Raltegravir

Themanagement of HIV/AIDSnormally includes the use of multipleantiretroviral drugsas a strategy to controlHIV infection.There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of thereplication cycleofHIV. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known ashighly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of theimmune system, and preventsopportunistic infectionsthat often lead to death.HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV betweenserodiscordantsame-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load. Treatment has been so successful that in many parts of the world, HIV has become a chronic condition in which progression toAIDSis increasingly rare.Anthony Fauci, former head of the United StatesNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has written, "With collective and resolute action now and a steadfast commitment for years to come, an AIDS-free generation is indeed within reach." In the same paper, he noted that an estimated 700,000 lives were saved in 2010 alone by antiretroviral therapy.As another commentary noted, "Rather than dealing with acute and potentially life-threatening complications, clinicians are now confronted with managing a chronic disease that in the absence of a cure will persist for many decades." The United StatesDepartment of Health and Human Servicesand theWorld Health Organization(WHO) recommend offering antiretroviral treatment to all patients withHIV.Because of the complexity of selecting and following a regimen, the potential for side effects, and the importance of taking medications regularly to preventviral resistance, such organizations emphasize the importance of involving patients in therapy choices and recommend analyzing the risks and the potential benefits. The WHO has defined health as more than the absence of disease. For this reason, many researchers have dedicated their work to better understanding the effects of HIV-related stigma, the barriers it creates for treatment interventions, and the ways in which those barriers can be circumvented.