Clinical Utility of Pharmacy-Based Adherence Measurement in Predicting Virologic Outcomes in an Adult HIV-Infected Cohort in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Objectives: We examined the association between adherence to drug-refill visits and virologic outcomes in a cohort of HIV-infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in North Central Nigeria.Methods: Retrospectively, 588 HIV-infected, cART-naive adults (aged ≥15 years), initiated on first-line ART between 2009 and 2010 at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, were evaluated. Association between adherence to drug-refill visits, virologic (viral load > 1000 copies/mL), and immunologic failure was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.Results: After a median of 12 months on cART, 16% (n = 94) and 10% (n = 59) of patients had virologic and immunologic failures, respectively. In the final multivariable model, suboptimal adherence to drug-refill visits was a significant predictor of both virologic (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.2–2.3) and immunologic (AOR 1.92; 95% CI:1.06–3.49) failures.Conclusion: Adherence to drug refill is a useful predictor of successful virologic control and could be utilized for routine monitoring of adherence to cART in our clinical setting.