Antiretrovirals are used to treat HIV/AIDS. They include: NRTIs (nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors — tenofovir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, abacavir, didanosine, stavudine) that compete with natural nucleotides for incorporation into viral DNA; NNRTIs (nevirapine, efavirenz, etravirine, rilpivirine) that bind directly to reverse transcriptase; INSTIs (raltegravir, dolutegravir) that block integration of viral DNA into the human genome; and PIs (ritonavir, atazanavir, darunavir, lopinavir) that inhibit viral protease, preventing polyprotein processing. Lopinavir-ritonavir is a fixed-dose combination where ritonavir acts as a pharmacokinetic booster. Standard treatment combines 3+ drugs from different classes (ART) to achieve undetectable viral load and prevent resistance (WHO, 2024 guidelines). (Sources: DailyMed/FDA, EMC-UK/MHRA)
