Treating HIV more quickly

Washington Notebook

WASHINGTON - The Clinton administration is developing two initiatives that could significantly expand markets for protease inhibitors by supporting payment for early treatment of HIV infection. The Department of Health and Human Services is finalizing standard of care guidelines that will recommend that patients who have been exposed to the virus be offered "triple combination" (two nucleoside analogs and one protease inhibitor) therapy while their immune systems are intact. The guidelines should prompt insurance providers, including federal agencies and programs, to pay for combination therapy for HIV-positive patients who have not yet developed AIDS symptoms, according to AIDS activists. ...