A new cross-sectional study reveals significant disparities in access to CAR-T clinical trials for non-Hodgkin lymphoma among people living with HIV.
Researchers analyzed 80 interventional CAR-T trials actively recruiting adult participants in the contiguous US as of May 2025. Only 11 of those trials explicitly included people with HIV; 58 excluded them, and 11 did not specify.
Travel times for HIV-inclusive trials were significantly longer. The median travel time to the nearest HIV-inclusive trial was 1.15 hours, compared to 0.84 hours for trials that excluded people with HIV and 0.73 hours for the general trial population.
Access within one hour was also lower: 46% for HIV-inclusive studies versus 55% for HIV-exclusive ones. The gap widens in the southern US, where the median travel time to an HIV-inclusive trial was 1.70 hours, compared to 0.92 hours for an HIV-exclusive trial.
The authors conclude that despite progress in reducing exclusion based on HIV status, equitable access to CAR-T trials remains elusive, especially in regions with high HIV prevalence.