The ethics of exclusion: why pregnant and lactating women must be front and centre of HIV research

Predictors of antiretroviral treatment failure to the first line therapy: a cross-sectional study among Iranian HIV-positive adults

“…In another study, adverse clinical outcomes, depression, a lower status of disclosure, and social isolation were reported in older patients with HIV-positive status. The elderly population necessitates an early diagnosis since the CD4 cells in these individuals are present at a diminished level, consequently resulting in a more compromised immune system and less efficient response to ART [33,34].…”

“…In addition, due to their very small sample size and special clinical conditions, some patients, such as those who were younger than 18 years old and women with a pregnancy history of the past six months, were excluded from this study. Pregnant individuals require new antiretroviral medications and drug delivery methods that are both safe and efficient in managing HIV; unsurprisingly, this group is underrepresented in studies [34]. In addition, this investigation was carried out between 2020 and 2023, which coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran [35].…”

Disrupting the status quo to achieve early inclusion of pregnant women in studies of new agents for prevention and treatment of HIV infection

“…A careful assessment of the risk and benefit balance is, therefore, essential when approaching the issue of investigating new medications in people of reproductive age. Singh et al., in the supplement, apply an ethical lens to these issues and address the question of maternal autonomy in this balancing act [18].…”