Antiretroviral combinations do not eliminate HIV entirely

Researchers in the United States have confirmed that, although combinations of potent antiretroviral drugs are effective in arresting replication of HIV, they fail to eliminate the virus entirely.

The drug combinations-typically a mixture of reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors-act synergistically to disable the reproductive capacity of the virus and have helped to prolong the life of patients with AIDS. With HIV infection suppressed, patients' immune systems …