CROI 2026: Introduction and main themes
21 February 2026. Related: Early access, Conference reports, CROI 33 (Retrovirus) 2026, Conference index.
Simon Collins, HIV i-Base
From 22–25 February 2026, CROI will be held in Denver, Colorado and also as a hybrid meeting for online delegates.
Maintaining both options is essential given the increasing concerns many people have about travelling to the US and the costs involved in attending international meetings. It is also linked to the Trump administration’s policies to cancel funding for many international health programmes and its increasingly anti-science agenda.
These policy changes are so dramatic that the CROI Foundation now proactively states the importance of scientific research and investment in public health. This statement also condemns the censoring of science and the withdrawal of funding for research and for evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes.
Although approximately 3000 delegates are registered to attend in person, international community attendance is likely to now be lower than in recent years.
This is no reflection on the quality of the research that will be presented over the next week. CROI is still one of the most important meetings for researchers to showcase their work, and as with previous meetings, this year has an exciting and varied programme.
This includes the preliminary programme that has already been posted online:
https://www.croiconference.org/preliminary-agenda
A link to the full programme will be added here once it becomes available.
Access to abstracts will initially be restricted to delegates until either the end of the conference or a month later, but should then be accessible here:
https://www.croiconference.org/search-abstracts
Selected podcasts and review video resources:
https://www.croiconference.org/our-voices
New CROI policies and opening talks
One of the practical changes this year is that daily press conferences are no longer being held. This is a progressive development that might be considered by other conference organisers, including IAS.
The 2026 conference includes 1028 abstracts (from >1700 submitted), including 70 late-breakers. Of these, 98 are oral presentations, 47 in poster discussions and 930 posters.
Links to early reports
Early reports from CROI 2026 will be added daily to the list below.
An early overview covering new HIV drugs, new PrEP drugs, bNAbs, HIV complications, GLP-1 weight-busting drugs in people with HIV, cure-related research, key populations, impact of US policy changes, new monitoring testa and more.
A new once-daily small pill can effectively simplify ART for many on complicated combinations
This is the second randomised clinical study to report no benefit against gonorrhoea for gay men given the 4CMenB vaccine.
Phase 3 study chowing pritelivir is active against drug-resistant herpes.
Long-term results from this 8-year French PrEP study predominantly in gay men continues to show flexibility of 2:1:1 dosing and daily dosing.
The dose selection for this very exciting option for once-monthly oral PrEP.
An interesting study looking at future PrEP against HIV with drug resistance,
A statement by the conference organiser’s reflects the concerns of researchers to the current anti-science policies of the Trump administration.