As people living with HIV live longer, a new challenge emerges: how do we adapt treatment for an ageing population?

In this episode of Paul Talks Science, Paul Adepoju speaks with Dr Loice Achieng Ombajo of the Department of Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Nairobi, about research shaping the future of HIV care for older adults. Drawing on findings from two studies, Dr Ombajo explores the shift from three-drug to two-drug regimens, the growing burden of comorbidities such as kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, and the implications of long-term antiretroviral use.

The conversation also tackles why older adults are often overlooked in HIV research, the policy changes needed to protect this rapidly growing group, and what decades of treatment tell us about sustaining health into older age. From funding cuts to the promise of long-acting therapies, this episode examines what it really means to maintain the gains of the HIV response as populations age.