Zealous Adherence: Erratic HIV therapy hasn’t fueled resistance
By Ben Harder
Among people infected with HIV, those who don’t consistently take their antiretroviral drugs as prescribed are no more likely to develop drug-resistant HIV than are patients who adhere to their treatment schedule, researchers report. This result contradicts a widely held assumption among health professionals that irregular use of HIV therapy has been a factor in spreading drug-resistant strains of HIV, says David R. Bangsberg of San Francisco General Hospital.
The assumption arose in part because poor adherence to drug regimens, particularly among indigent and homeless populations and illegal-drug users, has contributed to epidemics of drug-resistant tuberculosis, Bangsberg says. A similar situation for HIV treatment would create an ethical dilemma, he notes, because giving HIV drugs to people who are likely to take them sporadically might increase disease risk for the rest of the population.