Pharmacology of Drugs for Sexually Transmitted Infections: HIV

Course overview

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens a persons immune system, making it difficult for the person to fight disease and infection. Once HIV has been diagnosed, treatment depends on the extent of disease and the presence of any opportunistic infections (OIs), with the goal being to stabilize the immune system so OIs are less likely to occur. HIV cannot be cured, but it can be controlled (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022a; Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2022). The goal of this course is to provide an overview of pharmacological options for those members of the healthcare team that may treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in adolescents and adults. All drug-related information cited in this course was obtained from the manufacturer package inserts accessed March 12, 2023, and the National Institutes of Health HIV Drug Database, unless otherwise noted.