Question
How many antiretrovirals are there and why do we need so many?
19 October 2006. Related: All topics.
Answer
There are now over 20 approved ARVs – more in if you include drgs that are available in expanded access programmes (ie close to approval).
Strictly speaking we don’t need so many if they are very similar to each other, and so older drugs and drugs that are superceded by new formulations, also stop being manufactured (ie ddC, amprenavir, Fortovase).
The reason we have this many is historical – problems with the earliest drugs, pushed research to find more active and more tolerable alternatives. Many of the most recently approved drugs were developed to work against HIV that developed resistance to the first drugs.
Most new drugs currently in development are developed to work against resistant virus.
A list of current drugs is included at the end of the i-Base guide An introduction to Combination Therapy.
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