Reducing the Treatment Burden in HIV Management: The Pharmacist’s Role in Long-Acting Injectable Adoption

2025 PTCE Specialty Pharmacy Day of Education in partnership with Asembia

Program Description

In the United States, over 1 million individuals are living with HIV, a chronic viral infection that requires lifelong management. These individuals also face ongoing barriers such as medication nonadherence, treatment fatigue due to pill burden, and persistent stigma contributing to health care disparities. Long-acting injectable (LAI) therapies are transforming HIV care by reducing the treatment burden and offering new opportunities to improve medication adherence for eligible patients. Despite ongoing advances in HIV management and prevention, many patients continue to face challenges in accessing health care. As the landscape of HIV treatment evolves, community pharmacists must be prepared to assess patient eligibility for LAI regimens, address adherence barriers, and promote equitable access through culturally competent communication and engagement strategies. This panel discussion will compare the efficacy and safety of LAIs with oral regimens while emphasizing practical strategies for integrating LAIs into PrEP and treatment plans to improve health care access and outcomes among diverse, socioeconomically marginalized populations.

Target audience: Community Pharmacist, Health System Pharmacist, Specialty Pharmacist

Type of activity: Application

Release date: October 28, 2025

Expiration date: October 28, 2026

Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours

Learner level: Foundational, Intermediate

Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Examine patient eligibility for long-acting injectable (LAI) therapy based on clinical, behavioral, and logistical factors, including adherence history and access to health care
• Compare the efficacy, safety, and administration considerations of LAI therapies with traditional oral HIV treatment and prevention regimens
• Apply culturally competent communication techniques to build trust and improve engagement with historically marginalized patient populations