title: Recent advances in antiretroviral drugs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although the combination therapies of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have significantly contributed to virological suppression, improved immune function and quality of life, issues such as tolerability, drug-drug interactions and cross-resistance amongst members of a particular drug class still pose a significant barrier to long-term successful treatment. There is a constant need for newer anti HIV drugs with increased potency and improved pharmacokinetic properties either in the existing classes or drugs from new classes that target several new steps in HIV replication cycle.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors have discussed newer antiretroviral drugs belonging to second-generation nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (amdoxovir, elvucitabine, apricitabine, racivir), non-nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (etravirine, rilpivirine), protease inhibitors (darunavir, tipranavir) as well as emerging new classes, i.e., fusion inhibitors (enfuvirtide, sifuvirtide), CCR5 inhibitors (maraviroc, vicriviroc, PRO 140, PRO 542), CD4-receptor inhibitors (ibalizumab), integrase inhibitors (raltegravir, elvitegravir, GSK-1349572), maturation inhibitors (bevirimat), cobicistat (pharmacoenhancer), lens epithelium-derived growth factor inhibitors and capsid assembly inhibitors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reader will gain an understanding of the mechanism of action, mechanism of resistance, stages of development and important clinical trials related to the newer antiretroviral drugs and future potential of these drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initial clinical trial data of these newer drugs are very encouraging for the long-term successful control of HIV in both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. dr.raktimghosh@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Raktim Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Samhati Mondal
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chawla
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006678:HIV / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors