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Drugs

New Treatment Guidelines for AIDS Patients: Combination Therapy Over AZT Alone

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Top AIDS researchers have concluded that the standard treatment for AIDS patients should be changed from the single-drug therapy AZT to a combination of medications. Two new studies, the European-Australian Delta study and the U.S. AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 175 report, have shown that a combination of drugs is more effective in reducing the risk of death and improving treatment outcomes. While there is no consensus on when to start treatment, researchers agree that combination therapy is the preferred approach.

Key Takeaways:

  • The European-Australian Delta study showed a 38 percent reduction in the risk of death during the study period when patients were taking AZT and a second drug, didanosine (ddI) or zalcitabine (ddC).
  • The study compared AZT alone to AZT plus ddI and ddC, as well as ddI alone, and found that the combinations and ddI showed significant advantages over AZT alone.
  • The U.S. AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 175 report found that physicians have a number of choices in selecting drugs to be used in conjunction with AZT, including didanosine (ddI), zalcitabine (ddC), and the newly approved drug stavudine (d4T).
  • The Delta and ACTG 175 studies will change clinical practice and will have a significant impact on the treatment of AIDS patients, with a focus on combination therapy over single-drug therapy.
  • The studies showed that side effects did not increase when patients combined drugs, but that the earlier in the course of the disease that a patient begins combination therapy, the less intense the side effects are.
  • The decision on when to start treatment is a decision that will have to be determined by practitioners and their patients, and further research is needed to answer this question.
  • The European-Aids Clinical Society's conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV Infection in Copenhagen brought together top researchers to discuss the findings of the two new studies.

Statistics:

  • 38 percent reduction in the risk of death during the study period for patients taking AZT and a second drug (European-Australian Delta study).
  • 50 percent of patients infected with the virus that causes AIDS now take AZT alone (no specific source).
  • 2-3 new drugs will soon be available to disrupt the virus' replication process (Dr. Scott Hammer of Harvard Medical School).
  • 1-2 months for the completion of the latest study nearing completion (no specific source).

Sources:

  • "Top AIDS Researchers Call for Shift from Single-Drug Therapy," Reuters, September 29.
  • European-Australian Delta study.
  • U.S. AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 175 report.
  • European-Aids Clinical Society's conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV Infection in Copenhagen.

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