VOA标准英语2008年-Triple-Drug Therapy Found Most Effective Agains

By Jessica Berman
Washington
14 May 2008

Researchers have determined¹ that commonly prescribed triple-drug combination therapies that use old antiviral drugs are the most effective for suppressing the deadly virus that causes AIDS. The findings have major implications for doctors as they grapple with different drugs to treat HIV infected individuals.  VOA's Jessica Berman reports from Washington.

While there's still no cure for AIDS, and new anti-HIV drugs become available, doctors keep puzzling over which combinations of drugs to prescribe to their patients to halt the progression of the deadly disease.

Sharon Riddler², a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, says there's no consensus³ over which combinations of antiretroviral drugs work the best.

"And it becomes important as we have better options to really have direct comparison," she noted⁴.

Riddler led a study by an international team of researchers that compared the effectiveness of two, triple-combination therapies to a two-drug combination therapy in suppressing the virus. 

Both three-drug regimens included older drugs approved early on by U.S. drug regulators and are often used around the world.

In a study involving 753 patients in 55 countries, investigators⁵ found that both triple-drug combinations and the two-drug combination worked well to suppress the virus and slow progression.

But the three-drug combinations with the older medications performed better than the two-drug cocktail⁶.

Riddler says the most effective three-drug combination included a drug called efavirenz.

"We found that the regimen that I think is the most commonly used regimen now is indeed safe, well-tolerated and effective," she said.  "And I think more effective than the alternative regimens that are available."

While that's good news for people in developed countries who can afford efavirenz, the drug is out of reach for many people in the developing world, because it is too expensive.

Gus Cairns is with the European AIDS Treatment Group, an HIV drug watchdog organization. 

Cairns says nivarapine is the antiviral drug of choice in poorer countries because it is cheap.  But he thinks that should change because efavirenz is more effective at keeping the AIDS virus in check.

"There is some evidence that nivarapine is nearly as effective as efavirenz, but really why not go for the best drug available," he asked.

Cairns thinks the makers⁷ of efavirenz should lower the cost as they have with other anti-HIV medications.

The study evaluating the effectiveness of HIV combination therapies was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 riddler   

n.出迷(语)的人

参考例句：

• There was Batman Forever, in which he inherited the role of The Riddler. 其中包括《永远的蝙蝠侠》，该片中他继承了在《猜谜者》中的角色风格。
• For the so-called World's Greatest Detective, the real foe is Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler. 对于世界上最伟大的侦探，真正的敌人是爱德华~尼格玛，也就是谜语人。

3 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

7 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》