Joseph Burkhart, PharmD

One molecule now carries both a prevention and a treatment indication, and the panel outlines how pharmacists serve as the critical checkpoint against dispensing errors and inadvertent monotherapy.

As people with HIV live longer, first-line decisions increasingly hinge on cardiovascular risk, comorbidities, and drug interactions — areas where the pharmacist's full view of the medication list matters most.

Integrase inhibitors remain the clear first choice, yet prior long-acting PrEP exposure and the practical realities of same-day starts are reshaping when alternatives make more sense.

Before weighing new options, the panel resets the foundation: how antiretroviral classes work, what the 2026 DHHS update actually changed, and why therapy should start as soon as possible.