Two other trials are currently examining the role of some of the regimens studied in ACTG 175. Results will be available in early 1998, and should shed further light on the combinations studied. The drugs used in this trial are all nucleoside analogues that act as inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme used by HIV to replicate. Recent evidence suggests that other drugs, such as 3TC and the newer protease inhibitors used in combination with AZT may be more effective in the treatment of HIV infection. The following questions and answers are provided from interviews with Dr. John Gill, Medical Director, Southern Alberta HIV Clinic, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Dr. Walter Schlech III, Regional Coordinator for the Canadian HIV Clinical Trials Network, Professor of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Combination therapy is definitely better.
Based on the convincing science presented by Drs. This was somewhat surprising, and further detailed evaluation is needed. We must put this finding in the context that overall, most investigators believe we will be using combination therapy almost from the initial diagnosis of HIV infection. I believe that the strong scientific rationale in favour of combination therapy makes the apparent superiority of ddI not of major importance to clinicians. If one intervenes with a single drug in a patient infected with resistant strains, the response would not be as great as expected from historical data.