It’s been 40 years since the first diagnosed case of HIV/AIDS. Since then, we have come a long way in HIV treatment and care. Thanks to advances in science and innovation, people living with HIV have options for effective treatment that mean they can expect to live long and healthy lives. This progress is significant; however, we know we have more to do.
"According to the Positive Perspectives Study (PP2), sponsored by ViiV Healthcare, 56% of people living with HIV surveyed were not satisfied with their current HIV medication"
At ViiV Healthcare, our mission is to leave no person living with HIV behind and, to be successful, this means having a deep understanding of the needs of the HIV community. We are proud of our long history of listening to and partnering with communities to understand their needs and working together to find solutions. Through our research, we’ve learned that some people living with HIV struggle with regularly taking daily oral pills and may suffer with anxiety, which can lead to reduced quality of life. For others, daily treatment is a constant reminder of their HIV status and can increase fear associated with unwanted HIV disclosure. The impact of HIV stigma also continues to affect the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for people living with HIV.
A deep understanding of patient insights
A great example of our commitment to listening to the HIV community is how we develop our medicines based on patient insights. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) studies and real-world evidence (RWE) play a key role in uncovering the unique experiences of people living with HIV and help inform our research efforts and guide us towards solutions that work for each individual.
Click here to find out more about the Positive Perspectives 2 Study, which showed that engagement with healthcare providers was associated with better self-reported health outcomes.1
According to our Positive Perspectives Study, encouraging more honest and in-depth conversations between people living with HIV and their healthcare professionals (HCPs) is crucial to improving health outcomes and quality of life. We believe PRO assessment tools can help foster better communication between HCPs and people living with HIV. Our current efforts include the PROgress Project, which focuses on integrating PROs into routine clinical care. This will enable clinicians to gain a better understanding of current treatment satisfaction, and how lifestyle and individual needs may impact adherence and overall health outcomes. Additional efforts include the Positive Perspectives 2 Study, which explores the aspirations and attitudes of a diverse range of people living with HIV, revealing how they feel about their care and relationships with their HCPs. The results from Positive Perspectives 2 highlight the experiences of people living with HIV beyond the clinical trial setting and provide insight into the key quality of life issues that need to be addressed.
Click here to find out more about the Positive Perspectives 2 Study, which showed that engagement with healthcare providers was associated with better self-reported health outcomes.1
Additionally, RWE helps us bridge the gap between clinical trials and day-to-day clinical practice, painting a more holistic picture of the long-term effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of HIV therapy. ViiV Healthcare has been at the forefront of RWE for many years, and we continue to use RWE to help guide our research — for example, looking at how medication works in older people, pregnant women and children living with HIV, and by collecting and collating data from countries across the world. Through RWE we can ensure that we have a more comprehensive and representative picture of how different treatments can most effectively meet the unmet needs of all people living with HIV, including those under-represented populations, to help us move closer towards ending the epidemic.
As we enter into the next era of HIV treatment, we know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to care. People living with HIV deserve treatment options that are not only safe and effective, but also meet their specific needs. Gathering insights that help to inform these open and honest conversations will be key to evolving HIV care.
Ultimately, we treat the individual, not just the virus, seeing more than HIV to help change lives for the better and ensuring we achieve our mission of leaving no person living with HIV behind.
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