Suitable monitoring approaches to antiretroviral therapy in resource-poor settings: setting the research agenda

Abstract

The delivery of antiretroviral therapy in the developing world requires guidelines for the appropriate monitoring of therapy, including monitoring for treatment effectiveness and treatment failure, drug toxicities, adherence to therapy, and the emergence of resistant organisms. Guidelines developed in wealthy industrialized countries, which rely heavily on laboratory tests often unavailable in the developing world, may not be feasible or appropriate for resource-limited settings. Even if the standard of care routinely delivered in industrialized settings cannot be replicated, antiretroviral treatment programs with less-intense monitoring have the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality from human immunodeficiency virus. Research to identify monitoring strategies that provide the greatest benefit to those living with human immunodeficiency virus in resource-limited settings and that use the available technologies and resources needs to be conducted within a conceptual and ethical framework that takes into account differences between rich and poor countries.