Tel-Me-Box: Testing a New, Real-time Strategies for Monitoring HIV Medication Adherence in India

Currently available methods to monitor antiretroviral (ARV) adherence to HIV treatment and prevention, such as self-report, pill counts, medication electronic monitoring system (MEMS), and devices which wirelessly monitor adherence in real-time, have multiple limitations, including over-reporting, inability to assess pill ingestion, and size/expense. Our multidisciplinary research team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and in India has designed a new adherence-monitoring device called "Tel-Me-Box" which is small, low-cost, rechargeable, inconspicuous, and could be programmed to deliver tailored real-time adherence reminders following additional hardware modifications. The aim of this study is to modify and validate this discreet Tel-Me-Box (TMB) adherence monitoring and reminder device against hair ARV concentrations as a pharmacologic measure of drug ingestion/adherence, a measure pioneered and validated by our team, with the expectation that this device and intermittent hair monitoring could have widespread utility for HIV and non-HIV adherence science, both in India and globally.

Novel, validated methods to monitor adherence to HIV treatment in real time are urgently needed given the well-known limitations of self-reported adherence, pill counts, and MEMS caps. In order to be scalable and sustainable in both resource-rich and resource limited settings, such devices need to be low-cost and designed in a way that does not increase the risk of accidental HIV disclosure and subsequent stigma. Devices which both monitor adherence in real time and provide tailored reminders to patients for medication-taking have the potential to greatly improve adherence to HIV treatment as well as to treatment for other chronic diseases. Our Indo-US collaborative team has been conducting research on HIV stigma, ARV adherence patterns and barriers, treatment outcome, and drug resistance for over a decade. The study investigators have also pioneered the use of ARV concentrations in small hair samples to measure long-term ARV adherence in resource-rich and limited settings (RLS). In response to the need for novel adherence measures, our team has recently developed Tel-Me-Box, a small, low-cost adherence device that monitors adherence in real time, by transmitting a wireless signal to a server when opened. The investigators now propose to add hardware that will enable the server software to wirelessly program the device to activate tailored medication-taking reminders (via a beep, vibration, or LED light) after a period of inactivity. The device fits in a pocket, can hold 1-2 weeks' worth of medications, has a long battery life, simple charging capability, and has been found acceptable to Indian patients with adherence challenges in pilot studies. Since HIV stigma serves as a profound barrier to ARV adherence in many settings, including India, the small, inconspicuous nature of Tel-Me-Box, along with its ability to deliver tailored reminder features honors participants' privacy concerns. Since this electronic device monitoring cannot assess actual drug ingestion, validating it against a biological measure of adherence, such as ARV hair concentrations, is crucial.

This study includes a pilot randomized control trial (RCT) to examine acceptability and feasibility and to estimate the effect size of automated tailored real-time adherence reminders on hair ARV concentrations, device- monitored adherence, and viral load suppression in adherence-challenged patients.

The aim of this study is to validate TMB as an innovative tool to assess adherence and predict treatment outcomes, and demonstrate the feasibility of hair analyses in RLS. If successful, pilot data will be available on the efficacy of the Tel-Me-Box automated, tailored reminders for a future large scale RCT.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* HIV-positive
* Currently on antiretroviral therapy (ART)
* Speaks one of the local languages
* Able and willing to participate in the study, provide informed consent, contact information, and express a willingness to return for follow-up visits every three months for 12 months after baseline.
* Adherence-challenged per self-report, i.e. report of \<90% ART adherence or \>2 ART treatment interruptions of at least 2 days in the past 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unwilling or unable to participate in the study and/or return for follow-up appointments
* younger than 18 years old
* Not HIV-infected
* Not currently on ART
* Does not speak one of the local languages