Although we have not reached as many people as we could have, treatment regimens are highly effective and have substantially increased life expectancy of those living with HIV. But can we do better? This presentation provides an overview of the current situation with regards to antiretroviral therapies and what can be expected in future. The explanation of the life cycle of HIV sets the scene for the rest of the presentation, which focuses on; reverse transcriptase inhibitors; nucleoside mimics, such as AZT; and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors; as well as new therapies. Professor Maartens discusses 1st, 2nd and 3rd line regimens and provides information on toxicity, tolerance and metabolic effects of EFV. He concludes by presenting a comprehensive summary of where therapies are currently and the changes he anticipates.