Aiming for quality as well as quantity

The 4(th) International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection was held November 8-12, 1998, in Glasgow, Scotland. Triple combination therapy, the so-called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), has now become established as the cornerstone of treatment, but a number of new approaches are under investigation. Current treatments have a number of limitations, including problems achieving patient compliance with complicated drug regimens and the development of resistance. One of the most interesting drugs that may become more important in any future treatment is hydroxyurea. A patient genotyping approach may also become more popular in future in order to provide an objective means of selecting a new drug regimen. As well as attacking the HIV virus, some researchers believe that it is equally important to stimulate the patient's immune system, and a number of different methods are under study. Many still believe that an effective vaccine is the best way to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS; unfortunately, progress has been painfully slow in this area. Sadly, research in this area is concentrating on HIV subtypes found in North America and Europe, while most cases of HIV are in the Third World. Greater efforts should be made in this area since it offers the best way of helping the greatest number of HIV sufferers.