Changing Antiretroviral Therapy in Children (Clinical) (Clinical Report‪)‬

An important maxim in treating patients with HIV is that the first regimen is your best chance for success. Get it right the first time. Recent data show that the response of children to antiretroviral therapy (ART) both overseas and locally has been phenomenal. (1-4) Nevertheless, inevitably, increasing numbers of children will require a second-line regimen. It is therefore important that we have an approach to changing therapy. There are two main reasons for changing ART--toxicity or intolerance, and failure of the current regimen. Other reasons include poor adherence (often improved with alternative antiretrovirals (ARVs)) and emergence of more effective or safer regimens.