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The Phoenix of HIV treatment

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Heads up from GDMeds pharmacy,

The Asia and Pacific region was home to an estimated 5.8 million people living with HIV in 2019.1 China, India and Indonesia account for almost three-quarters of the total number of people living with HIV in the region.2


It is increasingly clear that the Asia and Pacific region is falling behind regions in Africa in its HIV response. In 2019, 75% of people living with HIV in this region were aware of their status. Among those aware, 80% were on treatment of which 91% were virally suppressed. In terms of treatment coverage this equates to 60% of all people living with HIV being on treatment and just 55% being virally suppressed.


What is HIV:

HIV, commonly known as human immunodeficiency virus.

The human immunodeficiency viruses are basically two species of Lentivirus, which is a subgroup of retrovirus that mainly infect humans.

Over time as symptoms become worse the disease causes AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.


AIDS is a kind of disease condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Maximum cases of HIV have occured because of sexually transmitted infections such as contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids.


According to the number of studies, in both same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples that the unprotected sexual intercourse (without condoms) is responsible for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Non-sexual transmission is basically responsible from an infected mother to her infant while on the pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her vaginal fluid or blood, and also through breastfeeding. Within all these mentioned bodily fluids, HIV exists as both free virus particles and also the virus within infected immune cells.


There are basically two types of HIV which are as follows:




HIV-1 is a sort of virus that was initially discovered and termed both (LAV) lymphadenopathy associated virus and (HTLV-III) human T-lymphotropic virus 3. HIV-1 is more virulent and more infective than HIV-2, and the majority of cases are due to the HIV-1.


In absence of treatment, the average survival time after infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is approximately to be 9 – 11 years. This average survival time simply depends on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)subtype.


HIV Treatments:

Aims of Treatment with the help of Antiretroviral Drugs are as follows:

The three main aims of Antiretroviral (ARV) therapy are to:


Reduce HIV-related morbidity and mortality

Improve prolong good quality of life

Assist the patient in being able to return to previous work or employment

ARV Drug Classes: Antiretroviral drugs basically belong to two major classes which are as follows:


Protease Inhibitors (PIs)

Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (RTIs)

And then (RTIs) Reverse transcriptase Inhibitors are also classified into 3 groups:

Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NsRTIs).

Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NtRTIs).

Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs).

All these drugs work by blocking the action of enzymes, which are important for the perspective of replication as well as functioning of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The medications must be used in combination, usually three drugs together.

Monotherapy basically uses one drug, is also less recommended because of the inevitable development of drug resistance. However, for the specific indication of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV infection, short course monotherapy is still indicated

Dual nucleoside therapy is less recommended therapy due to it’s less beneficial effect at a population level in terms of reducing HIV-related mortality and because dual therapy is also associated with rapid development of drug resistance.


As a pharmacy and the distributor of quality anti-HIV medicines, e.g. Spegra (the combo of Descovy and Tivicay), Taffic (the generic version of Biktarvy), Inbec (the generic version of Triumeq), etc..( connect people living with HIV or hepatitis C, at-risk communities, healthcare providers and community organizations with the knowledge, resources and expertise to reduce transmission and improve quality of life.