Initial therapy for HIV

Initial therapy for HIV

Guidelines for using antiviral therapy have been developed and are updated on a regular basis by an expert panel assembled by the DHHS, the IAS-USA panel, and others. The DHHS guidelines are available at http://www.hivatis.org. The most recent IAS-USA guidelines were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in the summer of 2008.

Antiviral treatment options have primarily included combinations of two nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), often referred to as "nucs," and one PI, typically with a low dose of RTV, a PI used at low doses to increase the level of the principle PI being used, so called "boosting." Alternative, preferred options include the use of two NRTIs with a nonnucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), the latter often called "non-nucs." These NNRTI-containing combinations generally are easier to take than PI-containing combinations and tend to have different side effects. Recently, NRTIs were combined with the integrase inhibitor raltegravir (Isentress, RAL) with very good viral suppression and tolerability. This novel combination has now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as another treatment option for those initiating therapy for the first time.