Third regional audit of antiretroviral prescribing in HIV patients

A multicentre re-audit of antiretroviral therapy (ART) prescribing in HIV-positive patients from October 2000 to March 2001, in the Yorkshire region, showed an improvement since our previous audit in 1999, with an increased proportion of patients taking three or more drugs. Overall, 53% of all patients on ART had complete HIV-1 virological suppression (<50 copies/mL). It is of concern that only 42% of ART-naïve patients who commenced their first regimen during the audit period, achieved complete virological suppression at 24 weeks of follow up. All clinics used the BHIVA guidelines and had access to HIV-1 ultrasensitive viral load and genotypic resistance testing. Future audits will be performed with an emphasis on adherence in relation to treatment response.