Response to Zidovudine/Didanosine-Containing Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-1 Subtype C-Infected Adults in Botswana: Two-Year Outcomes from a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Numerous national antiretroviral (ARV) treatment initiatives offering protease-inhibitor (PI)-sparing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) have recently commenced in southern Africa, the first of which began in Botswana in January 2002. Evaluation of the efficacy and tolerability of various PI-sparing cART regimens requires intensive study in the region, as does investigation of the development of drug resistance and the optimal means of sustaining adherence. The Tshepo Study is the first large-scale randomized clinical trial which addresses these important issues among HIV-1 subtype C infected, ARV-treatment naive adults in southern Africa.