Newly Diagnosed and HIV Viral Load Undetectable? Consider Drug Testing for HIV Meds

Both in HIV clinical trials and in practice, identification of newly diagnosed individuals frequently relies on self-report — a patient tells you he or she has never tested HIV-positive before. An analysis from a recent HIV-prevention study suggests that some of those reporting newly diagnosed HIV infection are in fact already receiving HIV treatment.

The HIV Prevention Trials Network 061 study evaluated the feasibility of a multicomponent intervention to reduce HIV incidence among black men who have sex with men in the U.S. Individuals with HIV infection were eligible if they were not on treatment, based on self-report of being newly diagnosed or previously diagnosed but not in care. Among the 155 participants who reported a new diagnosis, …