[Antiretroviral therapy 2003. The current status].

In the year 2003, the basis of antiretroviral treatment comprising nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI, NNRTI, NtRTI) and protease inhibitors (PI) will be extended to include entry inhibitors (EI). A representative of this class of drugs, enfurvitide (T20), is about to receive official approval. In the meantime, initial data on long-term treatment with tenofovir, which has been available in Germany since February 2002, have become available. Further medications are in the pipe-line of clinical development, for example, the NRTI emtricitabine (FTC) and the Pis amdoxovir and Atazanavir. Results from studies employing immunomodulatory approaches have so far proved disappointing. In contrast, a number of smaller studies on vaccination have provided promising data. Recommendations for antiretroviral treatment of HIV infection were updated in the summer of 2002.