JAMAICA – Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) regional programme manager for Kingston, Christina Gordon, says the introduction of injectable HIV treatments is one way Jamaica could fight issues with adherence to medication among the vulnerable community. Gordon noted that currently the Ministry of Health and Wellness provides free antiretroviral (ARV) medications to persons living with HIV in the form of a pill that is taken once a day. However, she said the process of taking a pill every day can become daunting for members of the vulnerable group who face different barriers, resulting in adherence issues.

“People have real things that happen to them, real-life adversities [such as the] death of a loved one, substance misuse, disclosure issues, issues around gender-based violence, and so on. As a result, these things can be barriers to adhering to a pill every single day,” reasoned Gordon. “I would have worked on the ground and I would have seen where people literally have physical barriers with swallowing the pill, and sometimes it is mental. Some people, once they see the pill, there is this psychological barrier where they can’t swallow it, and maybe an injection would achieve the suppression faster than the pill. When you look at the men, for example, some men just don’t like to take pills, so I think if there are other options you would definitely have more adherence,” she told the Jamaica Observer at a recent Monday Exchange. (Jamaicaobserver)

Photo: According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, injectable HIV treatments are given by a healthcare provider and are administered once a month or once every other month, depending on the treatment plan.