People with HIV who take numerous non-HIV medications are more likely to stop or change their antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, aidsmap reports. Publishing their findings in AIDS Patient Care and STDs, researchers conducted an observational, single-center study of 1,190 Canadians treated with ARVs between 2011 and 2011.

Thirty-two percent of the participants stopped or changed their HIV regimen during the study. Those who had such non-continuous treatment were more likely to be female, younger than 30, have contracted HIV through injection drug use and have fewer than 200 CD4s than those who stayed on ARVs continuously.

Thirty-two percent of the study group took five or more non-HIV-related drugs, which is known as polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was linked with getting older, injection drug use, having lower CD4s, an AIDS diagnosis and being on ARVs longer.

Thirty-seven percent of those with polypharmacy had non-continuous ARV treatment, compared with 30 percent of those without polypharmacy. Among the 36 percent of participants taking twice-daily HIV regimens, 39 percent of those experiencing polypharmacy had non-continuous treatment, compared with 28 percent of the non-polypharmacy group.

To read the aidsmap article, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.

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