Colorado AIDS Project | Media | Story Ideas

25 Years of AIDS

On June 5, 1981, dcotors in California diagnosed the first cases of AIDS. Now 25 years later, despite significant medical advances, we have no cure, no vaccine, and the disease is devistating entire nations.

HIV Drugs are no Cocktail

In 1997, antiretroviral drugs changed the face of AIDS in the United States. The regimen was initially dubbed a cocktail because of the sheer amount of pills needed each day. While these meds have proven effective in combating HIV and AIDS, they come at a steep price, not only financially, but physically and emotionally as well.

Ryan White Care Act Reauthorization

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A New Approach: Immune-Based Treatments Against HIV

It may be impractical to attempt maintaining patients on life-long antiviral pills, especially since the evolving problem of resistance is not going away. With each passing year, more patients eventually develop resistance to their antiviral drugs and a new regimen must be constructed. One does not ignore the mounting cost of these medications and their long-term side effects. Some patients are not able to adhere to their medication schedule. Regardless of the cause, viral resistance continues. As virologic failure occurs, the immune system is one of the first things to be affected, specifically CD4+ T-cells which begin to decline.

HIV meds, such as protease inhibitors, nucleoside inhibitors, and the upcoming integrase inhibitors act on the virus to reduce replication. Through an indirect mechanism of removing the offending virus, the immune system is facilitated to repair itself. Presently, antivirals are the mainstay of treatment for HIV infection. In the case of immunotherapy, treatments are designed to directly and effectively stimulate an immune response against HIV.

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