Medicine plus mobile phone support to help people with HIV in India quit tobacco

Varenicline and mobile behavioral assistance for tobacco cessation in HIV care in India

NIH-funded research University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11166586

This offers the quit-smoking pill varenicline together with a mobile phone behavioral program to help adults living with HIV in India stop using tobacco.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Colorado Denver NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11166586 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you live with HIV and use tobacco, this program combines the medication varenicline with a mobile version of the Positively Smoke Free behavioral support program and extra help to take your medicine. People are recruited from HIV clinics in Chennai where most patients have mobile phones. The mobile program sends counseling content and reminders while clinic staff provide adherence support for the medication. Quit rates and tobacco use will be tracked over time to see how well the combined approach works.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults (21+) living with HIV who currently smoke or use tobacco, receive care at participating HIV clinics in India, and can use a mobile phone are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who do not use tobacco, cannot take varenicline for medical reasons, or lack access to a mobile phone or clinic follow-up may not benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more people with HIV in India quit tobacco and reduce tobacco-related health problems.

How similar studies have performed: In higher-income countries, the Positively Smoke Free program and varenicline have helped people with HIV quit, but combining them and delivering the behavioral support by mobile phone in India is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Aurora, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.