The power of partnership takes on HIV

摘要

Current estimates suggest that approximately 35 million people around the world are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Of these, 1.5 million people died during 2013 alone as a result of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related illnesses1. While there are now a large number of drugs available and a range of new therapeutics in development to combat HIV, the genome of the virus is inherently prone to mutation, which can lead to the generation of drug-resistant strains. However, resistance is not a one-dimensional problem. For example, difficulties can also arise when patients fail to adhere to, or complete, anti-retroviral drug regimens, resulting in a higher frequency of these drug-resistant strains in newly acquired infections. Factors such as these have enabled the virus to acquire resistance from different sources over time, something that is driving a continuing need to develop new medicines to combat this disease.