Antiretroviral Therapy Where Resources Are Limited

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In the State of the Union address of January 2003, President George W. Bush announced an unprecedented five-year, $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief1 to provide highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to up to 2 million patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Africa and the Caribbean. Such efforts are urgently needed to offer hope to the more than 24 million HIV-infected persons living in settings where medical and economic resources are limited. The availability of generic HAART formulations has facilitated efforts mediated by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to encourage multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide HAART at discounted prices.2 Some have argued that access to effective therapies for HIV-infected persons should be one of the highest global public health priorities.3,4 However, it is important to recognize that simply providing affordable access to these drugs is insufficient. The global objective should be to combine prevention with access to clinical care that clearly helps patients to live longer, healthier lives.