Current Problems and the Future of Antiretroviral Drug Trials
Joep M. A. Lange
Now that a growing arsenal of new and
potential anti-HIV drugs exists, debate and discussion about the
optimal way to test and use these drugs has begun. In his Policy Forum,
Joep Lange, director of the National AIDS Therapy Evaluation Centre in
Amsterdam, takes the controversial stand that suboptimal therapies and
drug trial designs are still being used. He discusses the underlying reasons for this situation and the challenges for the future.
National AIDS Therapy Evaluation Center (NATEC), Academic Medical
Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ
Amsterdam, Netherlands. E-mail: j.lange{at}amc.uva.nl. I have been or am
an occasional or regular consultant to the following pharmaceutical
companies: Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb,
GlaxoWellcome, Merck, Pharmacia Upjohn, and Roche. Clinical research
projects from our group are supported by Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim,
Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoWellcome, Janssen, Merck, and Roche. I am a
regular speaker at pharmaceutical industry symposia, for which I
receive honoraria. I have no further financial interests in any
company.
