How do the drugs work?

HIV drugs work by stopping the virus from making copies of itself. This brings viral load down to tiny levels. Your immune system (including your CD4 count) then has a chance to become stronger again.

When not on treatment, your immune system is working in overdrive. HIV infects CD4 cells to make more virus. Your body produces new CD4 cells to fight the virus but HIV just uses these cells to keep reproducing. It is like a dog chasing it’s own tail! (See Figure 1).

This cycle of immune activation is now thought to lead to other health complications.

It is one of the reasons that people are now using treatment.

When you are on effective treatment, this overactivation stops.

There are now over 25 drugs that work in at least five different stages of the HIV life cycle.

When not on treatment, your immune system works in overdrive