Antiretroviral therapy in developing countries: pharmacologic considerations

Abstract

The roll-out of antiretroviral drugs in developing countries has become the largest and most ambitious pharmacology project in history. About 2 million people in developing countries now have access to life-saving antiretrovirals, approximately 28% of those in need [1]. Among treated patients, comparable response rates to those seen in western countries have been demonstrated in the first few years of antiretroviral therapy [2]. It is important to sustain these successes by the efficient use of acceptable, efficacious and minimally toxic regimens.