Pharmacist-led counselling intervention to improve antiretroviral drug adherence in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Pakistan is facing a growing population of people living with human immunodeficiency (HIV). In this randomized controlled trial, we investigate if a pharmacist-led intervention can increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLWH). METHODS: Adults with HIV, who have been taking ART for more than 3 months were randomly assigned to receive either a pharmacist-led intervention or their usual care. Measures of adherence were collected at 1) baseline 2) just prior to delivery of intervention and 3) 8 weeks later. The primary outcomes were CD4 cell count and self-reported adherence measured with the AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) questionnaire. RESULTS: Post-intervention, the intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in CD4 cell counts as compared to the usual care group (p = 0.0054). In addition, adherence improved in the intervention group, with participants being 5.96 times more likely to report having not missed their medication for longer periods of time (p = 0.0086) while participants in the intervention group were 7.74 times more likely to report missing their ART less frequently (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the improvement in ART adherence and HIV management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12618001882213). Registered 20 November 2018. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-020-05571-w.