What is the effect of pill burden on adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy?

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination treatment involving three or more antiretroviral agents for patients with HIV. ART has reduced HIV-related morbidity and mortality via single-tablet or multiple-tablet regimens. Single-tablet regimens, with their lower pill burdens, have demonstrated higher adherence rates, improved viral suppression, and reduced resource use compared with multiple-tablet regimens. In addition, select newer ARTs do not require the high levels of adherence for viral load suppression required by older ART formulations.