HIV/AIDS | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases share with facebook share with twitter share with linkedin HIV/AIDS HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks the immune system by destroying CD4 positive (CD4+) T cells, a type of white blood cell that is vital to fighting off infection. The destruction of these cells leaves people infected with HIV vulnerable to other infections, diseases and other complications. As the leading U.S. government institute for HIV/AIDS research, NIAID is committed to conducting the research necessary to successfully end the fight against HIV/AIDS. Why Is the Study of HIV/AIDS a Priority for NIAID? Nearly 37 million people are living with HIV around the world. In the United States, 1.2 million people are living with HIV, of whom 13 percent are unaware of their diagnosis. Although progress has been made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the epidemic continues in the United States and the international community. Globally, AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 45 percent since their peak in 2004.

Yet the rate of HIV transmission remains unacceptably high, with 2.1 million new infections occurring worldwide in 2015 alone. How Is NIAID Addressing This Critical Topic? NIAID-supported investigators are conducting an abundance of research on all areas of HIV infection, including developing and testing preventive HIV vaccines, prevention strategies, and new treatments for HIV infection and AIDS-associated opportunistic infections. Through laboratories and clinics on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and a vast network of supported research at universities, medical centers, and clinical trial sites around the globe, NIAID is working to better understand HIV and how it causes disease, find new tools to prevent HIV infection including a preventive vaccine, develop new and more effective treatments for people infected with HIV, and hopefully, find a cure. Tap | Biomedical Research | Research | HIV/AIDS | CDC Biomedical Research Find an HIV testing site near you. Enter ZIP code or city Follow HIV/AIDS ShareCompartir Summary To realize the full prevention benefit of treating HIV infection, we should keep in mind four overarching tenets: HIV testing is the foundation for both prevention and care efforts. Early identification of infection empowers individuals to take action that benefits both their own health and the public health.

Early treatment of infected persons substantially reduces their risk of transmitting HIV to others. The prevention benefit of treatment can only be realized with effective treatment, which requires linkage to and retention in care, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Introduction The advent in 1996 of potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), sometimes called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) or ART (effective combination antiretroviral therapy), changed the course of the HIV epidemic.1 These “cocktails” of three or more antiretroviral drugs used in combination gave patients and scientists new hope for fighting the epidemic,2 and have significantly improved life expectancy—to decades rather than months.1,3 For many years, scientists believed that treating HIV-infected persons also significantly reduced their risk of transmitting the infection to sexual and drug-using partners who did not have the virus. The circumstantial evidence was substantial, but no one had conducted a randomized clinical trial— the gold standard for proving an intervention works.

That changed in 2011 with the publication of findings from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 052 study, a randomized clinical trial designed in part to evaluate whether the early initiation of ART can prevent the sexual transmission of HIV among heterosexual couples in which one partner is HIV-infected and the other is not. This landmark study validated that early HIV treatment has a profound prevention benefit: results showed that the risk of transmitting HIV to an uninfected partner was reduced by 96%.4 As a concept and a strategy, treating HIV-infected persons to improve their health and to reduce the risk of onward transmission—sometimes called treatment as prevention— refers to the personal and public health benefits of using ART to continuously suppress HIV viral load in the blood and genital fluids, which decreases the risk of transmitting the virus to others. The practice has been used since the mid- 1990s to prevent mother-to-child, or perinatal, transmission of the virus.

Research published in 1994 showed that zidovudine, more commonly known as AZT, when given to HIV-infected pregnant women and to their newborns reduced the risk of perinatal transmission from about 25% to 8%.5 Since then, routinely testing pregnant women and treating infected mothers with ART during pregnancy, delivery, and while breastfeeding, when practiced according to recommendations, has reduced the mother’s risk of transmitting HIV to her child by 90%.6 In one study, women who received at least 14 days of ART reduced the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies to less than 1%.7 Putting Treatment as Prevention in Perspective Treatment by itself is not going to solve the global HIV epidemic. On the domestic front, controlling and ultimately ending the epidemic will require a combination of scientifically proven HIV prevention tools as highlighted in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy , including Focusing on science-based HIV prevention efforts by supporting and expanding targeted use of high-impact HIV prevention approaches. Making better investments by intensifying HIV prevention in the communities where HIV is most heavily concentrated.

Increasing access to HIV screening and medical care, including through boosting federal investments for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) to expand access to life-saving medications, and implementing the Affordable Care Act, which will increase health coverage for thousands of Americans living with HIV. Sustaining a shared response to the domestic epidemic through the support of HIV prevention efforts across all levels of society, including federal, state, and local governments, faith-based communities, and the private sector. Providing treatment to people living with HIV infection to improve their health must always be the first priority. Getting an HIV test is the first step to identifying persons with HIV infection and the pivotal entry point into the medical care system for both treatment and prevention. More than 1.1 million persons in the United States are living with HIV, and almost 1 in 5 (18.1%) do not know they are infected.8 By lowering the level of virus in the body, early ART helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and also lowers their chances of transmitting HIV to others.

Although observational data had suggested that ART significantly reduces viral load and the risk of sexual transmission of HIV in heterosexual couples where one partner is infected and the other is not,9,10 it was the HPTN 052 study that definitively showed that early treatment of HIV-infected persons dramatically cuts the rate of new infections. Studies of communities with high concentrations of injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) have shown that as ART use increased within the community, the community’s viral load declined, as did rates of new HIV diagnoses.11,12 However, it is critical to remember that the prevention benefit of treatment is not 100%, and there has been at least one report of HIV transmission from a person with suppressed viral load to an uninfected sexual partner.13 For persons living with or at risk for HIV infection, emphasizing these fundamental safeguards will continue to be crucial: Knowing their HIV status through routine testing. Getting into care soon after HIV diagnosis and starting antiretroviral treatment. Remaining in care and staying on HIV treatment.

Modifying behaviors that reduce the probability of getting or spreading HIV—such as using condoms properly and consistently, reducing numbers of partners, and avoiding sharing needles and syringes. Test and Treat The ability of antiretroviral drugs to prevent secondary transmission of HIV from an infected person to an uninfected sexual or drug-using partner has led to several proposed “test-and-treat” strategies. Test-and-treat programs are based on the premise that the rate of new HIV infections will be maximally reduced by using aggressive methods to test and diagnose all people living with HIV infection, treat them with ART regardless of CD4 cell count or viral load at diagnosis, and link them to care. In one study, mathematical modeling suggested that a universal test-and-treat-strategy in which all adults aged 15 years or older are tested annually could control the South African epidemic, reducing both HIV incidence and mortality to less than 1 case per 1,000 people per year within 10 years of full implementation of the strategy—and reducing prevalence of HIV infection to less than 1% within 50 years.14 Other investigators have not been as optimistic about the ultimate benefits of this strategy.

Only 50% of persons in the United States with HIV remain in care,15,16 and about 18% do not know they are infected; these persons may contribute to the onward transmission of HIV. In addition to expanding testing and treating HIV infection earlier, overcoming the challenges of undiagnosed infection and poor engagement in care will result in better care of HIV-infected populations and reduced numbers of new HIV infections.17,18 Challenges and the Future of HIV Prevention The landmark HPTN 052 clinical trial was conducted almost solely among heterosexual couples who, as part of the study, received frequent counseling related to HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and family planning. Results of a recent observational study of more than 38,000 serodiscordant heterosexual couples across China showed that treating the HIV-infected partner reduced the risk of transmitting HIV to the uninfected partner by 26%—a much more modest effect than that found in the HPTN 052 study couples.

Unlike the couples enrolled in HPTN 052, the couples in China were not part of an intensive study, and data were not available on sexual risk factors, adherence to antiretroviral treatment, or virological treatment outcome measures.19 Additional data are needed to estimate the prevention benefit of treatment for other populations, such as MSM, IDUs, and persons with acute or primary HIV infection,20 and in other settings such as North America and during routine clinical care. As HIV treatment has evolved from a complicated regimen of numerous pills taken several times a day with severe side effects to a now once-daily pill with few side effects, some persons living with HIV may have become complacent about maintaining safer sex and safer injection use practices.

Since HIV treatment became widely available in developed countries, several studies have shown a resurgence of HIV infections and increases in STDs, in particular syphilis, and especially among MSM.21 Some studies have cautioned that the prevention benefits of effective ART would be offset by risk compensation, meaning that increases in risky sexual and injection-drug-use behavior might be observed as effective ART is widely disseminated.22-24 However, results of one meta-analysis demonstrated that HIV-positive persons receiving ART, compared with those not receiving ART, did not show increased sexual risk behavior, even when therapy resulted in an undetectable viral load.25 Yet, persons with HIV who believe that using ART or having a suppressed viral load protects them against transmitting HIV may be more likely to engage in unprotected sex or other risky behaviors.

These behaviors might be amenable to change through prevention messages and other effective approaches.25-28 Making sure that preventive behaviors are sustained in communities facing higher risk of HIV infection is crucial.29 The future of HIV prevention will be shaped by operational and implementation research on the efficacy of combination prevention strategies, of which treatment may be one component.30-32 Providing treatment to all HIV-infected persons will be an important step—a recommendation that is included in the current Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents.33 The Department of Health and Human Services panel based its recommendations primarily on mounting evidence showing the harmful impact of ongoing HIV replication on AIDS and non-AIDS disease progression. In addition, the updated recommendations reflect emerging data showing the benefit of effective ART in preventing secondary transmission of HIV. Although the panel agrees that this public health benefit of ART is significant, its recommendations on when to begin ART are based primarily on the benefit of treatment to the HIV-infected individual.33 If treatment is to achieve its full prevention potential, current gaps in the HIV prevention, treatment, and care continuum must be narrowed or closed.

Considerable changes in the US health care delivery system will be required to accommodate the increased demand for services that expanded testing, treatment, and linkage and retention in care will bring.34 Now that early ART of HIV-infected persons has been shown to be very effective at preventing secondary transmission of HIV among individuals, the current goal is to determine the extent to which ART can be used broadly and effectively to reduce the spread of HIV within a population. At least two community randomized trials that use ART as their basis are planned, and the results could determine the conclusive benefit of this successful intervention.36 Still, resource constraints, logistical hurdles, emergence of drug-resistant viral strains, adherence to therapy regimens, and risk compensation remain concerns that scientists, health care providers, policy makers, and communities must confront if the individual and public health benefits of treatment are to be fully realized.37 What CDC Is Doing Much of CDC’s funding supports and expands prevention services for persons living with HIV, including Linkage to care and treatment, and interventions to improve retention in and re-engagement to care, prevention, and treatment for people living with HIV. Referral to other medical and social services, such as substance abuse and mental health services.

Behavioral interventions and other risk-reduction services for HIV-positive persons and their sexual or needle-sharing partners to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission. Three evidence-based interventions have proved effective in treatment settings and can be delivered by providers as brief messages during clinic visits: Partnership for Health , Options , and Positive Choice . CDC’s Prevention IS Care also emphasizes ongoing, brief prevention counseling to help health care providers integrate into routine care simple approaches to prevent transmission by persons living with HIV. Medical visits provide a vital opportunity to reinforce HIV prevention messages, discuss sexual and drug-related risk behaviors, diagnose and treat other STDs, review the importance of medication adherence, and foster open communication between provider and patient. Expanded HIV testing efforts will help more people know their status so that they can get life-saving treatment and will strengthen the impact of efforts to increase adherence to treatment, particularly in areas where large numbers of persons remain undiagnosed. Additionally, CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration have supported studies that suggest several promising opportunities to improve retention in care, including collaborating with other service providers to identify persons poorly retained in care, enhancing outreach programs, and addressing unmet psychosocial needs.38-39 Additional Resources References References Dieffenbach CW, Fauci AS.

Thirty years of HIV and AIDS: future challenges and opportunities. Ann Intern Med 2011;154:766-771. Gulick RM, Mellors JW, Havlir D, Eron JJ, Gonzalez C, McMahon D, et al. Treatment with indinavir, zidovudine, and lamivudine in adults with human immunodeficiency virus infection and prior antiretroviral therapy. N Engl J Med 1997;337:734-739. Palella FJ Jr, Delaney KM, Moorman AC, Loveless MO, Fuhrer J, Satten GA, et al.; for the HIV Outpatient Study investigators. Declining morbidity and mortality among patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection. N Engl J Med 1998;338:853-860. Cohen MS, Chen YQ, McCauley M, et al. Prevention of HIV-1 infection with early antiretroviral therapy. N Engl J Med 2011;365:493-505.

Connor EM, Sperling RS, Gelber R, Kiselev P, Scott G, O’Sullivan MJ, et al. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 Study Group. N Engl J Med 1994;331:1173-1180. CDC. Achievements in public health: reduction in perinatal transmission of HIV infection—United States, 1985–2005. MMWR 2006;55:592-597. Townsend CL, Cortina-Borja M, Peckham CS, de Ruiter A, Lyall H, Tookey, PA. Low rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV following effective pregnancy interventions in the United Kingdom and Ireland, 2000- 2006. AIDS 2008;22:973-981. CDC. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2012;17(No. 3, part A).

reports/2010supp_vol17no3/index.htm . Published June 2012. Quinn TC, Wawer MJ, Sewankambo N, Serwadda D, Li C, Wabwire-Mangen F, et al. Viral load and heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Rakai Project Study Group. N Engl J Med 2000;342:921–929. Attia S, Egger M, Müller M, Zwahlen M, Low N. Sexual transmission of HIV according to viral load and antiretroviral therapy: systematic review and meta-analysis. AIDS 2009;23:1397-1404. Montaner JS, Lima VD, Barrios R, et al. Association of highly active antiretroviral therapy coverage, population viral load, and yearly new HIV diagnoses in British Columbia, Canada: a population-based study. Lancet 2010;376:532-539. Das M, Chu PL, Santos GM, et al.

Decreases in community viral load are accompanied by reductions in new HIV infections in San Francisco. PLoS One 2010;5:e11068. Sturmer M, Doerr HW, Berger A, Gute P. Is transmission of HIV-1 in non-viraemic serodiscordant couples possible? Antivir Ther 2008;13:729-732. Granich RM, Gilks CF, Dye C, De Cock KM, Williams BG. Universal voluntary HIV testing with immediate antiretroviral therapy as a strategy for elimination of HIV transmission: a mathematical model. Lancet 2009;373:48-57. Marks G, Gardner LI, Craw J, Crepaz N. Entry and retention in medical care among HIV-diagnosed persons: a meta-analysis. AIDS 2010;24:2665-2678. CDC. Vital signs: HIV prevention through care and treatment—United States. MMWR 2011;60:1618-1623.

Gardner EM, McLees MP, Steiner JF, Del Rio C, Burman WJ. The spectrum of engagement in HIV care and its relevance to test-and-treat strategies for prevention of HIV infection. Clin Infect Dis 2011;52:793-800. Marks G, Gardner LI, Craw J, Giordano TP, Mugavero MJ, Keruly JC, et al. The spectrum of engagement in HIV care: do more than 19% of HIV-infected persons in the US have undetectable viral load? Clin Infect Dis 2011;53:1168-1169. Jia Z, Ruan Y, Li Q, et al. Antiretroviral therapy to prevent HIV transmission in serodiscordant couples in China (2003-11): a national observational cohort study. Lancet 2012 Dec 1. Conway B, Tossonian H. Comprehensive approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection in the community: can ‘seek and treat’ really deliver? Curr Infect Dis Rep 2011;13:68-74.

CDC. Trends in primary and secondary syphilis and HIV infections in men who have sex with men—San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, 1998–2002. MMWR 2004;53:575-578. Katz MH, Schwarcz SK, Kellogg TA, et al. Impact of highly active antiretroviral treatment on HIV seroincidence among men who have sex with men: San Francisco. Am J Public Health 2002;92:388-394. Porco TC, Martin JN, Page-Shafer KA, et al. Decline in HIV infectivity following the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2004;18:81-88. Blower SM, Gershengorn HB, Grant RM. A tale of two futures: HIV and antiretroviral therapy in San Francisco. Science 2000;287:650-654. Crepaz N, Hart TA, Marks G.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy and sexual risk behavior: a meta-analytic review. JAMA 2004;292:224-236. de Wit JB, Aggleton P, Myers T, Crewe M. The rapidly changing paradigm of HIV prevention: time to strengthen social and behavioural approaches. Health Educ Res 2011;26:381-392. Kalichman SC, Cherry C, Amaral CM, et al. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy and HIV transmission risks: implications for test-and-treat approaches to HIV prevention. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2010;24:271-277. Luchters S, Sarna A, Geibel S, et al. Safer sexual behaviors after 12 months of antiretroviral treatment in Mombasa, Kenya: a prospective cohort. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2008;22:587-594. DeGruttola V, Smith DM, Little SJ, Miller V. Developing and evaluating comprehensive HIV infection control strategies: issues and challenges.

Clin Infect Dis 2010; 50 (Suppl 3):S102-107. Buchbinder SP, Liu A. Pre-exposure prophylaxis and the promise of combination prevention approaches. AIDS Behav 2011;15 (Suppl 1):S72-S79. Dieffenbach CW, Fauci AS. Universal voluntary testing and treatment for prevention of HIV transmission. JAMA 2009;301:2380-2382. Padian NS, McCoy SI, Karim SS, et al. HIV prevention transformed: the new prevention research agenda. Lancet 2011;378:269-278. Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services. March 27, 2012:1-239. Available at . Accessed April 16, 2012. Forsyth AD, Valdiserri RO.

Reaping the prevention benefits of highly active antiretroviral treatment: policy implications of HIV Prevention Trials Network 052. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2012 Mar;7:111-116. Smith K, Powers KA, Kashuba AD, Cohen MS. HIV-1 treatment as prevention: the good, the bad, and the challenges. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2011;6:315-325. Cohen, MS, McCauley M, Gamble TR. HIV treatment as prevention and HPTN 052. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2012 Mar;7:99-105. Hammer SM. Antiretroviral treatment as prevention. N Engl J Med 2011;365:561-562. Giordano TP. Retention in HIV care: what the clinician needs to know. Top Antivir Med 2011; 9:12-16. Gardner LI, Marks G, Craw JA, et al.; for the Retention in Care Study Group.

A low-effort, clinic-wide intervention improves attendance for HIV primary care. Clin Infect Dis 2012;55: 1124-1134. WHO | Treatment and care Treatment and care WHO Standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) consists of the combination of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease. ART also prevents onward transmission of HIV. Huge reductions have been seen in rates of death and infections when use is made of a potent ARV regimen, particularly in early stages of the disease. WHO recommends ART for all people with HIV as soon as possible after diagnosis without any restrictions of CD4 counts. It also recommends offer of pre-exposure prophylaxis to people at substantial risk of HIV infection as an additional prevention choice as part of comprehensive prevention. Countries are now following to adapt and implement these recommendations within own epidemiological settings.

Latest updates July 2016 Summary meeting report - 21 February 2016 June 2016 HIV/AIDS Medicines | HIV Cure | HIV Treatment | MedlinePlus HIV/AIDS Medicines URL of this page: HIV/AIDS Medicines Patient Handouts Summary In the early 1980s, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, patients rarely lived longer than a few years. But today, there are many effective medicines to fight the infection, and people with HIV have longer, healthier lives. There are five major types of medicines: Reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors - interfere with a critical step during the HIV life cycle and keep the virus from making copies of itself Protease inhibitors - interfere with a protein that HIV uses to make infectious viral particles Fusion inhibitors - block the virus from entering the body's cells Integrase inhibitors - block an enzyme HIV needs to make copies of itself Multidrug combinations - combine two or more different types of drugs into one These medicines help people with HIV, but they are not perfect. They do not cure HIV/AIDS. People with HIV infection still have the virus in their bodies. They can still spread HIV to others through unprotected sex and needle sharing, even when they are taking their medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Start Here (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) Latest News What Is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)? | aidsinfonet.org | The AIDS InfoNet What Is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)? WHAT IS ART? ART are medications that treat HIV. The drugs do not kill or cure the virus. However, when taken in combination they can prevent the growth of the virus. When the virus is slowed down, so is HIV disease. Antiretroviral drugs are referred to as ARV. Combination ARV therapy (cART) is referred to as highly active ART(HAART). There are several steps in the HIV life cycle. (See Fact Sheet 400 for a diagram.) 1. Free virus circulates in the bloodstream. 2. HIV attaches to a cell. 3. HIV empties its contents into the cell. 4. The HIV genetic material (RNA) is used by the reverse transcriptase enzyme to build HIV DNA. 5. The HIV DNA is inserted into the cell’s chromosome by the HIV integrase enzyme. This establishes the HIV infection in the cell. 6.

When the infected cell reproduces, it activates the HIV DNA, which makes the raw material for new HIV viruses. 7. Packets of material for a new virus come together. 8. The immature virus pushes out of the infected cell in a process called “budding.” 9. The immature virus breaks free of the infected cell. 10. The new virus matures: raw materials are cut by the protease enzyme and assembled into a functioning virus. APPROVED ARV DRUGS Each type, or “class”, of ARV drugs attacks HIV in a different way. The first class of anti-HIV drugs was the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (also called NRTIs or “nukes”.) These drugs block step 4, where the HIV genetic material is used to create DNA from RNA. The following drugs in this class are used: HOW ARE THE DRUGS USED? Antiretroviral drugs are usually used in combinations of three or more drugs from more than one class. This is called "Combination Therapy." Combination therapy helps prevent drug resistance. Manufacturers of ARVs keep trying to make their drugs easier to take, and have combined some of them into a single tablet regimen.

See Fact Sheet 409 for more information on combination medications. WHAT IS DRUG RESISTANCE? When HIV multiplies, many of the new copies have mutations: they are slightly different from the original virus. Some mutant viruses keep multiplying even when you are taking ARV drugs. When this happens, the virus can develop resistance to the drug and ART may stop working. See fact Sheet 126 for more information. If only one or two ARV drugs are used, it is easy for the virus to develop resistance. For this reason, using just one or two drugs is not recommended. But if two or three drugs are used, a successful mutant would have to “get around” all of the drugs at the same time. Using combination therapy means that it takes much longer for resistance to develop. CAN THESE DRUGS CURE AIDS? ARVs reduce the viral load, the amount of virus in your bloodstream, but are not a cure. A blood test measures the viral load. People with undetectable viral loads stay healthier longer. They are also less likely to transmit HIV infection to others. Some people’s viral load is so low that it is “undetectable” by the viral load test.

This does not mean that all the virus is gone, and it does not mean a person is cured of HIV infection. See Fact Sheet 125 for more information on viral load. Current US guidelines say that everyone who is infected with HIV should start ARV therapy. See fact sheet 404 for more information on treatment guidelines. This is an important decision you should discuss with your health care provider. WHICH DRUGS DO I USE? ARV drugs are chosen on the basis of treatment guidelines, HIV drug resistance, your health (for example, kidney or liver disease) and lifestyle factors. While ARV regimens are usually well tolerated, each ARV drug can have side effects. Some may be serious. Refer to the fact sheet for each individual drug. Each person is different, and you and your health care provider will have to decide which drugs to use. Adherence to ARVs is very important for treatment to work. The viral load test is used to see if ARV drugs are working. WHAT’S NEXT? New drugs are being studied in all of the existing classes.

Researchers are also trying to develop new types of drugs, such as drugs that will block other steps in the HIV life cycle, and drugs that will strengthen the body’s immune defenses. Antiretroviral treatment for HIV | AVERT Share Antiretroviral treatment for HIV If you’re living with HIV then taking treatment is really important for your health as it reduces the amount of HIV in your body and helps boost your immune system. To ensure that your treatment works properly you need to stay engaged with a healthcare professional so that they can monitor your progress, manage any side effects and change your treatment if necessary. Treatment options are constantly improving. You no longer have to take lots of pills and the side effects are much easier to cope with or even non-existent. FDA-Approved HIV Medicines | Understanding HIV/AIDS | AIDSinfo FDA-Approved HIV Medicines (Last updated 9/27/2016; last reviewed 9/9/2016) Print × Print Fact Sheets Help Click the print link to open a fact sheet (or fact sheet series) in a user-friendly Web document for printing. You can also save the document(s) as a PDF file.

If you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, select “Adobe PDF” from the list of printers. If using Google Chrome, select the “Save as PDF” option. Entire Series HTML Treatment with HIV medicines is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is recommended for everyone with HIV. People on ART take a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) every day. A person's initial HIV regimen generally includes three HIV medicines from at least two different drug classes . ART can’t cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. The following table lists HIV medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HIV infection in the United States. The HIV medicines are listed according to drug class and identified by generic and brand names. Click on a drug name to view information on the drug from the AIDSinfo Drug Database . Or download the AIDSinfo Drug Database app to view the information on your Apple or Android devices. To see a timeline of all FDA approval dates for HIV medicines, view the AIDSinfo FDA Approval of HIV Medicines infographic.

FDA-Approved HIV Medicines Overview of HIV Treatments Overview of HIV Treatments Overview of HIV Treatments How is HIV Treated? HIV is treated using a combination of medicines to fight HIV infection. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART isn’t a cure, but it can control the virus so that you can live a longer, healthier life and reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others. ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) every day, exactly as prescribed. These HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying (making copies of itself), which reduces the amount of HIV in your body. Having less HIV in your body gives your immune system a chance to recover and fight off infections and cancers. Even though there is still some HIV in the body, the immune system is strong enough to fight off infections and cancers. By reducing the amount of HIV in your body, HIV medicines also reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others. ART is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the virus or how healthy they are. If left untreated, HIV will attack the immune system and eventually progress to AIDS. HIV Drug Classes HIV medicines are grouped into six drug classes according to how they fight HIV.

The six drug classes are: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) The six drug classes include more than 25 HIV medicines that are approved to treat HIV infection. Some HIV medicines are available in combination (in other words, two or more different HIV medicines are combined in one pill.) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides guidelines on the use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection. The HHS guidelines recommend starting ART with a regimen of three HIV medicines from at least two different drug classes. NIH AIDSInfo’s FDA-Approved Medicines provides a complete list of HIV medicines, grouped by class, that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HIV infection in the United States. In addition, NIAID’s Drugs that Fight HIV (PDF 1.3MB) is a full-color illustrated guide to approved HIV medications. Choosing an HIV Regimen The choice of HIV medicines to include in an HIV regimen depends on a person’s individual needs.

When choosing an HIV regimen, people with HIV and their health care providers consider the following factors: Other diseases or conditions that the person with HIV may have Possible side effects of HIV medicines Potential interactions between HIV medicines or between HIV medicines and other medicines the person with HIV is taking Results of drug-resistance testing (and other tests). Drug-resistance testing identifies which, if any, HIV medicines won’t be effective against a person’s HIV. Convenience of the regimen. For example, a regimen that includes two or more HIV medicines combined in one pill is convenient to follow. Any issues that can make it difficult to follow an HIV regimen, such as a busy schedule that changes from day to day Cost of HIV medicines There are several recommended HIV regimens, but selecting the best regimen for a particular person depends on the factors listed above. If you are starting HIV treatment for the first time, NIH AIDSInfo shares information about selecting a first HIV regimen . Treatment Options HIV/AIDS Treatments and drugs - Mayo Clinic Learn more. Request an appointment. There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but a variety of drugs can be used in combination to control the virus. Each class of anti-HIV drugs blocks the virus in different ways.

It's best to combine at least three drugs from two classes to avoid creating strains of HIV that are immune to single drugs. The classes of anti-HIV drugs include: Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). NNRTIs disable a protein needed by HIV to make copies of itself. Examples include efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence) and nevirapine (Viramune). Nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs are faulty versions of building blocks that HIV needs to make copies of itself. Examples include Abacavir (Ziagen), and the combination drugs emtricitabine-tenofovir (Truvada), and lamivudine-zidovudine (Combivir). Protease inhibitors (PIs). PIs disable protease, another protein that HIV needs to make copies of itself. Examples include atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and indinavir (Crixivan). Entry or fusion inhibitors. These drugs block HIV's entry into CD4 cells.

Examples include enfuvirtide (Fuzeon) and maraviroc (Selzentry). Integrase inhibitors. These drugs work by disabling integrase, a protein that HIV uses to insert its genetic material into CD4 cells. Examples include raltegravir (Isentress), elvitegravir (Vitekta) and dolutegravir (Tivicay). When to start treatment Everyone with HIV infection, regardless of CD4 count, should be offered antiviral medication. HIV therapy is particularly important for the following situations: You have severe symptoms. You have an opportunistic infection. Your CD4 count is under 350. You're pregnant. Higher blood sugar levels Other diseases and treatment Some health issues that are a natural part of aging may be more difficult to manage if you have HIV. Some medications that are common for age-related cardiovascular, metabolic and bone conditions, for example, may not interact well with anti-HIV medications. Talk to your doctor about other conditions for which you're taking medication. Treatment response Your doctor will monitor your viral load and CD4 counts to determine your response to treatment. Viral load should be tested at the start of treatment and then every three to four months during therapy.

CD4 counts should be checked every three to six months. HIV treatment should reduce your viral load to the point that it's undetectable. That doesn't mean your HIV is gone. It just means that the test isn't sensitive enough to detect it. You can still transmit HIV to others when your viral load is undetectable. HIV and AIDS | womenshealth.gov Submit The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the additional reviews by: Gina M. Brown, M.D., Coordinator, Microbicides and Women and Girls Research, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention staff National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Division of AIDS staff National Institute on Drug Abuse staff All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated. Page last updated: December 01, 2016. Content last reviewed: March 16, 2016.

Question: Anti-retroviral drugs are used to treat what disease?
Answer: HIV