2025
Retention and dropout from sublingual and extended-release buprenorphine treatment: A comparative analysis of data from a nationally representative sample of commercially-insured people with opiod use disorder in the United States
Ivasiy R, Madden L, Johnson K, Machavariani E, Ahmad B, Oliveros D, Tan J, Kil N, Altice F. Retention and dropout from sublingual and extended-release buprenorphine treatment: A comparative analysis of data from a nationally representative sample of commercially-insured people with opiod use disorder in the United States. International Journal Of Drug Policy 2025, 138: 104748. PMID: 40020306, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104748.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOpioid use disorderSL-BUPXR-BUPUse disorderRetrospective cohort studyExtended-release buprenorphineReduce treatment discontinuationDays of supplyTreatment discontinuationSublingual buprenorphineReduce overdose riskBuprenorphine treatmentCohort studyHigh dosesPrimary outcomeImpact of dosagePatientsBuprenorphineMonthsMg/dayCommercially-insured individualsProportion of individualsOpioidOverdose riskImprove health outcomesExploration of the multi-level barriers to scaling up methadone for HIV prevention among people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan
Liberman A, Rozental Y, Ivasiy R, Kussainova A, Primbetova S, Madden L, Terlikbayeva A, Altice F. Exploration of the multi-level barriers to scaling up methadone for HIV prevention among people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan. Journal Of Substance Use And Addiction Treatment 2025, 172: 209640. PMID: 39986387, DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2025.209640.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNominal group techniqueHIV preventionCommunity health workersMulti-level barriersIn-depth interviewsHealth workersPWID clientsSocioecological modelCommunity stakeholdersOpioid use disorderFocus groupsHIV epidemicClinical directorsClinical sitesEducating clientsOpioid agonist therapyImprove implementationGroup techniqueResearch teamCHWsPolicy levelUse disorderCliniciansAlternative medicationsEligibilityPredicting antiretroviral medication adherence among substance-using people with HIV: test and extension of the information-motivation-behavioral skills model
Krishnan A, Ranjit Y, Zhou X, Altice F. Predicting antiretroviral medication adherence among substance-using people with HIV: test and extension of the information-motivation-behavioral skills model. Journal Of Behavioral Medicine 2025, 1-11. PMID: 39924604, DOI: 10.1007/s10865-025-00557-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCocaine use disorderSubstance use disordersBehavioral skillsInformation-motivation-behavioral (IMB) skills modelSkills modelInformation-motivation-behavioral skills modelAntiretroviral medication adherenceUse disorderAntiretroviral therapyART adherenceMedication adherenceDaily adherenceImprove ART adherenceMotivational barriersDisordersAntiretroviral therapy adherenceMotivational factorsPractical barriersReduce HIV transmissionEnhance ART adherenceSuboptimal adherenceVirological failureHIV transmissionCocaineAdherencePrescribing methadone in prison predicts linkage to HIV care after release from prison: A randomized and patient preference trial
Mobley A, Wegman M, Bazazi A, Shenoi S, Bromberg D, Ahmad A, Kamarulzaman A, Altice F. Prescribing methadone in prison predicts linkage to HIV care after release from prison: A randomized and patient preference trial. International Journal Of Drug Policy 2025, 137: 104733. PMID: 39923270, PMCID: PMC11875876, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104733.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLinkage to HIV careHIV careIncrease linkage to HIV careTreatment-as-prevention strategiesHIV treatment cascadeHIV treatment outcomesOpen-label trialCox proportional hazards modelsPatient preference trialOpioid use disorderMalaysia’s largest prison.Impact of methadoneProportional hazards modelTreatment cascadeInverse probability weighted Cox proportional hazards modelAnalytic sampleStudy participantsCareTreatment outcomesPrescribed methadoneOpioidConfounding variablesHIVUse disorderHazards modelTuberculosis and people who use drugs: why focus on this overlooked population is important and why adapted interventions are necessary
D'Ottavi M, Godfrey-Faussett P, Merle C, Sofonea M, Laureillard D, Vickerman P, Molès J, Altice F, Van de Perre P, Stone J, Nagot N. Tuberculosis and people who use drugs: why focus on this overlooked population is important and why adapted interventions are necessary. The Lancet Global Health 2025, 13: e593-e598. PMID: 39862874, DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(24)00481-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsReduce health inequalitiesCommunity-based approachActive case findingNational Tuberculosis ProgrammeHealth inequalitiesTargeted interventionsTuberculosis interventionsCase findingTreatment adherenceGeneral populationTuberculosis ProgrammeMarginalised populationsHIV fieldInterventionPrevalence of tuberculosisTuberculosis burdenPopulation levelTuberculosis transmissionHigher incidencePeoplePopulationAdherenceHIVPrevalenceLinkageRationale and design of a randomized clinical trial of integrated eHealth for PrEP and medications for opioid use disorders for women in the criminal legal system. The Athena study
Meyer J, Brunson S, Price C, Mulrain M, Nguyen J, Altice F, Kyriakides T, Cropsey K, Eaton E. Rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial of integrated eHealth for PrEP and medications for opioid use disorders for women in the criminal legal system. The Athena study. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2025, 20: 4. PMID: 39825419, PMCID: PMC11742507, DOI: 10.1186/s13722-024-00534-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCriminal legal systemOpioid use disorderLegal systemStandard of careStructural barriersUse disorderEnhanced standard of careRates of opioid use disorderDelivery of PrEPPre-exposure prophylaxisWomen's abilityRandomized clinical trialsLife-saving interventionsRandomized controlled trialsHealth disparitiesImplementation outcomesPrEP initiationPreventive servicesClinical outcomesIntegrated deliveryFollow-upDelivery modelsClinical trialsDecision aidPrEP
2024
Decarceration and COVID-19 infections in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities: a simulation modeling study
Weyant C, Meyer J, Bromberg D, Beyrer C, Altice F, Goldhaber-Fiebert J. Decarceration and COVID-19 infections in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities: a simulation modeling study. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas 2024, 42: 100971. PMID: 39830893, PMCID: PMC11741939, DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100971.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDecrease in provider stigma is associated with improved quality health indicators among individuals receiving methadone in primary care centers in Ukraine
Machavariani E, Bromberg D, Dumchev K, Esserman D, Earnshaw V, Pykalo I, Filippovich M, Ivasiy R, Ahmad B, Long J, Haddad M, Madden L, Oliveros D, Dvoriak S, Altice F. Decrease in provider stigma is associated with improved quality health indicators among individuals receiving methadone in primary care centers in Ukraine. International Journal Of Drug Policy 2024, 136: 104682. PMID: 39705875, PMCID: PMC11821433, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104682.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPrimary care centersQuality health indicatorsProvider stigmaEvidence-based practiceGuideline-concordantPatient outcomesHealth indicatorsReduce provider stigmaCare centerInfluence healthcare utilizationSpecialty health servicesPatient-level outcomesTele-educationImprove patient outcomesProvider fearsImplementation trialHealthcare utilizationPreventive careHealth servicesPoor healthLinear mixed-effects modelsImprove attitudesStigmaIncrease accessMixed-effects modelsImproving implementation of needle and syringe programmes to expand, scale up, and sustain evidence-based prevention interventions for HIV and hepatitis C in prisons
Kronfli N, Bromberg D, Wolff H, Montanari L, Vasyliev S, Altice F. Improving implementation of needle and syringe programmes to expand, scale up, and sustain evidence-based prevention interventions for HIV and hepatitis C in prisons. The Lancet Public Health 2024, 10: e63-e70. PMID: 39701113, PMCID: PMC11823114, DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(24)00275-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHealth-care equityPrison-based needleHuman rights principlesStandard of health careUN General AssemblySyringe programmesEvidence-based interventionsHCV elimination goalsCarceral settingsRights principlesLegal statusMember statesGeneral AssemblyPrisonEvidence-based preventive interventionsYears of commitmentImplementation science methodsPNSPHCV prevention strategiesImplementation of needleImprove implementationDrug useCountry-level stakeholdersPolitical commitmentMultilevel stakeholdersDisruptions to HIV Prevention During Armed Conflict in Ukraine and Other Settings
Nikitin B, Bromberg D, Ivasiy R, Madden L, Machavariani E, Dvoriak S, Poole D, Otiashvilli D, Altice F. Disruptions to HIV Prevention During Armed Conflict in Ukraine and Other Settings. Current HIV/AIDS Reports 2024, 22: 10. PMID: 39672977, PMCID: PMC11823171, DOI: 10.1007/s11904-024-00716-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTransformation of the HIV treatment cascade for people who inject drugs in Ukraine
Bromberg D, Rhoades D, Madden L, Ivasiy R, Meteliuk A, Pykalo I, Filippovych M, Nikitin B, Farnum S, Fomenko T, Dvoriak S, Altice F. Transformation of the HIV treatment cascade for people who inject drugs in Ukraine. AIDS 2024, 39: 306-311. PMID: 39589135, DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000004056.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchOpioid agonist therapyAntiretroviral therapyImprove HIV treatment outcomesHIV treatment outcomesHIV care cascadeCross-sectional biobehavioral surveyTreatment outcomesCare cascadeUkraine's HIV epidemicPrescription of antiretroviral therapyPrescribed antiretroviral therapyAdherence to antiretroviral therapyHIV treatment cascadeAgonist therapyBiobehavioral surveyOpioid dependenceHIV diagnosisTreatment cascadeHIV epidemicHIVOpioidPWIDTherapyDrugOutcomesComparing the brief Holistic Health for HIV (3H+) to the Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP+) among people with HIV and opioid use disorder: Results from a randomized, controlled non-inferiority trial
Zelenev A, Huedo-Medina T, Shrestha R, Mistler C, Altice F, Sibilio B, Copenhaver M. Comparing the brief Holistic Health for HIV (3H+) to the Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP+) among people with HIV and opioid use disorder: Results from a randomized, controlled non-inferiority trial. PLOS ONE 2024, 19: e0312165. PMID: 39509356, PMCID: PMC11542883, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312165.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHolistic Health Recovery ProgramEvidence-based interventionsHolistic healthHIV treatmentRisk behaviorsReduce HIV risk behaviorsDifference-in-differencesEnd-of-interventionControlled non-inferiority trialHIV Epidemic goalsDrug treatment settingsAttainment of viral suppressionNon-inferiority trialRecovery programViral suppressionHigh ART adherenceHIV risk behaviorsNon-inferiorityHHRP+ART adherenceBehavioral interventionsReal-world settingsNon-parametric bootstrappingCondom useOpioid-dependent peopleUser preferences for an mHealth app to support HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among men who have sex with men in Malaysia
Palmer L, Wickersham J, Gautam K, Maviglia F, Bruno B, Azwa I, Khati A, Altice F, Paudel K, Pagoto S, Shrestha R. User preferences for an mHealth app to support HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among men who have sex with men in Malaysia. PLOS Digital Health 2024, 3: e0000643. PMID: 39475851, PMCID: PMC11524455, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000643.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHIV prevention servicesHIV testingPreventive servicesPre-exposure prophylaxis uptakeHIV prevention appIncrease HIV testingMobile appsPrevalence of HIVHard-to-reach populationsStudy assessed attitudesOnline focus groupsMalaysian MSMCost of servicesPrEP uptakeDedoose softwareMHealth appsPrevention appsFocus groupsIntervention modalitiesMSMEngagement strategiesHIVConfidentiality risksThematic contentMenCharacterizing a syndemic: STI symptoms, substance use & violence among incarcerated Peruvian women
Hashemi E, Cyrus E, Turpin R, Bazo A, Morgan-Lopez A, Scheidell J, Leon S, Altice F, Sciaudone M, Dyer T. Characterizing a syndemic: STI symptoms, substance use & violence among incarcerated Peruvian women. European Journal Of Public Health 2024, 34: ckae144.1502. PMCID: PMC11517018, DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.1502.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIncarcerated womenSubstance useInterpersonal violenceSexually transmitted infection symptomsIncreased rates of incarcerationSexually transmitted infectionsExperiences of interpersonal violenceRates of incarcerationSTI symptomsLatent profile analysisViolenceLatent classesAt-risk populationsIncarcerationPrisonPeruvian womenEpidemiological dataSexual behaviorSymptomsLogistic regressionWomenBivariate analysisLatent profile analysis modelSubstancesIncreased rateIntegrated Online-to-Offline Model of Care for HIV Prevention and Treatment Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia: Protocol for an Intervention Development and a Multiphase Trial
Khati A, Wickersham J, Gautam K, Paudel K, Phiphatkhunarnon P, Lim S, Puniamurthy K, Altice F, Phanuphak N, Azwa I, Shrestha R. Integrated Online-to-Offline Model of Care for HIV Prevention and Treatment Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia: Protocol for an Intervention Development and a Multiphase Trial. JMIR Research Protocols 2024, 13: e60962. PMID: 39441624, PMCID: PMC11541154, DOI: 10.2196/60962.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA qualitative dyad analysis of barriers and facilitators of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people who inject drugs (PWID) with HIV in Kazakhstan
Neuenschwander P, Altice F, Remien R, Mergenova G, Sarsembayeva L, Rozental E, Gulyayev V, Davis A. A qualitative dyad analysis of barriers and facilitators of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people who inject drugs (PWID) with HIV in Kazakhstan. AIDS Care 2024, 37: 151-160. PMID: 39404196, PMCID: PMC11682916, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2024.2414078.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAntiretroviral therapy adherenceSocial supportART adherenceFacilitators of ART adherenceBarriers to ART adherenceAntiretroviral therapyART adherence interventionsInjection drug useDyad analysisAdherence interventionsAdherence barriersLack of awarenessHIV epidemicAdherencePWIDDrug useHIVInterpersonal levelRelationship contextDyad membersFacilitationIndividual levelPWHDyadsIntimate partnersDesign and implementation of a Type-2 hybrid, prospective randomized trial of opioid agonist therapies integration into primary care clinics in Ukraine
Machavariani E, Dumchev K, Pykalo I, Filippovych M, Ivasiy R, Esserman D, Madden L, Bromberg D, Haddad M, Morozova O, Ahmad B, Gómez D, Farnum S, Dvoriak S, Altice F. Design and implementation of a Type-2 hybrid, prospective randomized trial of opioid agonist therapies integration into primary care clinics in Ukraine. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2024, 146: 107690. PMID: 39265780, PMCID: PMC11531372, DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107690.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPrimary care centersQuality health indicatorsNon-communicable diseasesSpecialty treatment centersOpioid agonist therapyImplementation of integrated carePay-for-performance incentivesPrimary care clinicsPrimary care settingSelf-reported prevalencePay-for-performancePrevalence of medical comorbiditiesParticipants self-reportedEffective evidence-based treatmentsHealth of PWIDEvidence-based treatmentsIntegrated careCare clinicsImplementation outcomesImplementation trialCare settingsElectronic chart reviewHigh-burden countriesSpecialty servicesHIV prevalenceTransforming HIV Care: Adapting the Health4All Module to Combat the Stigma Among Malaysian Primary Healthcare Workers
Salaton N, Zaki R, Lim S, Ishak N, Kamarulzaman A, Altice F. Transforming HIV Care: Adapting the Health4All Module to Combat the Stigma Among Malaysian Primary Healthcare Workers. Cureus 2024, 16: e69252. PMID: 39398759, PMCID: PMC11470435, DOI: 10.7759/cureus.69252.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchReduce HIV stigmaHIV stigmaHealthcare workersRandomized controlled trialsMean scoreHealthcare settingsPrimary healthcare workersPrimary health clinicsImplementing HIV preventionHealth clinicsHIV preventionHealthcare facilitiesTraining programStigmaHealthcareSignificant barriersDiscriminatory attitudesStudy outcomesTraining moduleImplementation processResponse ratePerceived riskScoresBaselineTrainingInterventions to reduce harms related to drug use among people who experience incarceration: systematic review and meta-analysis
Macdonald C, Macpherson G, Leppan O, Tran L, Cunningham E, Hajarizadeh B, Grebely J, Farrell M, Altice F, Degenhardt L. Interventions to reduce harms related to drug use among people who experience incarceration: systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health 2024, 9: e684-e699. PMID: 39214637, DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(24)00160-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOpioid agonist treatmentDrug useRisk behaviorsReducing re-arrestsTherapeutic community interventionsEffectiveness of interventionsRecidivism outcomesReduce injection risk behaviorExperience incarcerationRe-arrestIncarcerationService provisionRecidivismPrisonSystematic reviewCommunity interventionsSubstance useSelf-harmInjection risk behaviorsRandom-effects meta-analysesMeta-analysisAlcohol useSyringe sharingPooled odds ratioRisk of deathUsing nominal group technique with people who are incarcerated in Canadian federal prisons to identify barriers and solutions to improving Prison Needle Exchange Program uptake
Lafferty L, Altice F, Leone F, Stoové M, Lloyd A, Hajarizadeh B, Kronfli N. Using nominal group technique with people who are incarcerated in Canadian federal prisons to identify barriers and solutions to improving Prison Needle Exchange Program uptake. International Journal Of Drug Policy 2024, 131: 104549. PMID: 39141957, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104549.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCanadian federal prisonsFederal prisonsPeer advocatesProgram participantsWrap-around servicesCorrectional authoritiesPrisonParticipant confidentialityFear of repercussionsHarm reductionLack of confidentialityPerceived repercussionsPriority barriersNeedle exchange programsParticipants' narrativesDrug useAdvocatesVotingAccess barriersIdentity processesImprove accessFocus groupsNominal group techniqueConfidentialityInterview transcripts