Study identifies most effective HIV drug combination

Researchers have identified the most effective drug combination yet for fighting the initial infection of HIV.

The team from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine confirmed that the popular three-drug combination of efavirenz and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) was the most effective at suppressing HIV.

HIV levels in 24 per cent of the participants who were given the efavirenz combination returned to detectable levels during the two year study compared to higher results in two other treatments regimes analysed.

Results of the study, which included 753 patients at 55 centres, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Sharon Riddler, lead author of the study, said that all three regimes were effective but efavirenz and NRTIs should be considered the "gold standard regime for initial HIV treatment".

"This study not only establishes the best initial therapy for HIV infection, it opens the way toward simpler regimens that contain fewer drugs," she added.

Aids charity Avert estimates that over 33 million people worldwide were living with HIV at the end of 2007.