Anti-retroviral Drugs
Antiretroviral drugs inhibit the growth and replication of HIV in various stages of its life cycle. Seven classes of these drugs are available:
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs were the fight against the first antiretroviral drug to develop. Inhibit replication of HIV by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. These include zidovudine (Retrovir), lamivudine (Epivir), didanosine (Videx), stavudine (Zerit) and abacavir (Ziagen). A new drug (emtricitabine, Emtriva), which must be used in combination with at least two other AIDS drugs, HIV and hepatitis B.
The main side effect of zidovudine is suppression of bone marrow, resulting in fewer red blood cells and white. About 5 percent of those treated with hypersensitivity reactions to abacavir experiencing a rash, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Symptoms usually appear during the first six weeks of treatment and usually disappear when the medication is discontinued. If you have had a hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir, avoid taking the drug again. Side effects of emtricitabine include discoloration of the skin.
Protease inhibitors (PI). IP interrupt HIV replication at a later stage of their life cycle by interfering with an enzyme called HIV protease. This causes the particles of HIV in his body to become structurally disorganized and noninfectious. Among these drugs are saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), amprenavir (Agenerase), lopinavir / ritonavir (Kaletra), atazanavir (Reyataz) and Tipranavir (Aptivus). Darunavir (Prezista) is for people who have not responded to treatment with other drugs. Darunavir is used with ritonavir and other anti-HIV. Protease inhibitors are usually prescribed with other drugs to help prevent drug resistance.
Side effects The most common of protease inhibitors include nausea, diarrhea and other problems of the digestive system. Protease inhibitors can also cause a significant number of side effects when they interact with other medicines. This is because all PIs, to one degree or another, affect an enzyme system in liver which is responsible for metabolizing many drugs. Adverse events most recently also appeared with the continuing and widespread use of protease inhibitors. These include levels of triglycerides and problems with the metabolism of sugar, which can sometimes progress to diabetes.
It may also be anomalies in the way fat is metabolised and deposited in his body. Some people lose much of their total body fat mass. Others get the excess fat in the back between the shoulders (buffalo hump) or stomach (protease paunch). Nobody knows exactly why these abnormalities occur. In fact, it is unclear whether these problems are a direct consequence of treatment with protease inhibitors or other cause has not yet been identified. Similar metabolic abnormalities have occurred in people receiving antiretroviral therapy that includes protease inhibitors. Although these changes in the body can be painful, the possibility of an accident, you should not stop receiving treatments against HIV / AIDS.
* Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors inhibitors (NNRTIs). These drugs bind directly to reverse transcriptase. NNRTI four are approved for clinical use: nevirapine (Viramune), delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva) and etravirine (Intelence). An important side effect of all NNRTIs is rash. In addition, people taking efavirenz may have some side effects such as abnormal and worsening of mood disorders underlying.
* The nucleotide inhibitors of reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NtRTIs lot of work, such as nucleoside analogues: It interferes with the replication of reverse transcriptase and prevent the virus from inserting its genetic material into cells. But NtRTIs act more quickly than NRTIs do. The only approved drug in this class, tenofovir (Viread), inhibits HIV and hepatitis B and appears to be effective in people who are resistant to NRTIs. Adverse events most frequently tenofovir, when used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and gas. As with all inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, the risk of serious and even fatal liver damage exists.
* Fusion inhibitors. One of the most alarming of the AIDS epidemic is the emergence of resistant strains of HIV. Worldwide, most people receiving treatment for HIV are resistant to at least one drug, and many do not meet a standard three drug combination. However, a drug called enfuvirtide (Fuzeon), the first of a new class of drugs called fusion inhibitors, appears to suppress resistant strains of HIV. Fusion inhibitors stop virus replication by inhibiting the membrane fusion with the membrane surrounding healthy cells. Fuzeon is used in combination with other drugs against HIV for people with HIV infection who have developed resistance to other drugs. Doctors administer Fuzeon by injection.
* Integrase inhibitors. These drugs are designed to treat people who become resistant to other treatments. The only drug in this class, raltegravir (Isentress) is intended to be used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs, rather than alone. This is the first class of drugs that block the replication of the HIV integrase enzyme, which retains the HIV DNA into the DNA of man inserted. Common side effects include diarrhea, nausea, headache and fever.
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Co-receptor inhibitors of chemokines. Co-inhibitors of chemokine receptors (CCR5 antagonists) represent a new class of drugs used to treat particulapr type of HIV, called CCR5-tropic HIV-1. The only drug in this class – Maraviroc (Selzentry) – is for the treatment of CCR5-tropic HIV-1 infection in adults. Maraviroc is the first drug that targets a human protein instead of the components of the HIV virus.
Maraviroc is used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of adults with CCR5-tropic HIV-1 that have high levels of HIV (high viral load) in their blood despite treatment with other drugs against HIV. Maraviroc reduces viral load by preventing HIV from entering white blood cells uninfected. This is done by blocking CCR5, a major route of entry into cells. CCR5 is a protein on the surface of certain immune system cells, and maraviroc blocks the CCR5 co-receptor for HIV accept.
In two large clinical trials, approximately twice as many people with CCR5-tropic HIV-1 infection who received maraviroc had undetectable viral loads after 24 weeks as those who received treatment more common in control groups.
May Maraviroc Side effects include liver problems, cardiovascular and cough, fever, respiratory infections, rashes and abdominal pain.
Response to treatment
His response to therapy is measured by viral load. The viral load should be tested at the beginning of treatment, then every three or four months, while you are on treatment. In some cases, can be tested even more often.
New Treatments
Many new drugs for HIV or AIDS-related infections by developing or ongoing clinical trial.