Abstract

Overall GM-CSF is a well tolerated intervention in patients with HIV associated disease. As in a number of other clinical settings, it is able to improve myelopoiesis and abrogate the myelotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. At present, clinical data is insufficient to indicate an ultimate clinical benefit from the use of GM-CSF in terms of opportunistic infection, mortality or quality of life for HIV infected patients. As phase I and phase II trials are completed however comparative clinical trials addressing these issues are anticipated. Hematopoietic growth factors may permit the use of optimal doses of therapeutics and thereby play an adjunctive role in the combination therapies anticipated for the treatment of HIV related disease.