New research presented at IAS 2023 included an 88% reduction in new HIV infections in Sydney, practice-changing results from the REPRIEVE trial, and more.

Skye McGregor, PhD

Following news that Inner Sydney, Australia, reduced new HIV infections by 88%, research from IAS 2023 showed that Australia is also likely to reach the UN’s 95-95-95 targets for HIV by 2025. Skye McGregor, PhD, and colleagues assessed trends in epidemiological metrics from 2004-2021, calculating annual estimates for the HIV cascade and the number of new HIV infections annually. They estimated that 29,460 people (range, 25,230-34,070) were living with HIV in Australia at the end of 2021. The country achieved all 90-90-90 targets in 2020, with 91.1% of people with HIV diagnosed, 91.6% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 97.8% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression—the last of the 95-95-95 targets—at the end of 2021. Dr. McGregor reported decreases in each gap of the cascade and noted that the number of people living and diagnosed with HIV is stabilizing. However, the percentage of patients diagnosed and on treatment has plateaued below 92% since 2015, following a large decline in the number untreated during 2011-2014. Changes in the cascade gaps aligned with a slow uptick in HIV notifications during 2004-2014, followed by a slow decrease to 2019 and then a rapid decline. Comparable trends were observed for estimates of new HIV infections. Further, most metrics substantially improved since 2004, including after the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020. The incidence prevalence ratio fell below the UNAIDS global target of 0.03 in 2019. “As Australia stays on course to become one of the first countries to virtually eliminate HIV, the science produced here has the potential to inform the global HIV response,” an IAS chair said in a statement.