Researchers have announced today that the SMART trial (Strategies for Management of Anti-Retroviral Therapy) is being discontinued prematurely due to "statistical futility". This major international research study aimed to find out whether HIV treatment, which is often hard to take and can have serious side effects, needed to be taken continuously or could be interrupted when a patient was in good health.
 
SMART was a major international clinical trial involving up to 6000 patients with HIV, many of whom hoped they would no longer have to keep taking treatments daily for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, its discontinuation indicates that structured, repeated drug interruptions are not beneficial and that, at least with current drugs available, people may need to take treatment continuously and indefinitely.
 
Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said “This trial has given us a crucial insight into how HIV should be treated in future. However, the results will be a disappointment for many people with HIV. Continuous treatment is complex, can cause side effects and can be difficult to stick with. At the moment, many people take a ‘treatment break’ to improve their quality of life.

"It’s essential that the information from this trial is disseminated as soon as possible. People living with HIV and their consultants need the latest information in order to make educated choices about future treatment regimes."

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