ABSTRACT
The remarkable advances in the therapy of HIV infection, which began in the mid-1990s, have continued and accelerated in recent years. Additional anti-retroviral agents have been developed in each of the initial therapeutic classes: drugs that blocked either reverse transcriptase or viral protease. These newer agents have proven to have higher barriers to resistance and to be, by and large, more simple to take and less prone to significant side effects. In addition, several new categories have of drugs have now become available to expand the treatment options for patients who have failed initial therapy. Two specific novel agents have recently been added to the antiretroviral armamentarium: maraviroc, a chemokine (CCR5) receptor antagonist, and raltegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor. These drugs, when used in combination with older agents, have greatly expanded the options for patients failing long-term therapy.
