Introduction

This supplement summarizes presentations made at the Spring Symposium sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim International entitled Optimising HIV Treatment - Building on Experience. It took place at the Alcora Hotel, Seville, Spain, on 15 March 2002. The aim of the symposium was to provide an overview of the field of HIV/AIDS with a particular emphasis on the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, nevirapine. The mechanism of action, resistance profile and pharmacokinetics of nevirapine were reviewed by Drs Wainberg and Back. Three presentations, by Drs Murphy, Mayers and Dieterich, focused on the safety profile of nevirapine, especially recently obtained hepatic safety data about the drug. Drs Lange and Harris discussed a number of clinical studies that have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of nevirapine in two very different patient populations: antiretroviral naïve and treatment experienced patients. Dr Rockstroh addressed the complex issues involved in managing hepatitis B and C infections in HIV co-infected patients. Single dose nevirapine has been shown to be effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. Dr Sullivan presented these data and outlined the issues that need to be resolved in order to ensure that HIV-infected mothers can have healthy children, in both the developed and developing world, as well as the chance of improving their own health. Concerns have been growing about the potential risk of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients taking antiretroviral drugs. Dr Carr put these into perspective by summarizing the current status of this area. Dr Clotet then described the effect of nevirapine on a number of lipid parameters, including high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, in both antiretroviral naïve and protease-inhibitor-experienced patients. The effects of antiretroviral therapy on mitochondrial function are another growing area of concern, reviewed by Dr Montaner. He also described a novel experimental assay that is currently under evaluation to further characterize and possibly monitor mitochondrial toxicity. The last two presentations focused on future treatment options for patients with HIV/AIDS. Dr Yeni presented preclinical and early clinical data on tipranavir, a novel non-peptidic protease inhibitor, and Dr Vella discussed future treatment perspectives in the field. The symposium was very stimulating and we trust that you find this supplement a useful and educational record of the event. Editors and Co-chairs of the Symposium: David Cooper (Australia) Joep Lange (The Netherlands) Julio Montaner (Canada)

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