
Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
While the desire by some HIV-positive patients to take 'drug holidays' from their antiretroviral regimens in order to have a break from strict routines, high prescription costs, or med toxicities might seem reasonable, a new study indicates that taking time off antiretrovirals can more than double the risk of disease progression and death. Despite prior small studies that suggested treatment breaks might be an alternative to ongoing regimen adherence, this new study of the large-scale Strategies for Management of Antiretroviral Therapy cohort, which was reported in the November 30 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, set back researchers' prior hypotheses that treatment breaks might be able to allow longtime patients to preserve some treatment options for later in their disease progression by delaying buildup of resistance to medications. The average CD4 count was lower by 206 for patients in the study arm who took breaks than for those on continuous treatment. Within two months the proportion of participants with interrupted treatment who had viral loads below 400 fell from 71.8% to 6%. And opportunistic infection or death (including death from non-HIV-related illness, such as heart, kidney, or liver disease) occurred in 120 participants in the interrupted-treatment arm versus 47 who had continuous treatment. In January 2006 a previous arm of the study was prematurely halted when its participants began showing higher rates of opportunistic infections and death when compared with the patients who received regular, ongoing therapy. In summarizing the latest results, study cochair Wafaa El-Sadr said, 'Quite unexpectedly our results show that interrupting therapy increases the risk of serious non-AIDS-related events. This is a major lesson learned for designing any HIV treatment trial. It is important to evaluate all causes of death, not just death from AIDS.' Cochair James Keaton added that while treatment might increase the risk of liver, heart, and kidney disease, 'the absence of treatment appears to increase the risk even more.'
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lexi Love comes out as HIV+ after Trump deletes federal resources
January 23 2025 11:23 AM
Ricky Martin delivers showstopping performance for 2024 World AIDS Day
December 05 2024 12:08 PM
Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources
January 31 2025 5:29 PM
California confirms first case of even more deadly mpox strain
November 18 2024 3:02 PM
This long-term HIV survivor says testosterone therapy helped save his life.
December 16 2024 8:00 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
HRC holds 'die-in' to protest Trump health care cuts
April 28 2025 2:11 PM
Two right-wing Supreme Court justices signal they may uphold access to PrEP and more
April 21 2025 4:10 PM
500,000 Children at Risk: PEPFAR Funding Crisis
April 08 2025 3:51 PM
Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes
April 03 2025 7:15 PM
The Talk Season 5 premieres this spring with HIV guidance for the newly diagnosed
March 26 2025 1:00 PM
Discover the power of Wellness in your life
March 26 2025 12:41 PM
Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring
March 26 2025 12:20 PM
Jess King is here to help you live your happiest, healthiest life yet
March 24 2025 4:35 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Trump admin moves to end federal HIV prevention programs
March 18 2025 6:10 PM
Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times
March 11 2025 3:38 PM
Celebrating Black History Month with our annual African American issue
February 01 2025 3:28 PM
Tyler TerMeer vows to continue to fight for health care for all
January 28 2025 3:00 PM
Plus nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Award
January 22 2025 12:42 PM
A camp for HIV-positive kids is for sale. Here's why its founder is celebrating
January 02 2025 12:21 PM
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Trinity K Bonet quietly comes out trans
December 15 2024 6:27 PM
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at White House for the first time
December 02 2024 1:21 PM
Decades of progress, uniting to fight HIV/AIDS
December 01 2024 12:30 PM
Hollywood must do better on HIV representation
December 01 2024 9:00 AM
Climate change is disrupting access to HIV treatment
November 25 2024 11:05 AM
Post-election blues? Some advice from mental health experts
November 08 2024 12:36 PM