[Modern HIV treatment]

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Virology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is now a chronic disease with a good prognosis when treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• Current treatment standards involve lifelong combination therapy with three active drugs.
• Each HIV-infected patient requires treatment irrespective of clinical or immunological status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current landscape of antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection.
• To highlight the role of integrase inhibitors in modern HIV treatment regimens.
• To discuss considerations for combination therapy, including drug interactions and treatment changes.

Main Methods:

• Review of current guidelines and available combination drug therapies for HIV.
• Discussion of drug classes including nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, integrase inhibitors, boosted protease inhibitors, and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
• Consideration of treatment adherence, drug interactions, virological failure, adverse events, and novel therapeutic approaches.

Main Results:

• Integrase inhibitors are recommended as a preferred third agent due to high efficacy and favorable safety.
• Many single-pill, once-daily combination therapies are available, simplifying treatment.
• Potential drug interactions, especially with boosted regimens, require careful management.

Conclusions:

• Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) has made human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection a manageable chronic condition.
• Treatment should be initiated for all patients, with integrase inhibitor-based regimens being a preferred option.
• Ongoing research explores dual therapy and long-acting agents, alongside the established use of ART for prophylaxis.