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Use of Unmanned Air Vehicles (Medical Drones) to Overcome Geographical Barriers to Delivery of Anti-Retroviral Therapy and Biological Samples

NCT06678022 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 1086

Last updated 2026-02-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the intervention of delivery of antiretroviral drugs by medical drones can improve virological suppression in a fisherfolk community population living with HIV in the islands of Kalangala District, Uganda. The main question it aims to answer is:

Can delivery of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) by unmanned aerial vehicles (medical drones) to people living with HIV (PLHIV) improve virological outcomes compared to the standard of care (SOC) in an underserved population? Primary hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that using drones will increase viral suppression in those receiving the intervention as compared to the control or outcome measure one-will be the proportion of PLHIV with undetectable HIV viral load in the intervention (drones) versus SOC arm at 12 months.

If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare \[Medical Drones delivery group\] to see total cost of 12 months medication delivery to people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the intervention as compared to standard of care (SOC) arm.

Proportion PLHIV with an undetectable viral load at 6, 18 and 24 months in intervention Rates of retention in care of PLHIV at 6,12, 18 and 24 months in intervention as compared to SOC arm

* Participants will be seen every 6 months for 24 months
* They will have blood draws for viral load tests
* They will complete interviewer administered questionnaires
* The intervention is last-mile delivery of ART by drones to landing sites

Conditions

  • HIV
  • Viral Load

Interventions

DEVICE

No Drone delivery

Usual ART delivery to landing sites

DEVICE

Fixed Wing drones

Last Mile fixed wing drone delivery

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Medical Research Council

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Infectious Diseases Institute, Uganda

    collaborator OTHER

  • Makerere University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
15 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-03-18
Primary Completion
2027-02-28
Completion
2027-12-15

Countries

  • Uganda

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06678022 on ClinicalTrials.gov