Salvage Therapy

Some people with HIV with significant immune impairment, or people who have taken a wide range of antiviral [1]A medication or substance which is active against one or more viruses. May include anti-HIV drugs, but these are more accurately termed antiretrovirals. drugs over a period of many years may experience problems with their antiviral treatments because they are resistant [2]HIV which has mutated and is less susceptible to the effects of one or more anti-HIV drugs is said to be resistant. to some classes of drugs. Treatment strategies for people who appear to have HIV that is resistant to many of the available treatments is often referred to as salvage [3][salvage therapy] A treatment strategy for managing HIV in people who have developed resistance to existing therapies. therapy.

There are four different salvage therapy strategies that may be tried:

• recycling drugs – that is, using drugs you have previously used in conjunction with resistance testing to determine which ones may work best;
• ‘mega-HAART’ regimens – using combinations of up to nine antiviral drugs – these regimens, of course, may pose serious side-effect problems;
• ‘treatment intensification’ – adding one or two drugs to an existing regimen; and
• accessing new treatments that have not yet been approved for wide use via compassionate access, special access schemes or by participating in clinical trials. Your doctor or treatments officer can provide you with more information about accessing these types of drugs.

Sometimes none of these strategies may be suggested or you may choose not to try them because of the side effects or risks involved. Even if you are on a regimen to which you appear to be somewhat resistant, your doctor may recommend you continue on it as it still may provide protection and help to keep you healthy.