HAART stands for Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, which is a medication regimen used to manage and treat human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) . It is a customized combination of different classes of medications that a physician prescribes based on factors such as the patients viral load, the particular strain of the virus, the CD4+ cell count, and other considerations. The combination of drugs is used to increase potency and reduce the likelihood of the virus developing resistance. HAART cannot rid the body of HIV, so it must be taken every day for life. However, it can control viral load, delaying or preventing the onset of symptoms or progression to AIDS, thereby prolonging survival in people infected with HIV.

HAART has been in use since 1996 and has changed what was once a fatal diagnosis into a chronically managed disease. The pharmacologic drug classes used in HAART include nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), integrase inhibitors (INSTIs), and fusion inhibitors (FIs) . ART reduces mortality and morbidity rates among HIV-infected people and improves their quality of life. The benefits of ART also include the prevention of HIV transmission by suppressing HIV replication in persons living with the virus.