HIV medications
Talking with your healthcare provider
Important Safety Information/
Indications
> LEXIVA® (fosamprenavir calcium)
> EPZICOM® (abacavir sulfate and lamivudine)
> COMBIVIR® (lamivudine/zidovudine)
> TRIZIVIR® (abacavir sulfate, lamivudine, and zidovudine)
> ZIAGEN® (abacavir sulfate)
> EPIVIR® (lamivudine)
> RETROVIR® (zidovudine)
HIV medications
The first drug to treat HIV was approved by the FDA in 1987. This drug was seen as a breakthrough. Over time, this drug did not remain as effective in all people with HIV due to the development of viral resistance. As a result, researchers began experimenting with the use of 2- and 3-drug combinations, also called drug cocktails.
In 1991, a second anti-HIV drug was approved by the FDA, allowing healthcare providers to prescribe the first drug cocktail for HIV. Compared to the use of a single drug to treat HIV, the use of drug cocktails slowed the development of resistance to treatment. The success of drug cocktails resulted in a flurry of research that has led to the development of numerous types of drugs used today.
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)
HAART is combination therapy that includes 3 or more anti-HIV drugs. Today, there are 5 different types of anti-HIV medicines available:
Each one works differently. The most common combination of drugs used in HAART today includes 2 NRTIs with 1 NNRTI or PI.
The impact of HAART
The use of HAART has led to an increase in survival among people with HIV. In fact, since the introduction of HAART in 1995, there has been a dramatic decline in deaths linked to HIV infection. Now that people with HIV are living longer, they need to consider other long-term conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.