Hiv Treatment
As such, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, but different treatment interventions also called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are used for stopping and arresting the progression of HIV infection. As HIV is a retrovirus, so the therapy is named as antiretroviral therapy (ART). This antiretroviral therapy contains medications that are highly effective in fighting HIV and its complications. These medications restrict HIV, keep the immune system healthy against opportunistic infections, improve the life expectancy and help to resolve the HIV complications. It is recommended to start the ART as soon as you are diagnosed with HIV infection. Among the therapies, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is one of the treatment interventions, containing a combination of antiretroviral drugs to slow the replication rate and spreading of HIV. The main aim of HAART is to effectively reduce the amount of virus or viral load.
Following are the antiretroviral drugs, approved by the FDA, to target the different cellular components responsible for the growth of HIV. They are usually taken in combination for achieving optimal therapeutic action.
1) Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTI):
It is a class of drugs that interfere with the replication process of the virus and arrests its growth by inhibiting the essential transcriptase enzyme. The drugs included in this class are Abacavir, Didanosine, Emtricitabine, Lamivudine, Stavudine, Tenofovir, Zalcitabine, and Zidovudine. These drugs can also available in combination dosage for better results, examples are Combivir (Zidovudine and Lamivudine), Trizivir (Zidovudine, Lamivudine, and Abacavir) Epzicom (Abacavir and Lamivudine) and Truvada (Tenofovir and Lamivudine).
2) Protease Inhibitors (PI):
Protease inhibitors combine with the enzyme protease which is responsible for replication and growth of viruses. Protease inhibitors include Amprenavir, Atazanavir, Fosamprenavir, Indinavir, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, and Saquinavir.
3) Fusion Inhibitors (FI):
It is a new class of drugs, also known as entry inhibitors, used against HIV infection. These drugs prevent the entry of viruses and fuse with human cells or CD4+ T cells for its replication. These drugs are not prescribed in treating HIV infection as better options already exist in the market. This class includes Enfuvirtide and Maraviroc.
4) Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTI):
NNRTIs like the NRTIs inhibit the transcriptase enzyme which is used in the process of replication. These inhibitors protect the uninfected healthy cells against the HIV infection. The NNRTIs include Delvaridine, Efavirenz, Nevirapine, Etravirine, and Nevirapine. These can also be used in case of resistance to other Antiretroviral drugs.
5) Integrase Inhibitors:
Integrate inhibitors are a new class of drugs, used for controlling HIV infection. These drugs inhibit an enzyme known as integrase, necessary for infecting CD4+ T cells. These drugs are used as first-line therapy, and include in this class are Elvitegravir, Dolutegravir, and Raltegravir.
The above Antiretroviral drugs should be used as per advice from a qualified doctor or pharmacist. Because the drugs are reported with some common side effects like Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Dry mouth, Headache, Insomnia, Dizziness, Rash, Pain, and fatigue. Also, other adverse events may occur with the use of these medications.