Protease inhibitor monotherapy: what is its role?

Protease inhibitor monotherapy has been shown to be effective in maintaining long-term viral suppression in a majority of patients. Withdrawal of nucleoside analogues can prevent long-term toxicity related to these drugs. Clinical trials have recently reported preliminary data on the beneficial effect of protease inhibitor monotherapy on body fat distribution and bone metabolism. Some of the uncertainties possibly associated with protease inhibitor monotherapy such as the increased risk of neurological events and a higher level of subclinical inflammation will be discussed in this review.