Although it has been a goal difficult to achieve, positive people could live symptom-free without medications if aggressive treatment is started at pivotal times and if newer drugs can control the disease, the chief of U.S. infectious disease research said August 6 at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Bloomberg reports.
“I believe we will be able to, in some patients, not very many, eradicate HIV microbiologically and we will have a functional cure in others,” said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. “But this will likely require aggressive drug regimens and rely on the timing of initiating therapy.”
Treating patients soon after they are infected may protect the immune system and suppress the virus so patients can slowly stop taking the drugs, Dr. Fauci said.
Continued investment from the pharmaceutical industry, something that may be waning, is needed to parlay current drugs into preventative treatments, said Peter Piot, MD, executive director of UNAIDS, in a speech at the conference.
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comments 1 - 3 (of 3 total)
RZ, Washington, DC, 2008-08-13 11:44:37
"Continued investment from the pharmaceutical industry... may be waning." Anyone who thinks HIV is no big deal should know that resistant strains can give them few options for treatment and when those fail, there may not be new meds to replace them.
Michael, Plano, Texas, 2008-08-12 11:13:20
That's some of the first good news I've heard in years. Especially since most reports I've read have been saying that it looks unlikely that it will ever happen. But what about us already living with the disease for years? Was there any mention of that? I had it since late 2001 but was able to take a 5+ year break from meds in between. But I would be open to anything...the slightest possibility of eradicating from my system. Thanks POZ!
Paul Grimm, Atlanta, 2008-08-08 14:31:47
If there is a cure, I'll be the first to try it
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I think that it's OK to be angry. I am sometimes—it's natural—we are HIV positive. but I always try to not let myself stay there too long. Let yourself feel you are human. You should not beat yourself up about being angry."
