Dear Doctor, You wrote a couple of days ago that the Merck integrase inhibitor will be available shortly. As a treatment experienced hiver (+ since 1990) I would like to know what this med will offer in comparison to the already available treatments.

Thanks

This will be a medication that works completely differently than any of the currently available HIV meds. Therefore, for someone like yourself who has had HIV for a while and may have virus that has accumulated HIV drug resistance, the integrase inhibitor - when coupled with other agents to which your virus is susceptible to - may be an option for future therapy.

As you know, many people with HIV are running out of treatment options. New drugs that work against resistant virus provides opportunities for long term control of HIV for these folks.

However, it is critical that a critical mass of new drugs become available to fully benefit those with resistance to existing meds as it takes combinations of HIV drugs to maintain suppression of HIV.

DW