Government Revises HIV Treatment Guidelines. The good news is that AIDS experts are retreating from the “hit hard, hit early” dictum that has governed AIDS treatment in recent years. This means that the HIV(+) patient can wait longer before starting on the rigorous and burdensome multidrug regimen; findings suggest the immune system can hang on for longer than had been believed. The bad news is that this is an admission that the protease inhibitors are not a cure and, once someone starts taking them, they’re likely going to be on them for life. So putting off initiating treatment is a way of reducing attendant side effects, which include cardiovascular liabilities.