Combinations of antiretroviral drugs have proven remarkably effective in controlling the progression of HIV disease and prolonging survival, but these benefits can be compromised by the development of drug resistance. About 50 percent of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in the United States are estimated to harbor viruses that express resistance to at least one of the available antiretroviral drugs.

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Resistance of HIV to antiretroviral drugs is one of the most common causes for therapeutic failure in people infected with HIV.