Inhibitors of the HIV protease for therapy of AIDS - Current status and future prospects

New, potent therapies for HIV disease are becoming available, based on design of synthetic inhibitor of the viral protease, an essential viral enzyme. The results in clinical trials have been impressive with most treated individuals benefiting in terms of reduced quantity of detectable virus, enhanced numbers of CD4 lymphocytes and improvements in quality and duration of life. There are some anecdotal accounts of individual cures (unpublished at present). However, there are some remaining negatives associated with the new drugs, including cost, side effects and appearance of drug-resistant strains of HIV. Problems and future prospects for use of protease inhibitors in AIDS are discussed.