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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Rapid Screening of HIV Reverse Transcriptase and Integrase Inhibitors
Published on: April 9, 2014
How to prolong the effects of combination therapy for HIV
A Karpas1, S Ash, D Bainbridge
1Dept of Haematology, Cambridge University, MRC Centre, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract:
Infection with HIV leads to AIDS and death in about 90% of patients within ten years. The first generation of anti-HIV drugs inhibited the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT); but long-term studies have revealed side-effects and a high rate of emergence of drug-resistant HIV mutants. The more recent combination of two anti-RT drugs and a protease inhibitor appears to be more promising: approximately 75% of AIDS patients benefit. However, increasing numbers of treatment failures from toxicity and drug-resistant mutants are emerging. Passive immunotherapy (PIT) is a non-toxic form of treatment based on the neutralization of HIV with antibody-rich plasma from healthy HIV-positive individuals. Studies show it can benefit AIDS patients. Here, we suggest that, in combination with anti-HIV drugs, PIT could reduce some of the toxicity of the latter and limit the emergence of drug-resistant HIV strains. In addition, regular plasma donation seems to be beneficial to the donors.
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