18 MINUTES WITH…DR. KIMBERLY SMITH

The landscape of HIV is changing.

Incredible progress has been made over the past four decades of the HIV epidemic. Gone are the “bad old days” of the epidemic when HIV was the leading cause of death for adults in the US between the ages of 25-44.1 We’re now in an era where people living with HIV can expect to live a long and healthy life. Currently, it’s estimated that the proportion of people living with HIV aged 50 years or older will increase from 28% in 2010 to 73% 2030.2,3

HIV treatment has transitioned from handfuls of pills taken multiple times per day, to simplified once-daily regimens, to where we are currently, with long-acting treatment options that allow for doses taken months apart. We’ve also seen medicines for HIV prevention emerge to provide us with a formidable tool to fight the epidemic.

Dr. Kimberly Smith, ViiV Healthcare’s Head of Research & Development recently joined Scientific American to discuss how we end the HIV epidemic for all while exploring the next frontiers of HIV treatment, HIV cure, and why HIV must remain a focus for our society.

We know that innovation alone will not bring an end to the HIV epidemic and an all-encompassing approach must be adopted that removes barriers to HIV care and provides support for the HIV community to address stigma, increase engagement in care and build trust.

View Dr. Smith’s full conversation with Scientific American here:

kimberly

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update: Mortality Attributable to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25-44 Years -- United States, 1994. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00040227.htm. Accessed September 2022.
  2. AIDS info. Available at: http://aidsinfo.unaids.org/. Accessed September 2022
  3. Smit et al., Lancet Infect Dis 2015 Jul;15(7):810-8). Global AIDS Update. Available at: https://aids2020.unaids.org/report/. Accessed September 2022

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

Richard Dunham, Director of HIV Cure at ViiV Healthcare

Here until HIV isn't: Our approach to HIV cure

To lift the substantial burdens of daily treatment and social stigma associated with HIV, a cure is essential towards accomplishing our goal of ending the HIV epidemic. With this goal in mind, we are in pursuit of a cure for HIV.

Learn more

two men, one elderly and a younger in their sitting room

Facing the challenges of ageing with HIV

Advances in treatment have dramatically improved the life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV), which is welcome progress. However, challenges remain for those ageing with HIV.

Learn more

Two men eating at a restaurant

Conversations about undetectable equals untransmittable (U = U) may improve health outcomes

Sexually Transmitted Infections, a global journal from the British Medical Journal (BMJ), published results from the global Positive Perspectives study that investigated how conversations with healthcare providers (HCPs) about U=U impact people living with HIV. 

Learn more

NP-GBL-HVX-COCO-220081

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the package leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the GSK Reporting Tool link https://gsk.public.reportum.com/. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

If you are from outside the UK, you can report adverse events to GSK/ ViiV by selecting your region and market, here.