I Represent Science

At the 1996 meeting of the International AIDS Society in Vancouver, a group of researchers presented the results of a much-anticipated study. The scientists had tested AZT, the first drug approved to fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in combination with two newer anti-viral drugs. HIV is a particularly devious infection. When AZT or other antiviral medications were administered individually, the virus would soon find a way to evade them. But when the three drugs were prescribed together, something almost miraculous happened: the combination therapy suppressed HIV to undetectable levels, even in patients with advanced AIDS. And the virus did not bounce back.