%0 Journal Article %J Medical care %D 2010 %T Using mechanistic models to simulate comparative effectiveness trials of therapy and to estimate long-term outcomes in HIV care. %A Roberts, Mark S %A Nucifora, Kimberly A %A Braithwaite, R Scott %K Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome %K Anti-Retroviral Agents %K CD4 Lymphocyte Count %K Clinical Trials as Topic %K Comparative Effectiveness Research %K Computer Simulation %K Drug Resistance, Viral %K HIV Infections %K Humans %K Life Expectancy %K Models, Statistical %K Quality of Life %K Time Factors %K Treatment Outcome %N 6 Suppl %P S90-5 %R 10.1186/1758-2652-14-38 %V 48 %X In HIV care, it is difficult to decide when to initiate therapy, which drugs to use for initial treatment, and which drugs to use if drug resistance develops. With hundreds of possible drug regimens available and variable patterns of drug resistance, randomized controlled trials cannot answer all HIV treatment decisions. Mechanistic models of HIV infection can be used to conduct virtual therapeutic trials with the goal of predicting outcomes, some of which are long-term and may not fall within the time frame of a typical therapeutic trial. %8 2010 Jun