New uses for tenofovir: more questions about d4T

In fall of 2001, the drug tenofovir (Viread) was approved based on data showing its effectiveness in people who had previously developed resistance to one or more of the older anti-HIV drugs of the NRTI class (nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, such as AZT, ddI, 3TC, d4T, etc.). The drug filled an important niche since tens of thousands of people had been on such drugs for many years already. Since tenofovir also offered the advantage of once daily usage and an excellent side effect record, many people wondered how the drug would fare when used as a person's first therapy or in the early years of treatment. They didn't have long to wait for an answer, which was announced at the Barcelona Conference.