20 Years After AIDS Emerges, HIV's Complexities Still Loom Large

Article Abstract:

Researchers discussed the continuing challenges of treating HIV infection at the 8th Annual Retrovirus Conference, in 2001. Although there are 15 approved drugs for treating HIV infection and more in the pipeline, the virus is becoming resistant to many and many anti-HIV drugs have severe side effects.

Research, Product development, Drug resistance in microorganisms, Microbial drug resistance, Anti-HIV agents

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Other AIDS drug regimens beat AZT alone, reduce clinical progression and mortality

Article Abstract:

The use of zidovudine (AZT) alone appears to be less effective in treating patients with intermediate HIV infection than using the antiretroviral drug didanosine or therapies that combine AZT with didanosine or zalcitobine. The combination treatment may slow clinical progression of the disease and increase survival. The combination therapy may also prevent a 50% or greater drop in CD4+ cells. In one study of HIV patients who had not received AZT previously, 17% who used AZT alone died during the trial compared to 10% who used a combination of AZT and didanosine. As a result of several studies supporting the use of combination therapy for certain patients, recommendations to treat HIV-infected patients may change.

Health aspects, Development and progression, Zidovudine, Didanosine, Zalcitabine

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New anti-HIV drugs and treatment strategies buoy AIDS researchers

Article Abstract:

AIDS researchers expressed optimism over a new generation of drugs at the Third Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in 1996. Doctors are beginning to use a combination of drugs to treat HIV-infected patients rather than a single drug. Scientists have also developed a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors. These drugs block an enzyme used by the virus to assemble new virus particles. Saquinavir is the only protease inhibitor that has been approved by the FDA. Ritonavir is still experimental but has been shown to reduce the death rate from AIDS by almost half. Another experimental drug called indinavir has reduced the amount of virus in the blood of infected patients dramatically, especially when combined with AZT. This is important because it can lengthen the time it takes the virus to become resistant to the drug. However, combination therapy and routine tests for viral load could be very expensive.

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