Many patients who already harbor drug-resistant HIV require interruption of HAART due to poor compliance, poor quality of life, toxicity or development of resistance. In these patients interruption of HAART has a negative impact on patient immune status due to the reemergence of wild-type virus which is in general more pathogenic than HIV isolates containing resistance mutations. There is a need for "bridging" antiretroviral regimens that might prolong time off conventional HAART whilst waiting for a new regimen that is either fully suppressive or less toxic or less demanding for the patient.