Evolution of Anti- Retroviral Therapy: Multiple Pills to Fixed Drug Combinations
Pazare, A.R.
Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 63(8): 11-13
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-5772 PMID: 27604430 Document Number: 680300
First anti-retroviral drug available for the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients was Zidovudine (AZT) in 1986.1 AZT monotherapy was the only available ART and it resulted in early resistance to AZT.2 Hence there was a need for new antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS. With a rapid development in research many new drugs came in the market. At present more than 25 antiretroviral drugs are available for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. With advancement in research and availability of RCTs results, it is evident that triple drug therapies are the only option for the treatment of HIV/AIDS to avoid early resistance. With the availability of newer and better drugs, older drugs like zalcitabine, delaverdine, stavudine were discarded. Older protease inhibitors (PIs) like indinavir, saquinavir are also being used less frequently due to availability of better PIs.