Trial reportJournal of the International AIDS Society2026
HIV Care Retention and Cost Analysis in Multi-Month ART Dispensing: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China.
Trial report in Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- HIV Care Retention and Cost Analysis in Multi-Month ART Dispensing: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2026Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionMulti-month dispensing (MMD), as a differentiated service delivery model, can reduce the frequency of clinic visits, waiting time and travel costs for clinically stable people living with HIV. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of 6-month MMD of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on retention and conduct a cost analysis in China.
methodsWe conducted a randomized, non-blind, non-inferiority study from December 2022 to March 2023 at The First Hospital of China Medical University. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to a 3-month dispensing group (n = 789) or a 6-month dispensing group (n = 799) and followed up for 18 months. The proportion of patients continuing ART after 18 months, virological suppression rate (<50 copies/mL) and average treatment cost per patient were evaluated. Cox regression analysis was used to compare treatment retention rates and virological suppression rates between groups, while descriptive statistical analysis was applied to assess cost differences. Cost metrics comprised the average cost per clinic visit and the price of ART medications, among other factors. This trial is registered with ChiCTR2200066438.
resultsA total of 1588 participants were included (median age 40.0 years, IQR 34.0-50.0; 94.8% male), with no significant between-group differences in demographic and clinical characteristics (all p>0.05). In the intention-to-treat analysis, treatment retention rates at 18 months were 94.9% (749/789) in the 3-month dispensing group and 94.2% (753/799) in the 6-month dispensing group. The risk difference (6-month minus 3-month) was -0.7% (95% CI -2.9% to 1.5%); non-inferiority was demonstrated as the lower bound of the 95% CI (-2.9%) exceeded the pre-specified margin of -5%. Viral suppression rates (<50 copies/mL) were similarly high in both groups in intent-to-treat analysis: 94.9% (3-month) versus 94.2% (6-month), with no statistically significant difference. Per-protocol analysis confirmed these findings (viral suppression 97.59% vs. 97.75%; χ
conclusionsSix-month MMD of ART did not reduce treatment retention; instead, it decreased patients' clinic visit costs, thereby meeting cost-effectiveness criteria. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: ChiCTR2200066438.
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