Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapies (HAART) For Treating HIV

TThe primary source of the medical battle against aids comes from highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) for treating HIV. HAART regimens consist of a number of different drugs, sometimes referred to as a “cocktail,” and serve as powerful defenses against the ways in which the HIV virus attacks the human body. Though these drugs are not able to rid the body of HIV, they can significantly delay the onset of AIDS and can help clients experience better health.


HAART prescriptions are available in a number of different combinations, each of which is most suitable for different stages of the virus, as well as its different strains. As each combination of HAART therapies is associated with different potential dangers and side-effects, clients are most often closely involved in the selection of a treatment regimen. These drugs tend to be effective due to their multiple replications blocking approaches. While the HIV virus is not particularly adept at making improved copies of itself within the human system, it replicates rapidly, using this speed as a primary means of progression. HAART therapies operate by limiting the replication abilities of the virus, and the combination of different types of drugs means that in the event that a resistant viral cell is produced, it will likely be inhibited by one of the other substances in the cocktail.

There are many concerns associated with the use of highly active antiretroviral therapies for treating HIV, chief among which are possible concerns over the price and subsequent accessibility to the drugs, as well as the complexity of regimens. In many of the areas most affected by HIV, those with the virus are unable to afford the costly HAART cocktails, and partial treatment often proves to be a poor alternative. Efforts to lower the costs of these drugs, as well as to develop a more cost-effective option such as a vaccine, are under constant development to try to address this issue. Along with the matter of affordability, HAART medications also receive criticism due to the schedules on which clients must take different drugs. Often confusing and easy to forget, such regimens may be risky in that missing a scheduled ingestion can have serious consequences on efficacy.

Though hope remains for finding a more comprehensive and final solution to HIV, modern HAART medications present those infected with the virus an ability to enjoy a longer life. Though the drugs are not without their disadvantages, they represent a strong global anti-HIV effort.

Source: https://hivpreventionresearch.org/