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Background The aim of the study was to evaluate the 12-month cumulative probability of treatment discontinuation (TD) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PWH) and a long exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART) switching to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB/RPV). Methods SCohoLART is a single-center, prospective, cohort study designed to collect both samples and clinical data from PWH with virological suppression who switched to bimonthly long-acting CAB/RPV. TD occurred at switch to another regimen for any reason including virological failure (VF); VF was defined as HIV RNA levels ≥50 copies/mL at 2 consecutive measurements or a single HIV RNA level ≥1000 copies/mL. Results were reported as median (interquartile range [IQR]) or frequency (percentage). Cumulative probabilities of TD were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results We evaluated 514 participants; 467 (90.9%) were male, and their median age (IQR) was 49 (40–56) years. At the time of switching, the median time from HIV diagnosis and the median duration of ART were 14.0 (IQR, 8.8–20.5) and 11.4 (7.9–17.4) years, respectively; before starting CAB/RPV, the median number of antiretroviral regimens was 3 (2–4). During a median study follow-up (IQR) of 13.1 (9.1–15.5) months, 52 PWH (10.1%) experienced TD, including 4 (0.8%) for VF. The 12-month cumulative probability of TD was 11% (95% confidence interval, 8%–14%). The main cause of TD was injection site reaction (15 participants [28.8%]). Conclusions The 1-year cumulative probability of TD with long-acting CAB/RPV was quite low in this cohort of people with a median exposure to ART of 10 years, in whom injection site reaction was the leading cause of TD. VFs were rare during study follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Achieving viral load suppression is crucial for the prevention of complications and deaths related to HIV infection. Ethiopia has embraced the worldwide 95-95-95 target, but there is no national representative information regarding virological suppression. Therefore, this review aims to determine the pooled virological suppression rate and identify the pooled effect of contributing factors of viral suppression for HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia. Methods We systematically searched websites and databases, including online repositories, to obtain primary studies. Two reviewers assessed the quality of the included articles using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale appraisal checklist. Publication bias was checked using Egger's regression test, the heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using I 2 statistics and Q statistics, and a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify any outlier results in the included studies. The Der Simonian Laird random-effects model was used to estimate the overall proportion of viral suppression, and STATA 17 statistical software was used for all types of analysis. Results A total of 21 eligible articles primarily conducted in Ethiopia using HIV program data were used for this quantitative synthesis. The overall pooled virological suppression rate was 71% (95% CI, 64%–77%). The pooled effects of poor adherence to ART (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.33; 95% CI, 0.28–0.40), body mass index (18.5–24.9 kg/m2; AOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.37–2.36), disclosure (AOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.05–1.89), absence of opportunistic infection (AOR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.43–1.97), and high baseline viral load count (AOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52–0.81) were identified as significant predictors of viral suppression. Conclusions The overall pooled percentage of virological suppression was low compared with the global target of viral suppression and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute report. Poor adherence, normal body mass index, disclosure, absence of opportunistic infection, and high baseline viral load count were factors contributing to viral suppression in Ethiopia. Responsible stakeholders should maximize their efforts to achieve the global target of virological suppression by addressing significant predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]