The Importance of Adhering to Your Treatment Regimen en español
Which are the easiest drug combinations? (A look at fewer pills and once-a-day dosing)
Companies have responded to the demand for HIV drugs that require fewer pills, taken fewer times a day. Many newer drugs were developed with simplicity in mind, and many older drugs have been redeveloped to allow for easier dosing. It's also becoming more common to see two or more different drugs combined into a single tablet or capsule.
Drugs that now require fewer pills (officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
*Lopinavir has never been available for use, alone, without the addition of Norvir. As a result, it is not known how many pills of lopinavir and ritonavir would have been necessary if they were to be used together as individual drugs.
Most companies have studied whether or not their drugs can be used once a day, and it turns out that a number of them can, at least in people who are just starting HIV treatment (twice-daily dosing generally achieves higher blood levels of a drug, which may be necessary to treat drug-resistant HIV).
* These once-daily drugs are listed as preferred options for HIV-positive people starting treatment for the first time by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reyataz is preferred only when combined with low-dose Norvir.
If you are interested in starting or switching to a once-daily drug or a once-daily drug regimen, be sure to discuss the possibility with your health care provider.
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