Why do most HIV drugs currently being advertised state they should only be taken by the treatment naive? From what I understand about HIV Meds, eventually they will quit working and it will be necessary to change hiv regimen. I'm concerned about what I will take in the future should my current regimen of truvada, reyataz, and norvir stop working. Should I be concerned?

Hello and thanks for posting.

Drugs are advertised this way because of the nature and regulatory way that drugs are approved by the FDA. This means that new drugs are either studies in people who are treatment-naive, or have (typically) drug-resistant virus.

This doesn't mean that they can't be thoughtfully used in people who aren't treatment naive, like people who are experiencing side effects or who might benefit from an easier to take regimen, it's just that they usually aren't as well studied in this context, or have not sought full government approval (and hence approval to advertise this).

HIV medications don't necessarily fail- indeed, in people who had well-chosen medications and remain adherent to treatment, treatment failure is rare. So, if you stay adherent to your current medications (this doesn't mean just taking your pills, but also taking your medications with food), the likelihood of failure should be very low.

I wouldn't be overly concerned. Be well, BY