Figure 1.

Effect of short-cycle intermittent therapy on plasma HIV RNA. Ten patients receiving cycles of 7 days on HAART followed by 7 days off of HAART had measurements of plasma HIV RNA after every other off-HAART period. The results are shown as HIV RNA copies per ml of plasma as determined by branched-chain DNA assays (bDNA); all values >50 copies per ml of plasma are indicated at the designated time points. Patient 301 was removed from the study (arrow) after a 21-day interruption. Patient 309 had a 10-day interruption during the second off-drug cycle (week 4). Patient 305 withdrew from the study at week 12 for personal reasons.