The WHO solicited the input of people living with HIV for the upcoming revision of the WHO Recommendations for Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Infection in Adults and Adolescents. Four international networks led on consultations with people living with HIV:
- Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)
- International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW)
- International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
- Young Positives
The networks valued the consultative processes and the opportunity to contribute to a more patient-centred version of the ART Guidelines. The results of the process highlighted that the WHO Guidelines should be based on the best, current scientific knowledge, focusing on a standard of care that all countries should strive to achieve. There was general agreement that WHO should recommend earlier treatment with more choice of better-tolerated drugs, because of both the cost-effectiveness of such an approach and the direct improvement of quality of life for people living with HIV. WHO should highlight the link between treatment and prevention, in particular the potentially beneficial effect of ART on infectiousness, on both a population and individual level.
