Clinical outcomes of HIV treatment clients enrolled in six-month dispensing after less than 6 months on treatment in Zambia: A target trial emulation

The study examined the effects of earlier enrollment of HIV patients into a six-month antiretroviral therapy dispensing program (6MMD) in Zambia. The analysis included 6,142 patients aged 15 years and older, of whom 741 (12.1%) were enrolled in 6MMD after 3-6 months of treatment and 1,590 (26.1%) after 6-12 months. During follow-up, 268 treatment interruptions occurred. Earlier enrollment in 6MMD was associated with lower odds of treatment interruption compared to standard enrollment (OR 0.701). The predicted cumulative probability of treatment interruption at 18 months was 6.5% with earlier enrollment and 9.1% with standard enrollment. The research found no evidence that earlier access to 6MMD increases the risk of treatment interruption.