New editions of HIV treatment booklet and chart

New editions of our Anti-HIV drugs booklet and Antiretroviral drug chart are now available online and in print through our patient information subscription scheme. The drug chart is also available to download from the aidsmap website.

Anti-HIV drugs is a starting point for anyone who wants to find out about treatments for HIV, and to help them decide what questions to ask their doctor. It includes information on drugs that have been licensed in the UK or European Union (EU) and are recommended for prescription by the British HIV Association.

The Antiretroviral drug chart is a one-page, full-colour reference guide to all the anti-HIV drugs licensed for use in the UK or EU. It includes information on drug formulations, standard dosages, side effects and food requirements.

Anti-HIV drugs and the Antiretroviral drug chart have both been reviewed by medical experts to ensure they reflect current treatment guidelines. We have removed older drugs that are no longer in common use and have added new drugs. These include the single-tablet regimens Biktarvy, Delstrigo, Dovato, and Juluca; the NNRTI doravirine; and injectable treatments cabotegravir and rilpivirine, and lenacapavir.

The booklet includes sections on:

  • the aim of HIV treatment and when to start taking treatment
  • talking to your doctor, including managing side effects and drug interactions, and having a baby
  • how anti-HIV drugs are dispensed
  • generic medicines
  • recommended treatment in the UK
  • types of antiretroviral drugs and information on each drug in current use, including individual and combination treatments and single-tablet regimens.

Anti-HIV drugs follows our new booklet design which we developed to fit in with the style of the new aidsmap website, but it’s still in the handy, pocket-size format of previous editions. We’ve colour-coded the different sections of drugs, included images of the drugs throughout the booklet, and added an index to help readers navigate the booklet more easily.

aidsmap’s patient information subscription scheme

Staff and patients at UK-based HIV and sexual health clinics that are members of our subscription scheme can access the booklet and chart on the clinic portal and clinics can order printed copies.

Please note, this new edition of the Anti-HIV drugs booklet does not come with a copy of the drug chart inside like previous editions did, so please order the drug chart separately.

Glossary

Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)

U=U stands for Undetectable = Untransmittable. It means that when a person living with HIV is on regular treatment that lowers the amount of virus in their body to undetectable levels, there is zero risk of passing on HIV to their partners. The low level of virus is described as an undetectable viral load. 

generic

In relation to medicines, a drug manufactured and sold without a brand name, in situations where the original manufacturer’s patent has expired or is not enforced. Generic drugs contain the same active ingredients as branded drugs, and have comparable strength, safety, efficacy and quality.

Also available to order on the portal are our other booklets, including Taking your HIV treatment, HIV & sex and HIV & women, and leaflets in The basics series, including new titles Life expectancy and Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).

Clinics can share all our resources – booklets, leaflets, factsheets, interactive tools, and translations – with their patients through the portal via text message and email.

To find out if your clinic is registered or for information on joining the scheme, please email info@nam.org.uk.

Thank you

Thank you to the people living with HIV and members of our medical review panel for their assistance in reviewing the booklet:

  • Ben Cromarty, UK-CAB
  • Lucy Hedley, Senior Procurement Pharmacist, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and HIVPA Education Sub-Committee Lead
  • Nadia Naous, Lead Pharmacist for HIV and Sexual Health, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of HIVPA
  • Dr Iain Reeves, Consultant in GU Medicine, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dr Laura Waters, Consultant Physician, Mortimer Market Centre, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

We were delighted to collaborate again with the HIV Pharmacy Association on both the Anti-HIV drugs and Antiretroviral drug chart.

Thank you also to all the pharmaceutical companies that provided product information: Gilead Sciences; Janssen; Merck, Sharp and Dohme; and ViiV Healthcare.