Long-Acting HIV Treatment and PrEP: How Weekly Oral and Injectable Therapies Could Change Adherence and Patient Choice

HIV treatment has undergone a remarkable transformation, moving from complex regimens focused primarily on survival to highly effective therapies capable of achieving durable viral suppression. Now, the next phase of innovation is increasingly focused on a different challenge: making lifelong treatment and prevention easier to sustain.

At the International AIDS Conference 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, much of the conversation centered on long-acting options, including injectable therapies and emerging once-weekly oral regimens. Although reducing dosing frequency could help address treatment fatigue and adherence challenges, convenience alone does not guarantee success. Clinic capacity, cost, access, stigma, patient preferences, and health care infrastructure can all influence whether an effective therapy works in the real world.