The introduction of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs as part of HIV clinical care has made AIDS a more manageable chronic illness by helping restore patients to an economically productive and socially functional state. Since 1996, when ARVs were first introduced, the lives of HIV-positive patients have been extended by an average of eight years, though many patients are doing well 10 years into therapy.

Antiretroviral treatment:

• prolongs lives, making HIV/AIDS a chronic disease, not a death sentence (affluent countries have seen a 50 - 70% decline in HIV/AIDS deaths since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy)
• will help reduce stigma and change attitudes towards HIV/AIDS
• can significantly reduce HIV transmission
• was once very costly, but is now much more affordable in developing countries
• can reduce overall health care costs and restore quality of life

A dramatic reduction in viral load (the number of copies of the virus in the blood) with resulting arrest in immune damage is achieved by combining at least three drugs from the various classes of antiretroviral drugs into a "cocktail." This multi-drug cocktail is called "Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy" (HAART). Each class of drugs attacks the virus at a different stage of replication while is it growing in the human host lymphocyte cell. In addition to cocktails of multiple pills, Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs), pills that contain several AIDS drugs in a single tablet, are now becoming available. FDCs offer several advantages, including easier distribution and storage, improved likelihood that patients will adhere to their medical regimens, and therefore, a lower probability of treatment failure and drug resistance.

While in the past, ARVs have been prohibitively expensive for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing nations, recent negotiations with pharmaceutical companies have resulted in reduced-cost drugs and/or less expensive generic alternatives. In some African countries, ARVs are available for under $128 per person per year, supplied by drug manufacturers in India, South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, and China, who have manufactured generic versions of patented ARV drugs. Where these negotiations have been successful, more and more patients living with HIV/AIDS are being initiated on antiretroviral therapy. However, many resource-scarce nations do not have the negotiating power or health service infrastructure to do so. The World Health Organization estimates that, "of the 38.6 million people worldwide infected with HIV, at least 6.5million are eligible for antiretroviral treatment. As of June 2006, only 1.65 million people had access to ARVs in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, where 60% of people with HIV/AIDS live, anti-retroviral treatment is available to less than 4% of those in need."

In a survey conducted on 220 college students by E. Ophir, results showed a vast majority are aware of these basic facts. However, students know far less about the efficacy of treatment. A child born to a mother with HIV/AIDS in the developing world, with no treatment, has a 35% chance of contracting the disease. A students' most common response: "70-90%." With appropriate treatment, this probability can be reduced to nearly zero. Cost of this treatment: $4. Nevertheless, 82% of students overestimated the cost.

Sources: www.faceaids.org, www.pih.org, and student Eyal Ophir