Peer Behavioral Activation Utilization to Improve Substance Use and HIV Outcomes in People Receiving Long Acting Injectable-PrEP/ART (PUSH) (PUSH)

October 29, 2025 updated by: Elana Rosenthal, University of Maryland, Baltimore

This randomized Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (N=186) will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a peer-delivered problem solving and behavioral activation intervention for adherence to LAI-PrEP/ART ("Peer Activate-LAI") compared to enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) for a largely Black, substance-using population living with or at high risk for HIV. Specific aims are to:

Aim 1: Evaluate the effectiveness of Peer Activate-LAI over 12-months on: a) LAI-PrEP/ART adherence (primary; receipt of all 6 maintenance injections within 7-day window); and b) substance use (secondary; WHOASSIST, urine toxicology); and c) Explore the moderating role of SRD-related factors (exploratory)

Aim 2: To evaluate the implementation of Peer Activate-LAI including feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and adoption guided by RE-AIM and Proctor's model,12,13 assessed using mixed methods, including a rapid ethnographic assessment of how SRD-related factors may affect implementation.

Aim 3: To evaluate the economic viability of Peer Activate-LAI, including a) cost of implementation and sustainment, and b) cost-effectiveness from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

This study will inform a potentially scalable, cost-effective model for facilitating effective adherence to LAI formulations of PrEP/ART within Black, substance-using populations with multiple minority identities who to date have had limited support for improving LAI adherence for HIV treatment and prevention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background. Substance use continues to be a major driver of HIV acquisition and has been associated with suboptimal ART adherence, treatment interruption, and inability to achieve or maintain viral suppression. Use of PrEP, a key tool for HIV prevention, is disproportionately lower in racial/ethnic minorities, as well as people who inject drugs. Factors related to structural racism and discrimination (SRD) may contribute to low rates of adherence in these populations. New long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations of PrEP/ART provide a potential biomedical intervention to overcome adherence challenges, however, due to the prolonged subtherapeutic period after LAI discontinuation, ensuring adherence is crucial.

A peer-delivered reinforcement-based intervention may be a promising solution for improving LAI adherence. Our team has developed through several rounds of stakeholder feedback a peer-delivered behavioral activation and problem-solving intervention, Peer Activate. Peer Activate focuses on problem-solving skills to improve adherence to ART and/or PrEP both at the individual level and social/structural barriers to care (i.e., transportation, housing) and includes behavioral activation to promote engagement in rewarding, substance-free activities in one's environment and structured daily activities to promote treatment adherence. Delivery by a peer with formal training and shared lived experiences enhances the impact of the intervention on SRD-related factors. However, Peer Activate has not been evaluated in the context of LAI PrEP/ART.

Preliminary Studies. This proposal builds upon our team's prior studies demonstrating 1) our ability to engage patients with and at risk for HIV, facing multiple barriers due to SRD, and provide LAI PrEP/ART in community-based settings; 2) the feasibility and acceptability of Peer Activate and promise in improving HIV treatment adherence for people who use substances.; and 3) promise for cost-effectiveness.

Approach. We propose a randomized Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (N=186) to test the effectiveness and implementation of Peer Activate for LAI PrEP/ART ("Peer Activate-LAI") vs. enhanced treatment as usual for a predominantly Black substance using population living with or at high risk for HIV, evaluating the following over 12 months:

  1. effectiveness: a) LAI PrEP/ART adherence (primary; receipt of all 6 maintenance injections within 7-day window); b) substance use (secondary; urine toxicology, self-report); c) SRD as moderators of effectiveness (exploratory);
  2. Implementation of Peer Activate-LAI including feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and adoption guided by RE-AIM and Proctor's model,9,10 assessed using mixed methods, including a rapid ethnographic assessment of how SRD-related factors may affect implementation; and
  3. Economic viability of Peer Activate-LAI, including cost of implementation and sustainment and cost-effectiveness from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Implications.

This study will inform a potentially scalable, cost-effective model for facilitating effective adherence to LAI formulations of ART/PrEP within Black, substance using populations who to date have had limited support for improving LAI adherence for HIV ART/PrEP.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
186

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20002
        • Recruiting
        • HIPS (Harm reduction drop-in center)
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Elana Rosenthal, MD
        • Contact:
          • Phyllis Bijole Clinic Manager
          • Phone Number: 202.834.3289
          • Email: phyllis@hips.org
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Meredith Zoltick, NP
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ashley Davis, NP
    • Maryland

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able and willing to sign informed consent
  • HIV status:

HIV negative with a negative HIV antibody/antigen test and meeting CDC(center for disease control and prevention) criteria for PrEP HIV positive with a positive antibody/antigen test

  • Meeting indications for treatment based on Cabotegravir-LA (HIV negative) or Cabotegravir (CAB) and Rilpivirine (RPV)-LA (HIV positive) prescribing information
  • Moderate substance use, defined as a (World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) WHO-ASSIST score of ≥4 for certain drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, inhalants, sedatives, hallucinogens, or opioids) or ≥11 for alcohol

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to Cabotegravir-LA (HIV-) or Cabotegravir (CAB) and Rilpivirine (RPV)-LA (HIV+) use based on prescribing information or other medical/psychiatric conditions that may interfere with study participation
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Peer Activate-LAI
Peer Activate-LAI, is a peer recovery specialist-delivered (PRS) behavioral activation (BA) and problem solving intervention aimed at improving adherence to LAI-PrEP/ART. BA was originally developed as an efficacious treatment for depression, with accumulating empirical support for SUD outcomes, including SUD treatment retention and HIV medication adherence, particularly when integrated with problem solving strategies. BA offers important advantages compared to other psychosocial interventions by being feasible and potentially sustainable for PRS delivery, appropriate for low-income individuals with OUD and other non-opioid SUD, and focused on building positive reinforcement in the current environment through engagement in adaptive, valued behaviors.
Behavioral: Peer Activate-LAI
Peer Activate-LAI is a Peer Recovery Specialist-delivered behavioral activation and problem solving intervention, based on our team's formative work. The intervention focuses on problem-solving skills to improve adherence to ART and/or PrEP both at the individual level and environmental barriers to care (i.e., transportation, housing).
Other: Standard of Care HIV treatment or prevention with LAI-PrEP/ART
Standard of care HIV treatment or prevention with LAI-PrEP/ART
Active Comparator: Enhanced Treatment As Usual
Participants in the Enhanced Treatment As Usual (ETAU) arm receive access to standard clinical care, including access to a clinician with expertise in HIV and PrEP, opportunity for co-located treatment of OUD, and STI testing and treatment, and general peer support. Enhanced treatment includes reminder phone calls and facilitated referrals to psychosocial, housing, financial benefits and legal services.
Other: Standard of Care HIV treatment or prevention with LAI-PrEP/ART
Standard of care HIV treatment or prevention with LAI-PrEP/ART

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
LAI-PrEP/ART Complete Adherence
Time Frame: 12 months

Defined as receiving all 6 LAI maintenance doses within the +/-7 day window.

Unit of Measure: Binary (Yes/No)
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 18, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 2, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 9, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 31, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 29, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HP-00110311

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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