This trial is another in a series of studies looking at combinations of antiretrovirals that are easier to live with, as a result of having fewer pills, taken fewer times a day. It compared twice-daily indinavir (1,200 mg every 12 hours) in combination with twice-daily efavirenz (300 mg every 12 hours) to standard dosing of indinavir (800 mg every eight hours) combined with efavirenz dosed once-a-day. After 16 weeks of therapy, 86 percent of patients (6 out of 7) in the twice-daily group had HIV suppressed below detection (400 copies/mL) compared to 75 percent (6 out of 8) in the group receiving standard dosing of indinavir. One interesting aspect of this trial is that it looked at patient adherence to the regimen, and was able to determine that poor adherence is a major contributing factor to viral rebound.

While this is a small preliminary study, its findings should encourage researchers to continue examining combination therapies that are easier to take, without compromising efficacy.