Guides › Changing treatment and drug resistance

What is second-line treatment?

Second-line is the name for your second treatment, if you have to change your first treatment because of treatment failure.

If this second treatment fails, your next treatment is called third-line.

Multiple Drug Resistant (MDR) treatment is the name given to any combination that you use after you have developed resistance to your first or second regimen.

Sometimes it refers to treatment for someone with resistance to all HIV drugs.

This is also called salvage therapy in some clinics, although most community publications no longer use this term.

February 2011

Decisions relating to your treatment should always be taken in consultation with your doctor. Information in this guide is intended to support those discussions.

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