Preventing antiretroviral anarchy in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Combination antiretroviral therapy has dramatically improved the survival of patients living with HIV and AIDS in industrialised countries of the world. Despite this enormous benefit, there are some major problems and obstacles to be overcome.(1) Treatment of HIV-infection is likely to be lifelong.(2) Unfortunately, many HIV-infected individuals cannot tolerate the toxic effects of the drugs, or have difficulty complying with treatment which involves large numbers of pills and complicated dosing schedules. Poor adherence to treatment leads to the emergence of drug-resistant viral strains that need new combinations of drugs or new drugs altogether.