RESUMO
The global epidemic of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection continues to expand. The advent of new antiretroviral drugs has shown substantial improvement in patients life expectancy and quality of life. The aim of therapy is complete suppression of viral replication. The reduction of plasma HIV RNA to below the level of detection of a sensitive assay is viewed as the optimal treatment response. Several randomized clinical trials have conclusively demonstrated survival benefits associated with various combinations of antiretroviral drugs. At present most effective and reliable way of preventing HIV induced immune damage is to use two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in combination with a Protease Inhibitor. Such combinations are now widely considered to represent the current standard of antiretroviral care