Is a Two-Drug Regimen Possible?

A two-drug regimen containing just the protease inhibitors Kaletra and Invirase is as effective in suppressing blood-based viral levels as a standard three-drug regimen of a protease inhibitor paired with two nucleoside analogs, according to research presented at the 45th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. A study of 30 HIV patients showed that 77% of those on the two-drug regimen had a viral load below 50 after 48 weeks of treatment, compared to 78% of those taking the three-drug cocktail. Average increases in CD4 counts were 141 in the two-drug group and 187 in the three-drug arm. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded a dual-protease regimen could be comparable to standard three-drug therapy, but they called for additional studies into nucleoside-sparing treatments.