HIV-1 protease inhibitors in development

Several pharmaceutical companies have developed an increasing number of second generation protease inhibitors (PI) during the last few years. Many of these compounds have been in preclinical trials and some are now in clinical use. All drugs in this category have been designed to be well absorbed and overcome the crucial problem of cross-resistance within this class of compounds. Taking into account the rapid occurrence of PI cross-resistance, clinicians who are treating patients with the HIV-1 infection will need new active PIs in the near future. The clinical and antiviral efficacy of the new molecules versus the older PIs will be investigated through comparative trials that are likely to be completed over the next 12 months. These third-generation PIs currently in development will be the subject of our review.