Stanton CA, Kumar PN, Moadel AB, et al. - In the United States, tobacco use has emerged as the leading killer of persons living with HIV (PLWH), researchers here examined the efficacy of tobacco treatment strategies in PLWH. They conducted a randomized controlled trial including a cohort of 450 PLWH smokers. Participants were recruited from HIV-care centers in the Bronx, New York, and Washington, DC, and were randomized 1:1 into the Positively Smoke Free (PSF), an intensive group therapy intervention targeting HIV-infected smokers, or brief advice to quit conditions. In the intention to treat analysis, nearly double quit rates were evident among PSF condition individuals vs controls, 13% vs 6.6%, at 3 months, however, there was no significant difference in abstinence at 6 months. At both 3 and 6 months, lower nicotine dependence and higher self-efficacy to resist smoking temptations were observed among PSF participants vs controls. The following factors were identified as significant predictors of continued smoking at 6 months: lower educational attainment, current cocaine use, past use of nicotine patches, and higher distress tolerance. Findings thereby support a possible role for group therapy among tobacco treatments for PLWH smokers, however, there is a necessity for strategies to augment the durability of early effects.