What Does Antiretroviral Mean?

Antiretroviral medications are a specific group of antiviral drugs (medications that treat viral conditions) designed to treat retroviruses, namely HIV. There are many different antiretroviral medications used to manage HIV disease, and they are the only effective treatment specific to HIV/AIDS.

Identification

• Antiretroviral medications combat HIV at many different stages (depending on the class of drug) as it attempts to infect host cells (HIV largely infects T-cells of the immune system) and replicate within them.

Types

• Classes of antiretroviral drugs include, according to the Mayo Clinic: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors and the newer classes integrase inhibitors, fusion inihibitors and chemokine co-receptor inhibitors. Each of the last three classes currently has only one drug.

History

• The first antiretroviral drug for HIV/AIDS, AZT (azidothymidine), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1987, according to Avert.org. Since then, many additional antiretroviral drugs have been developed and approved for use.

Features

• HIV medications are normally combined into a multi-drug treatment plan known as HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), according to Avert.org.

Significance

• Antiretroviral drug therapy can, according to Avert.org, slow down the progression of HIV-disease; however there is no cure for HIV/AIDS.