Combination Drugs in HIV Treatment

Modern HIV treatment is often a "cocktail" of medications. Antiretroviral drugs are used to fight HIV and AIDS, with changes made if the virus develops resistance against a particular combination.

History

• AZT was the first drug for HIV and AIDS, developed as an anti-cancer drug in 1964. AZT was effective at first, but viral resistance began to appear in many patients, and new treatment options had to be found.

Research

• Studies by the AIDSinfo panel of doctors and researchers---in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health---showed that attacking only one aspect of the virus with AZT had allowed the virus to mutate. In 1992, new antiretroviral drugs were introduced and used with AZT to combat HIV infection.

Classes

• As of 2009, there were five classes of antiretrovirals, each attacking HIV in a different manner: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI); non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI); protease inhibitors; fusion and entry inhibitors; and integrase inhibitors.

Composition

• A combination therapy regimen generally contains one drug from three different classes, but some combinations include drugs from four different classes.

Side Effects

• Antiretroviral medications, alone or in combinations, have side effects, including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and lethargy. The National Institutes of Health notes that these side effects are more common early in treatment.