Retrovir/Zovirax May Prolong HIV Survival

People infected with HIV who received treatment with Wellcome's antiviral Zovirax (aciclovir) as an add-on therapy to Retrovir (zidovudine) appears to experience clinically significant prolonged survival compared to people who receives zidovudine alone, according to new data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS).

The data suggests that combination therapy is associated with approximately a one-year increase in survival when compared to monotherapy. The survival benefit appeares greatest among those patients who initiated add-on therapy with aciclovir after a diagnosis of AIDS. However, there seems to be no difference between combination and monotherapy in delaying the onset of AIDS.

The researchers speculate that the use of Zovirax seems more effective when taken as a therapy specifically for HIV rath00er than other reasons - shingles etc.