Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks select immune system cells critical to the overall functioning of the immune system—our body's defense system. HIV is a type of retrovirus, a family of viruses whose genetic material is RNA, not DNA. For those who are HIV infected, the infection is kept under control by suppressing viral replication. Antiretroviral drugs suppress viral replication and prevent wholesale or rampant HIV infection throughout the immune system. Today, HIV treatment typically includes combination therapy, with the administration of two or more antiretroviral drugs capable of suppressing HIV to undetectable levels. HIV/AIDS Treatment Drugs explains how HIV functions and describes the drugs used to treat HIV infection, how they work and are combined, how HIV drugs are developed, and what new treatments are being investigated.
