"Researchers gave 10 people with HIV a complex regimen of experimental immunotherapies, then discontinued the daily pills that kept the virus at bay. In six participants, the virus rebounded slowly and stayed at a low level for months, and one person's immune system kept the virus in check for more than a year and a half - giving scientists hope that they could optimize the approach to create a cure."
""It's provocative, but I've been doing treatment interruption studies for 30 years, and this is unexpected and unparalleled," said Steven Deeks, a professor of medicine at University of California at San Francisco and one of the leaders of the study. He and other scientists were quick to caution that this is a promising step forward, not a solution. The small study did not include a control group, so more studies will be needed to confirm and flesh out the exciting signal."
Ten people living with HIV received a complex regimen of experimental immunotherapies and then stopped antiretroviral medication. In six participants the virus rebounded slowly and remained at low levels for months. One participant maintained viral suppression without medication for more than eighteen months. The trial did not include a control group and was small, so results require confirmation and larger trials. Antiretroviral drugs currently require lifelong daily adherence and sustained access to healthcare. The immunotherapy approach produced an unprecedented signal of immune-mediated viral control that researchers aim to optimize toward achieving a medication-free functional cure for HIV.
Read at The Washington Post
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