The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines recommend that HIV infected patients who have never received anti-HIV therapy be treated with a triple drug regimen. The most commonly prescribed and successful regimen contains the medication efavirenz (EFV). However, this regimen has been shown to cause undesirable side effects for some patients and is therefore not an option. Alternative regimens are needed for these patients.

Study 5257 will look at how well different combinations of anti-HIV drugs work to decrease the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load) of and allow immune system recovery in people who have never received anti-HIV therapy. This study will also examine drug tolerability and safety for the various drug combinations.