Rotating Drug Regimens May Prevent Resistance

HIV-positive people may be less likely to develop resistance to anti-HIV medications if they rotate their drug regimens every three months, according to a study by Spanish researchers in the July 15 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Study subjects who switched drug regimens every three months took four times longer to experience rising viral loads, a sign of drug resistance development, than did study participants who stuck to their regimens even after viral loads began to climb. Additional studies are planned, including those using more potent anti-HIV medications approved since 2000, when the previous study was conducted.