At the same time, the daily pill burden could be astonishing.
Then, in 1995, a new class of drugs calledprotease inhibitorswas introduced.
Drug resistance takes far longer to develop, while dosing requires as few as one pill per day.
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By doing so, the virus is unable to replicate and make copies of itself.
Moreover, if the drugs are taken irregularly or not taken as prescribed, drug-resistant mutations can develop.
Drug Classes
Combination antiretroviral therapy works by blocking several stages of the HIV life cycle.
Antiretroviral drugs work by blocking different stages of this cycle.
Even so, the drugs only work if you take them.
And, this remains a serious challenge to public health officials.
Today, roughly 15% of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV remain undiagnosed.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first extended-release, injectable drug regimen for adults living with HIV.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents.
The INSIGHT START Study Group.Initiation of antiretroviral therapy in early asymptomatic HIV infection.N Engl J Med.
2015;373:795-807. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1506816
HIV.gov.What is the HIV care continuum?
