title: Anti-HIV drugs: 25 compounds approved within 25 years after the discovery of HIV.
abstract: In 2008, 25 years after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered as the then tentative aetiological agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), exactly 25 anti-HIV compounds have been formally approved for clinical use in the treatment of AIDS. These compounds fall into six categories: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs: zidovudine, didanosine, zalcitabine, stavudine, lamivudine, abacavir and emtricitabine); nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NtRTIs: tenofovir); non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs: nevirapine, delavirdine, efavirenz and etravirine); protease inhibitors (PIs: saquinavir, ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, amprenavir, lopinavir, atazanavir, fosamprenavir, tipranavir and darunavir); cell entry inhibitors [fusion inhibitors (FIs: enfuvirtide) and co-receptor inhibitors (CRIs: maraviroc)]; and integrase inhibitors (INIs: raltegravir). These compounds should be used in drug combination regimens to achieve the highest possible benefit, tolerability and compliance and to diminish the risk of resistance development.
authors.affiliation: Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. erik.declercq@rega.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Clercq
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000266:history* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006678:HIV / Q000187:drug effects; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents