ACRIA Update
Winter 2002/03 - Vol. 12 No. 1
Drugs in Development: New Promise
Contents
Drugs in Development:
New Promise
Even with sixteen
antiretrovirals approved in the United States for the treatment of HIV,
new drugs and combinations are urgently needed. Most current regimens involve
difficult dosing schedules, lots of pills, and short- and long-term side
effects. Over time, HIV can become resistant to all of the approved drugs,
no matter the degree of adherence. People who started treatment years ago,
who were infected with drug-resistant virus, or who have had trouble with
adherence for whatever reason, are experiencing treatment failure and have
few, if any, treatment options left.
This issue of ACRIA
Update focuses on antiretrovirals that are being developed to deal
with some of these problems - new formulations of old drugs, second generation
drugs in existing classes, drugs like entry inhibitors that target HIV
at different points in its life cycle, and drugs that are in very early
stages of development. We may never hear of some of these drugs again;
the promise that some have shown in test tube and animal studies won’t
achieve similar results in people. Others may be discontinued as pharmaceutical
companies merge and corporate priorities change. Knowing about drugs in
the pipeline can spur us to take action when development stalls. It’s equally
important to understand that new drug development is ongoing and that the
pipeline is filled with candidates that offer promise.
J Daniel Stricker,
Editor in Chief
|
