Updated HHS Adult and Adolescent Antiretroviral Treatment Guidelines Now Available

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The HHS Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents released updated Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents last week. Revisions to the October 14, 2011, version of the guidelines include both new sections and key updates to existing sections, including:

  • New section on HIV and the older patient
  • New table on cost of antiretroviral drugs
  • Updated recommendations on initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in treatment-naive individuals
  • Expanded discussion of use of hormonal contraceptives in HIV-infected women
  • Preliminary recommendations on coadministration of the newly approved hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PIs) boceprevir and telaprevir
  • Recommendations on “when to start” ART in HIV-infected individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis but not receiving ART
  • Discussion of the role of effective ART in preventing HIV transmission

For a complete preview of key updates to the guidelines, please see What’s New in the Guidelines? To view or download the guidelines, go to the Adult and Adolescent Treatment Guidelines section of AIDSinfo.

AIDSinfo Announces New Process and Format for Release of Guidelines

With the release of the updated adult and adolescent antiretroviral treatment guidelines, NIH’s AIDSinfo introduced a new process and format for production and release of guidelines disseminated via the AIDSinfo website. According to an announcement from AIDSinfo, the new process and format will allow the guidelines panels to review, update, and release individual sections of guidelines as often as necessary to coincide with the latest emerging research. Thus, release of a revised section will not be delayed until the entire guidelines are updated/reviewed (for example, on an annual basis). Henceforth individual sections of guidelines will include both a “last updated” date and a “last reviewed” date. “Last updated” will indicate the last date changes were made to a section; “last reviewed” will indicate the last date section contents were reviewed and judged current and appropriate. Although all guidelines will continue to be available in PDF format, the PDF versions of the guidelines will include a cover page with a disclaimer stating that the guidelines are only guaranteed current on the date printed or saved to the user’s computer. Users are encouraged to check the AIDSinfo website frequently for notice of subsequent updates and access to the most up-to-date guidelines.

Your Feedback Is Important

The Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents welcomes feedback on the latest revisions to the adult and adolescent treatment guidelines. The panel also invites feedback on the new process and format for release of the guidelines. Please send your comments with the subject line “Adult and Adolescent Guidelines Comments” to ContactUs@aidsinfo.nih.gov by April 10, 2012.

By AIDSInfo (Cross-posted from AIDSinfo at-a-Glance (Issue No. 13 | March 27, 2012))