BMJ 2002;324:747-748 ( 30 March )

Editorials

Initial antiretroviral regimens

In general three drugs are better than two are better than one

Papers p 757

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In this issue Rachel Jordan and colleagues have provided a meta-analysis of published controlled clinical trials, which provide significant information relevant to the initial treatment of established HIV infection in adults and adolescents (p 757).1 Their analyses are based on a large number of well conducted clinical trials. The data largely confirm earlier observations, often from relatively small studies, which have shown that dual nucleoside antiretroviral regimens are significantly more effective than single nucleoside therapy, and that three drug antiretroviral regimens are significantly better than two drug regimens for initial therapy of HIV infection.

The conclusions of the meta-analysis are entirely consistent with current consensus recommendations that initial therapy for established HIV infection in adults and adolescents should include a combination of three potent antiretroviral drugs.2-4 Since the major biological factor in failure of antiretroviral therapy is the development of viral mutations which confer resistance to specific antiretroviral agents, . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence for increasing numbers of drugs in antiretroviral combination therapy
Rachel Jordan, Lisa Gold, Carole Cummins, and Chris Hyde
BMJ 2002 324: 757. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hong-Brown, L. Q., Brown, C. R., Lang, C. H. (2004). Indinavir impairs protein synthesis and phosphorylations of MAPKs in mouse C2C12 myocytes. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 287: C1482-C1492 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • (2002). Is 3 the Magic Number for Antiretrovirals?. AIDS Clin Care 2002: 6-6 [Full text]  
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