title: Antiretroviral drugs.
abstract: In October 2010, it will be exactly 25 years ago that the first antiretroviral drug, AZT (zidovudine, 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine), was described. It was the first of 25 antiretroviral drugs that in the past 25 years have been formally licensed for clinical use. These antiretroviral drugs fall into seven categories [nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NtRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), fusion inhibitors (FIs), co-receptor inhibitors (CRIs) and integrase inhibitors (INIs). The INIs (i.e. raltegravir) represent the most recent advance in the search for effective and selective anti-HIV agents. Combination of several anti-HIV drugs [often referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)] has drastically altered AIDS from an almost uniformly fatal disease to a chronic manageable one.
authors.affiliation: Rega Institute for Medical Research, K.U. Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. erik.declercq@rega.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Clercq
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents