Using Real-Time Adherence Feedback to Enhance Communication About Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy: Patient and Clinician Perspectives

Feasibility, Acceptability and Appropriateness of MedViewer: A Novel Hair-Based Antiretroviral Real-Time Clinical Monitoring Tool Providing Adherence Feedback to Patients and Their Providers

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is key to achieving viral load suppression and ending the HIV epidemic but monitoring and supporting adherence using current interventions is challenging. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of MedViewer (MV), a novel intervention that provides real-time adherence feedback for patients and providers using infra-red matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) for mass spectrometry imaging of daily ART concentrations in patients' hair. We used mixed methods to feasibility test MV at a busy Infectious Diseases (ID) clinic, enrolling 16 providers and 36 patients. Providers underwent standardized training; patients and providers watched an 8-min informational video about MV. We collected patient and provider data at baseline and within 24 h of clinic visits and, with patients, approximately 1 month after clinic visits. MedViewer was feasible, liked by patients and providers, and perceived to help facilitate adherence conversations and motivate patients to improve adherence. Trial Registration: NCT04232540.

Mass spectrometry imaging of hair identifies daily maraviroc adherence in HPTN 069/ACTG A5305

Objective measures of adherence for antiretrovirals used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are critical for improving preventative efficacy in both clinical trials and real-world application. Current objective adherence measures either reflect only recent behavior (eg days for plasma or urine) or cumulative behavior (eg months for dried blood spots). Here, we measured the accumulation of the antiretroviral drug maraviroc (MVC) in hair strands by infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to evaluate adherence behavior longitudinally at high temporal resolution. An MSI threshold for classifying daily adherence was established using clinical samples from healthy volunteers following directly observed dosing of 1 to 7 doses MVC/week. We then used the benchmarked MSI assay to classify adherence to MVC-based PrEP regimens in hair samples collected throughout the 48-week HPTN069/ACTGA5305 study. We found that only ~32% of investigated hair samples collected during the study's active dosing period showed consistent daily PrEP adherence throughout a retrospective period of 30 days, and also found that profiles of daily individual adherence from MSI hair analysis could identify when patients were and were not taking study drug. The assessment of adherence from MSI hair strand analysis was 62% lower than adherence classified using paired plasma samples, the latter of which may be influenced by white-coat adherence. These findings demonstrate the ability of MSI hair analysis to examine daily variability of adherence behavior over a longer-term measurement and offer the potential for longitudinal comparison with risk behavior to target patient-specific adherence interventions and improve outcomes.

Exploring the Value of Real-Time Medication Adherence Monitoring: A Qualitative Study

Smart adherence products enable the monitoring of medication intake in real-time. However, the value of real-time medication intake monitoring to different stakeholders such as patients, their caregivers, clinicians, and insurers is not elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore the value different stakeholders place on the availability of smart adherence products and access to real-time medication intake data. A qualitative study design using semi-structured one-on-one virtual interviews was utilized. Schwartz's theory of values provided the foundation for the interview questions, data were analyzed using Braun and Clark's thematic analysis framework, and findings were mapped back to the constructs of Schwartz's theory of values. A total of 31 interviews with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and representatives of private or public insurance providers were conducted. Three themes and ten subthemes were identified. Themes included perceptions of integrating smart medication adherence technologies and real-time monitoring, technology adoption factors and data management. Stakeholders place different values based on the motivators and goals that can drive product use for daily medication management. Stakeholders valued the availability of real-time medication taking data that allow clinicians to make timely data-driven recommendations to their patients that may improve medication management for patients and reduce the caregiver burden.

Women's experience receiving drug feedback and adherence counseling in MTN-025/HOPE - an HIV Prevention open-label trial of the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring

In the Phase IIIB MTN-025/HOPE open label extension trial, participants were offered the dapivirine vaginal ring as HIV prophylaxis, and those who accepted the ring received semi real-time individual adherence feedback, based on residual drug level (RDL) from returned rings, during Motivational Interviewing-based counseling. Counseling messages, based on the best knowledge at the time, framed RDL results in terms of ring use and HIV protection, from no use /no protection (0 RDL) to high use /high protection (3 RDL). At six HOPE sites, in-depth-Interviews (IDIs) about RDL were conducted with 64 participants who had received at least one RDL result. We found mixed interpretations of what the RDL meant and strong emotional reactions with a focus on the external validation of the level itself. Counseling was critical to help participants process their reactions to the RDL and make decisions accordingly (i.e., persistence, adherence improvement, and/or switching to another HIV prevention method). Providing drug adherence feedback was complex to implement yet proved useful as a component of a multi-pronged adherence support strategy.

Mass Spectroscopy Imaging of Hair Strands Captures Short-Term and Long-Term Changes in Emtricitabine Adherence

Most measures of adherence to antiretroviral therapy require a blood sample, and none capture longitudinal daily adherence. A new noninvasive method for measuring daily adherence to antiretroviral regimens containing emtricitabine (FTC) was developed for intact hair strands using infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). A directly observed therapy study of daily and intermittent (3, 1, and 0 doses/week) FTC dosing (n = 12) benchmarked adherence in hair, revealing distinct accumulation patterns and median FTC signal abundance (1,702, 495, 352, and 0, respectively) with each dosing frequency. A threshold value of FTC_{signal abundance} of 500 differentiated daily dosing from 3 or fewer doses/week (specificity, 100%; sensitivity, 100% over 30 days and 80% over 60 days). Using these criteria, daily FTC hair adherence was classified in young men (n = 8) who have sex with men (YMSM) engaged in or initiating preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Four types of adherence profiles were observed in sequential 30-day periods: consistently high, occasional missed doses, improvement following study initiation, and intermittent. Discrete days of nonadherence were identified across the 60-day window, with the average number of consecutive days classified as nonadherent increasing across the four profile types (1, 2, 19, and 58 days, respectively). Additionally, cumulative FTC response in hair (60-day average) significantly correlated with dried blood spot tenofovir diphosphate concentrations collected simultaneously (r_s = 0.79, P = 0.03). Based on these data, IR-MALDESI FTC adherence classification in hair strands can better delineate short-term changes in adherence behaviors over a long retrospective window, offering great potential for noninvasive adherence monitoring and quick supportive interventions.

Point-of-care semi-quantitative test for adherence to tenofovir alafenamide or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

OBJECTIVES

Objective measurement of antiretrovirals may aid clinical interventions for improving adherence to HIV prevention or treatment regimens. A point-of-care urine test could provide real-time information about recent adherence to regimens containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or tenofovir alafenamide. We developed a lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) and ELISA for urinary tenofovir.

METHODS

The intensity of the LFA test line was quantified using an optical reader and visually scored 0-5 by two independent people, using a reference card. The sensitivity and specificity of both the ELISA and LFA were determined for two different tenofovir concentration cut-offs for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and tenofovir alafenamide adherence-1500 and 150 ng/mL, respectively. To validate the assays, we measured 586 urine samples from 28 individuals collected as part of a study of tenofovir pharmacokinetics in adults, which were also measured by MS for reference.

RESULTS

Both the LFA signal and ELISA signal were each strongly correlated with drug concentrations (0.91 and 0.92, respectively). The LFA signal and ELISA were highly sensitive and specific at both thresholds (LFA sensitivity/specificity: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, 89%/96%; and tenofovir alafenamide, 90%/96%) (ELISA sensitivity/specificity: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, 94%/94%; and tenofovir alafenamide, 92%/84%). Visual scoring of the LFA was also highly sensitive and specific at both the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate threshold and the tenofovir alafenamide threshold (sensitivity/specificity: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, 91%/94%; and tenofovir alafenamide, 87%/90%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our rapid semi-quantitative test can measure tenofovir concentrations relevant to both tenofovir alafenamide and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate adherence, which may support adherence-promoting interventions across a range of HIV care settings.

Design and Delivery of Real-Time Adherence Data to Men Who Have Sex with Men Using Antiretroviral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis via an Ingestible Electronic Sensor

Once daily tenofovir/emtricitabine when used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in preventing HIV acquisition but requires consistent medication adherence. The use of ingestible technologies to monitor PrEP adherence can assist in understanding the impact of behavioral interventions. Digital pill systems (DPS) utilize an ingestible radiofrequency emitter integrated onto a gelatin capsule, which permits direct, real-time measurement of medication adherence. DPS monitoring may lead to discovery of nascent episodes of PrEP nonadherence and allow delivery of interventions that prevent the onset of sustained nonadherence. Yet, the acceptance and potential use of DPS in high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM; i.e., those who engage in condomless sex and use substances) is unknown. In this investigation, we conducted individual, semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 MSM with self-reported non-alcohol substance use to understand their responses to the DPS, willingness and perceived barriers to its use, and their perceptions of its potential utility. We also sought to describe how MSM would potentially interact with a messaging system integrated into the DPS. We identified major themes around improved confidence of PrEP adherence patterns, safety of ingestible radiofrequency sensors, and design optimization of the DPS. They also expressed willingness to interact with messaging contingent on DPS recorded ingestion patterns. These data demonstrate that MSM who use substances find the DPS to be an acceptable method to measure and record PrEP adherence.