CROI 2025 in the shadow of Trump: early news and reports

8 March 2025. Related: News.

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base

This year’s CROI, the most important scientific HIV conference, is being held from 9 to 12 March in San Francisco, California. [1]

This will not be a normal CROI.

A white protest placard against a clear blue sky. Text on the placard reads, "Investment in science is investment in our future." The word 'future' is emphasised.

This year the conference is being held in the aftershock of the first weeks of a new US administration that decimated HIV treatment and prevention programmes globally. [2, 3]

This was without concern for the 20 million people living with HIV who access ART through the US PEPFAR programme. Or for the millions more whose healthcare is covered by international HIV prevention programmes, including thousands of community clinics developed after years of work.

This will make the conference a focus for resistance. Despite the Trump ban to prevent US government scientists from attending the meeting, or routinely presenting their research, CROI will still bring together thousands of HIV researchers, scientists, doctors and community activists.

This will be an emotionally charged meeting and the feeling from the delegates already here is that people are attending for more than science.

And of course the programme is as scientifically vibrant and dynamic as always.

Highlights from the programme this year include:

  • Pipeline ART and PrEP
    New data will be presented on new compounds and combinations for HIV treatment with a focus on long-acting drugs from existing and new drug classes. These will include islatravir, lenacapavir and other capsid inhibitors, bNAbs (including N6LS and the TAB and ZAB twins – teropavimab and zinlirvimab).
  • PrEP in practice
    Many studies will cover the practical issues associated with access to PrEP, including event-based dosing of oral PrEP for women and new data on the potential for a single annual lenacapavir injection for PrEP. Also studies on access to long-acting injectable PrEP for all and pricing of generic formulations.
  • Formulations for children
    Several studies present new data on dosing options for children, including dolutegravir dosing for neonates.
  • bNAbs and cure-related research
    Several studies will present data on the potential for bNAbs to control HIV viral load when taking a carefully controlled break in ART. This includes first results from the UK RIO study which has an oral presentation and several important posters.
  • Other cure-related studies
    Research on other cure-related approaches including stem-cell transplant. Also research into viral load control without ART includes someone who was a long-term slow progressor for over 30 years before viral load became detectable.
  • Weight changes and ART
    Several plenary talks and many of the submitted studies will focus on approaches to manage weight changes in people living with HIV.
  • Semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists
    Several studies present new and updated results from using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in people living with HIV and a potential role in other indications, including ageing and cognitive function.
  • Ageing and HIV
    Many aspects of the management of people living with HIV as we age include a focus this year on interpreting epigenetic ageing.
  • Drug resistance
    Several sessions in the programme continue to look at the implications of drug resistance to integrase inhibitors (INSTIs), which are the basis of the most widely used combinations globally. These include trying to explain why there are so low levels of resistance to this class.
  • Long COVID and mpox
    The programme still includes a focus on COVID-19, especially on understanding and managing Long COVID. Although there are fewer studies covering mpox, these will include more detailed phase 3 data from one of the recently discontinued tecovirimat studies, including the first open discussion on these results.

Early reports are linked below and will be added here are they are posted online.

EARLY ACCESS

References

  1. CROI 2025, 9 to 12 March 2025.
    https://www.croiconference.org/
  2. Global update: 90-day review ended, 10,000 cancelled grants, millions of people will suffer. HTB (1 March 2025).
  3. Impact of US elections and executive orders on global health: waiver covers PEPFAR with restrictions. HTB (7 February 2025).