The development of antiretroviral therapy and its impact on the HIV-1 AIDS pandemic, Samuel Broder, M.D., Antiviral Research (2010)

This article explores the history of antiretroviral therapy development and the impact the therapy has had on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It examines the issues this new disease posed to the scientific community, specifically the limitations clinical researchers imposed on themselves due to the belief the retroviruses were not amenable to therapy. Despite the long-held belief that retroviruses are untreatable, researchers and clinical experts quickly identified antiretroviral agents that could be used to develop therapies that effectively treat patients with HIV/AIDS. In addition to the scientific and clinical innovations, the author highlights the important contributions of the FDA and pharmaceutical industries in the rapid development and distribution of AZTs. This article also discusses the decrease in morbidity and mortality rates due to HIV/AIDS as a result of the distribution and utilization of antiretroviral medications. As the author cites from the CDC's analysis, "advances in the treatment of HIV infection have resulted in a fundamental shift in its epidemiology, to a potentially chronic and manageable condition." Unfortunately, the decrease in morbidity and mortality rates have not been as significant in resource-poor nations as they continue to struggle with the distribution of therapy to patients in a timely manner. However, the introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy has changed the perception of AIDS as an automatic death sentence and to a condition that is treatable and the availability of a therapy has reduced marginalization and oppression of people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to highlighting the advances and accomplishments since the advent of AZT, the article discusses areas for improvement and calls upon the research and clinical community to continue to work on improving the distribution of effective treatment and refining therapies that will permanently move this condition from a categorization as a life threatening disease to a chronic and manageable condition for people both in resource-rich and –poor countries.