Editorial Commentary: Outcomes for Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in the Developing World Appear to Be Not Much Different from Those in the Developed World

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Abstract
During the first decade of the AIDS epidemic, the outcome for nearly every person infected with HIV around the world was virtually the same: most of those who became infected with HIV eventually died as a result of AIDS. However, this began to change in 1996, with the advent of protease inhibitors and HAART. In a very short time, we saw dramatic decreases in the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV infection throughout the developed world, and, as a result, the gap between outcomes for HIV-infected persons in the developed world and outcomes for those in the developing world began to widen. This unacceptable inequity between the countries that bear the greatest burden of disease and those that benefit the most from therapy is now beginning to change, thanks largely to the efforts of nongovernmental organizations, such as Médecines Sans Frontières (MSF), and initiatives such as the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief and the “3 by 5” strategy of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO estimates that, as a result of such programs, the estimated number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy in the developing world increased from 400,000 to 700,000 during the second half of 2004. However, this number still represents only ∼12% of the nearly 6 million people who are in dire need of antiretroviral treatment [1].

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