New HIV Treatment Guidelines Released Today

The federal government's updated guidelines for the treatment of HIV-positive adults will be released today by HHS and the Kaiser Family Foundation, USA Today reports (Sternberg, USA Today, 2/5). The new guidelines recommend physicians commence triple-drug antiretroviral therapy later than previously advised, as the "potent" combinations pose potential "health hazards" and should "not be used earlier than necessary" (Brown, Washington Post, 2/5). The new guidelines are a departure from the "hit hard, hit early" approach to treatment that recommended antiretroviral therapy be administered early in hopes that it would eradicate the virus from the body (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/2). The updated guidelines are available at http://hivatis.org/trtgdlns.html