The approval of the first long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI ART) in 2021 marked a significant milestone in HIV care. However, real-world implementation has proven challenging, hindering widespread clinic adoption and limiting patient access. The Accelerating Implementation of Multilevel Strategies to Advance Long-Acting Injectables for Underserved Populations (ALAI UP) project aims to support clinics across the United States in designing and strengthening LAI ART programs, particularly for underserved communities.

Since March 2023, ALAI UP has partnered with eight clinical sites across the country to address this implementation gap and accelerate the adoption of long-acting injectable ART, beginning with injectable cabotegravir/rilpivirine (iCAB/RPV), also known as CABENUVA. Our goal is to expand access to, and uptake of, LAI ART in communities most affected by the HIV epidemic.

ALAI UP is a HRSA-funded Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) collaboration led by the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, in partnership with the NYC Health Department, the Hunter Alliance for Research and Translation at Hunter College, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the Southeast AIDS Training and Education Center at Vanderbilt University.