ABSTRACT
The recognition of AIDS as a fatal communicable disease came as a shock in 1981. It challenged the scientific and political community to respond effectively. Various classes of drugs were developed based on the recognition of the biochemical aspects of the retrovirus mechanism of infection and reproduction. By 2000, effective drug combinations called highly active antiretroviral therapy had decreased the rate of infection and mortality substantially in the United States. The cost of the various anti-AIDS drugs has slowed the progress in less developed parts of the world.
