Going Off Drugs Is Focus of AIDS Study

A man infected with the AIDS virus has volunteered to stop taking the three-drug cocktail that has kept him healthy for 18 months so doctors can see if he can do without it. Though other AIDS patients have gone off medication and lived with manageable levels of the virus, this is believed to be the first time researchers will monitor such a case. Nineteen other AIDS patients from Boston will participate in the study. Doctors hope to prove that patients treated early--before the virus kills disease-fighting cells--would be able to stop treatment and live without the side effects, expense and hassle of drug cocktails.