HIV and AIDS: Case 4
One of your clinic patients is a 35-year-old man with AIDS on Medicare who is an active intravenous drug user. He uses heroin and cocaine, but he never shares needles and is reliably present at all his clinic visits. He admits that he is often unable to take his medicines regularly when he is using drugs. He is asking about antiretroviral therapy with protease inhibitors. You have just read that HIV viral resistance to protease inhibitors occurs rapidly when patients are unable to take their medicines reliably.
Should you prescribe protease inhibitors to this patient?
This is a difficult and ongoing debate in the care of patients with HIV. Protease inhibitors used in combination with nucleoside analogues have proven a powerful weapon in the fight against HIV. The problem of resistance is a real concern in a patient who cannot take his medicines reliably. Many public health advocates feel that these medicines should not be offered to patients who are admittedly noncompliant because they would be creating resistant clones of virus which could then be passed on to others, or make the individual unable to benefit later if they were able to become compliant. They also argue that the cost of these medications on the health care system is so extreme that they should only be used by those who can fully benefit from them. Others argue the principle of justice which espouses equitable distribution of resources amongst all available people in need, and if the patient wants the medications he should have equal access to them.
There is no answer to this debate at this time. The only clear principle that should be followed here is that of non-abandonment. Whatever your choice is with the patient, the physician's responsibility is to remain available to the patient and continue an ongoing therapeutic relationship and encourage him with information and guidance about his HIV disease and issues of addiction.