October 2000 Cover
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Researchers revealed at the 13th International AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa, that giving AIDS patients breaks in their difficult combination medication regimens not only reduces the occurrence of side effects,
but helps the body to fight the virus on its own.
The news raises hopes in the battle against AIDS, as regulatory bodies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are concerned that combination therapies may only be effective for a limited time
as the virus adapts to resist the drugs. The practice of extending life expectancies with planned medication breaks is currently in about 10 different trials in the United States and Europe, basing the length of the interruptions
on HIV viral loads in the bloodstream.
So far, those stopping their drug regimens for as long as a month have experienced increased HIV levels, but have pushed their viral loads back down to un-measurable levels after re-starting therapy.
Editor's Note: from The New York Times
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