What's new, what's next?

There are a number of new developments in the fight against the HIV epidemic. New drugs are being developed, results are being reported from a number of clinical trials, and there are some new strategies in disease management. Currently, there are eleven approved medications for HIV. Several new drugs or studies are highlighted: adefovir dipivoxil (preveon), which is now available under an expanded access program; abacavir (GW1592U89, efavirenz), which shows promise as an antiretroviral ten times more effective than AZT; amprenavir (141W94, VX-478), a new protease inhibitor nearing the end of clinical trials; Fortovase (soft-gel Saquinavir), which is proving much more effective than its earlier formulation; and Hydroxyurea (HU), a long-approved anti-cancer drug which enhances the effectiveness of other HIV medications. Several drugs under development are discussed, such as ABT-378, which show great promise in the treatment arsenal.