HIV – vereinfachte bis gar keine Behandlung

Abstract

The treatment of HIV infection is reputedly complicated. Indeed, in 1996 and 1997, the most widely used regimen implied five separate pill ingestions every day: A heavy burden even without side effects. Since then, however, treatment has been greatly simplified. The most widely used regimen in Switzerland is the combination of zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz, with 1 pill in the morning and 2 pills in the evening. The Swiss HIV Cohort has shown that simplifying therapy increases the success of HIV treatment. Once daily administration will soon be part of standard care, as clinical trials have shown promising results. In the future, many patients may well treat their HIV infection intermittently. Scheduled treatment interruptions are under intensive investigation in Switzerland and elsewhere. Large scale studies with long follow-up are necessary and the first results can not be expected before the end of 2005.