Roundtable for the Development of Drugs and Vaccines Against Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Developing Effective Therapies for Aids-Related Infections.

摘要

The apparent lag in opportunistic infection (OI) drug research relative to antiretroviral research has generated substantial debate about the appropriate balance between efforts to develop antiretroviral drugs and those to develop OI therapies. The biomedical research community and pharmaceutical industry are investing heavily in the development of antiretroviral therapy for HIV Infection, and some critics have asserted that this emphasis may have slowed or diverted attention from basic and clinical research related to opportunistic infections. Other factors, however, may also be important--in particular, gaps in scientific knowledge that impede OI research and drug development. The purpose of the Roundtable's April 1991 conference was to review what is known about the epidemiology, basic biology, and treatment of the major opportunistic infections and to examine obstacles to the development of effective OI therapies. Various perspectives on these issues, including those of the biomedical and clinical research communities, the pharmaceutical industry, health care providers, and patient advocates, were presented.