Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41799425›Full record

ReviewHIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.)2026

Alternative Administration of Antiretroviral Therapy in People with HIV Unable to Swallow: A Scoping Review.

Hilal Abdessamad, Christina Baroody, Karolina Pogorzelski, Wassim Jamaleddine, Monicah Syomiti Kitonga, Habib Omar, Seth Adu Amankrah, Kristine Allen-Brown, Dima Dandachi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Hilal AbdessamadDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9111-5521
Christina Baroody *Investigational Drugs Service, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5929-3758
Karolina Pogorzelski *Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Wassim Jamaleddine *Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Monicah Syomiti KitongaFaculty of Medicine, Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya.ORCID 0009-0004-5932-1500
Habib OmarSchool of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Seth Adu AmankrahSchool of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Kristine Allen-BrownSchool of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Dima DandachiDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To review published evidence on alternative administration methods for antiretroviral therapy in patients unable to swallow tablets. Methods: We conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from 2011 to 2025. We included studies reporting pharmacokinetic data, clinical outcomes, or safety data on crushed, dispersed, or enterally administered antiretroviral formulations. Four independent reviewers screened 1,474 articles after duplicate removal, with 12 studies meeting selection criteria. Results: We identified 12 studies (8 case reports, 2 case series, 2 cohort studies) describing alternative administration of antiretrovirals. Key findings included: (1) Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide was associated with viral suppression when dissolved and administered enterally; (2) Dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine crushed via nasogastric tube was associated with viral suppression within 10 months; (3) Dolutegravir requires separation from enteral feeds containing polyvalent cations to avoid chelation and reduced absorption. (4) Most nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) could be crushed or dissolved, while non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) showed variable stability. (5) Therapeutic drug monitoring was recommended for integrase inhibitors administered enterally. Conclusion: This review provides evidence suggesting the use of modified ART formulations when standard oral administration is not possible. In situations where swallowing difficulties prevent the use of whole tablets, alternative methods such as crushing, or dissolving may offer a practical approach to maintain treatment continuity. Alternative administration ART, namely INSTI-based regimens and NRTIs, may help maintain viral suppression in these settings, provided that drug-specific pharmacokinetic considerations and enteral feeding interactions are addressed. Further prospective studies with therapeutic drug monitoring are needed to establish standardized protocols.

Indexed as

antiretroviral therapydysphagiaenteral administrationfeeding tubesHIV pharmacokinetics

Identifiers

PMID41799425
PMCPMC12967047

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.