Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - October 19, 2005
Take a break: Researchers in the United States and Uganda are exploring the implications of allowing HIV-positive patients to take a break from their medications every weekend, a strategy that could reduce the cost of treating the disease and improve the quality of life for patients.
Doctors say patients who routinely miss doses of their medications risk developing a drug-resistant strain of HIV. The studies rely on the weekday-on, weekend-off schedule, geared to help patients remember when they should take their medications.
Researchers remain unsure whether two days off a week will significantly affect anti-retrovirals' effectiveness or lessen their side effects. If the studies prove successful, intermittent therapy could save nearly 30% of the cost of treating one HIV-positive person.
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