Retroviruses and opportunistic infections--eighth annual conference--structured therapy interruption

The Eighth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) marked a moment of great uncertainty among physicians on how to manage antiretrovirals in the long term. Several protocols of structured therapy interruption (STI) suggest that a better, less toxic utilization of these drugs can be achieved, with similar or even greater efficacy than standard highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). A new frontier in the pharmacological control of HIV infection is the development of drugs capable of interfering with the attachment and entry of HIV; different molecules can prevent the in vitro fusion of viral and cellular membrane induced by activation of gp41 Env, whereas others target the interaction of gp120 Env with chemokine receptors. Drug transporters are becoming an important element in the pharmacological control of HIV infection, particularly for protease inhibitors.