A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE HIV MEDICATION COMPLIANCE

描述（由申请人提供）：人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的感染导致了过去二十年来最昂贵和最具破坏性的流行病之一。如果不加以治疗，这种病毒会慢慢破坏免疫系统，在初次感染后的2至20年内导致严重的发病率和几乎100%的死亡率。幸运的是，最近抗病毒治疗的进展已经允许几乎完全抑制病毒在感染个体中的复制。不幸的是，这种病毒能够迅速变异并对治疗产生抗药性，因此必须使用多种药物，使用复杂的给药方案，以维持病毒抑制。尽管坚持这些复杂的治疗方案是至关重要的，但即使是最警惕的人也常常难以长期维持这些方案。该项目的目的是设计和开发一种原型装置，以便为艾滋病毒感染者方便地储存和运输抗逆转录病毒药物。该设备还将通过在给药时间和使用报告功能结合提醒警报来帮助遵守规定。一旦开发出来，该设备将在临床试验中进行测试，以确定其在提高艾滋病毒感染者服药依从性方面的可用性和功能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to one of the most costly and devastating epidemics of the last twenty years. Untreated, the virus slowly destroys the immune system, leading to significant morbidity and virtually 100% mortality within two to twenty years after initial infection. Fortunately, recent advances in antiviral therapy have allowed for almost complete inhibition of viral replication in infected individuals. Unfortunately, the ability of the virus to rapidly mutate and become resistant to treatments necessitates the administration of multiple medications, using complex dosing schedules, in order to maintain viral suppression. Although adherence to these complicated treatment regimens is paramount, even the most vigilant persons often have difficulty maintaining these protocols for extended periods of time. The purpose of this project is to design and develop a prototype device that will allow convenient storage and transport of antiretroviral medications for persons infected with HIV. The device will further function as an aid to compliance by incorporating reminding alarms at dosing times and usage reporting functions. Once developed, the device will be tested in clinical trials in order to determine its usability and functionality in increasing medication compliance in persons infected with HIV.