Well-being in people with HIV after one year of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine

This study aimed to evaluate well-being in people with HIV (PWH) who started long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) using the 16-item generic well-being questionnaire (W-BQ16) at the switch and after one year of treatment. SCohoLART is a prospective study conducted on PWH on virological suppression who switched to CAB/RPV. Participants completed the W-BQ16 at the switch and after one year of therapy. The W-BQ16 includes four subscales: negative well-being, energy, positive well-being, and stress, with a general well-being score ranging from 0 to 48. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Spearman correlations. Overall, 221 PWH were included. The median General Well-Being score was 38 (32–42 ) at the switch. After one year of CAB/RPV, we found a significant improvement in the answer 4 (“I get upset easily or feel panicky”) of the negative well-being subscale, in the answer 7 (“I feel tired or exhausted”) of the energy subscale and in the answer 11 (“I feel ready to tackle daily tasks or make new decisions”) of the positive well-being subscale. Compared to the questionnaires completed at baseline, the median negative Well-Being score was lower (p = 0.05). Our study supported that CAB/RPV can improve some aspects of well-being in PWH, mostly related to emotional distress; however, the general well-being score remained stable over one year of follow-up.