeiro (aOR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.20–0.73), being transgender women (aOR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07–0.73), reporting stimulant use (a OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.20–0.80) and having any perceived barriers to daily oral PrEP (aOR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.07–0.23) were associated with decreased odds of complete adherence. Our findings provide information for developing the best practices to promote PrEP adherence in the Brazilian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult trans women in Brazil are highly impacted by HIV, but little is known about risk for young trans women. Our study was conducted to compare the HIV prevalence and correlates of risk for young trans women ages 18–24 years old to adult trans women in Brazil. Trans women were recruited from Rio de Janeiro and Baixada (the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro), Brazil (N = 345). Youth ages 18–24 years of age had significantly greater odds of being HIV negative than adults (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.6, p = 0.0002), but significantly lower odds of having post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) knowledge (OR 0.5, 95% CI:0.3–0.9, p = 0.02) and PrEP awareness (OR 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.8, p = 0.01). Young trans women also had significantly higher odds of using substances (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9, p = 0.02) and condomless anal intercourse with their last three sexual partners (OR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1–3.0, p = 0.03) compared to adults. Already by age 24, one in four trans women in Brazil were infected with HIV pointing to a new generation at high risk of acquiring HIV. HIV prevention interventions are needed to change the healthcare system to reach and engage young trans women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]