The HHS Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents announces the release of the updated Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents.

Key additions and revisions to the guidelines include:

• Addition of “Cost Considerations and Antiretroviral Therapy,” a new section that discusses strategies to contain costs without compromising treatment effectiveness.
• Changes to recommendations on the frequency of CD4 count monitoring, including a table that outlines the updated recommendations.
• Change in classification of recommendations for initial treatment from “Preferred Regimens” to “Recommended Regimens” to reflect the expanding options for treatment-naive patients.
• Increased emphasis on key principles to follow when switching ARV drugs in the setting of viral suppression.
• A new table listing ARV drug options to consider when switching ARV drugs because of adverse effects.

For a complete preview of key updates to the guidelines, please see What's New in the Guidelines. Additions and revisions are also highlighted in yellow throughout the text and tables of the PDF version of the guidelines.

To view or download the guidelines, go to the Adult and Adolescent ARV Guidelines section of AIDSinfo. Separate PDF files that include only the guideline tables or boxed recommendations can also be downloaded from the page.

Forward Comments on the Revised Guidelines to AIDSinfo

Feedback on the revised Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents is welcome. Please e-mail your comments with the subject line “Comments on the Adult and Adolescent ARV Guidelines” to ContactUs@HIVinfo.nih.gov by May 16, 2014.