ViiV HEALTHCARE POSITIVE PERSPECTIVES 3 STUDY FINDS WIDESPREAD COMMUNICATION BARRIERS: HALF OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV FEEL UNHEARD BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS DESPITE HIGH TRUST

London, 27 May 2025 – ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, today announced interim data from the third wave of the global Positive Perspectives (PP3) study of people living with HIV. Initial results show that while a high proportion of individuals trust their healthcare provider (HCP), a communications gap exists. Many indicated that they sometimes feel unheard by their HCP, and did not make decisions together about their current antiretroviral (ART) regimen. Those who were satisfied with their ART regimen were less likely to intentionally skip doses and more likely to report good overall health outcomes.

Nneka Nwokolo, Head of Patient Engagement, ViiV Healthcare, said: “Nearly a decade after the launch of Positive Perspectives -- one of the few international studies that focus on how people living with HIV think, feel and live -- the latest findings deliver a clear message. While trust in healthcare providers remains strong, too many individuals feel unheard and excluded from decisions about their own care. This communication gap is particularly concerning at a time when we know that people living with HIV want to be involved in their care and their choice of treatment, reinforcing the need for a more open and collaborative relationship between people living with HIV and their healthcare teams.”

Dr David Hardy, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Division of Street Medicine at Keck School of Medicine of The University of Southern California (USC) said: “As HIV treatment continues to advance and improve, building strong partnerships between people living with HIV and their medical providers has never been more important. The Positive Perspectives 3 data highlight the need for healthcare professionals to have meaningful conversations with their patients that go beyond just viral suppression - conversations that empower people living with HIV to confidently share their needs, preferences, and goals with their medical providers. Ensuring that people with HIV fully understand critical concepts like ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ is essential to achieving this kind of communication, so we can improve the quality of HIV care and support people with HIV to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.”

The Positive Perspectives studies have been co-created with community representatives from around the world to capture and amplify the experiences of people living with HIV.​ This interim analysis from PP3 included 698 people across 16 countries, and once complete will be one of the largest surveys of people living with HIV, including more than 3000 participants across 29 countries. 

This first set of results from PP3 were presented in three oral presentations at the 16^th AIDSImpact Conference, held 26-28 May in Casablanca, Morocco:

Joint decision-making was associated with improved satisfaction with treatment and care: While 80% (n=558/698) of those surveyed reported high trust in their HCPs, 47.5% (n=331/698) indicated that they sometimes felt unheard by their HCP and 39.7% (n=277/698) said they did not make joint decision about their current ART regimen. Those that jointly made decisions about ART with their provider were more likely to be satisfied with their treatment and care. These findings highlight the need to enhance patient-provider interactions and encourage collaborative decision-making.

Higher treatment satisfaction was associated with good mental, physical, sexual, and overall health for people with HIV: Those who were satisfied with their ART regimen were less likely to intentionally skip doses and more likely to report good overall health outcomes. However, while the majority of individuals said they were satisfied with their ART regimen, many indicated concerns around the potential long-term effects of ART (53%, 374/698), treatment-related weight gain (48.6%, 339/698) and the unwanted reminder of HIV with daily medication (43.2%, 301/698). These data highlight the importance of taking patient preferences and concerns into account when selecting ART regimens and the continuing need for reassessment.

‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ (U=U) knowledge and belief still need improvement: While 93.7% (n=654/698) of those surveyed reported being aware of U=U (when someone with an undetectable HIV viral load on treatment cannot transmit HIV through sex), only 58.1% (274/654) of those indicated that they believed in U=U and 31.1% (203/654) were unable to explain U=U to others. Belief in U=U was associated with positive psychosocial outcomes such as enjoyment of sex and the perception of reduced internal and external stigma. These data highlight the continued need for wider dissemination of the U=U message through trusted sources of information.

About Positive Perspectives 

The Positive Perspectives studies are a series of global, cross-sectional surveys of people living with HIV, sponsored by ViiV Healthcare, which have been co-created with community representatives from around the world. These data have helped raised awareness of public health messages, advance critical community initiatives, and contributed to improving HIV care.

This third wave of research will involve more than 3000 people living with HIV, personnel in HIV patient organisations and youth living with HIV, from 29 countries. The results will be used to further amplify the voices of people living with HIV, with the objective of improving treatment, care and outcomes through improved communication of these data to HCPs and stakeholders within healthcare systems.

The data presented at AIDSImpact is the first phase of data released from PP3, which include insights from 698 participants across sixteen countries (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States). The study will continue to recruit survey respondents and complete data will be presented in the future.

About AIDSImpact

AIDSImpact is an international behavioural and biopsychosocial science conference taking place 26-28 May in Casablanca, Morocco. The biannual conference addresses issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, focusing both globally and on specific communities and countries hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.