Summary

NIDA-funded research is also investigating new technologies to make adherence easier, more accessible, and relevant to targeted audiences.

While the need continues for more research, the scientific and medical communities are poised to move forward in developing and disseminating effective HIV prevention and treatment approaches. Three key principles underlie NIDA’s strategy: (1) drug abuse and HIV are linked in ways that extend beyond injection drug use; (2) drug abuse and HIV remain intertwined epidemics in the United States and around the world — therefore, drug abuse treatment is HIV prevention; and (3) the Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain approach, especially when implemented in high-risk populations or settings, stands to decrease viral load and HIV incidence at a population level, improving outcomes for all. Our mission now is to implement these evidence-based strategies so that we can attain our goal of an “AIDS-free generation.”