Is a cure for HIV/AIDS in sight!?

[JamesSavik]

Back in the eighties, I made some people angry [I have a singular talent for doing that] when I said someday we may be grateful for the AIDS virus.

Not grateful for the suffering and death it caused, but grateful for the research and discovery along the way to a cure. It's astonishing how much we have learned about viruses, their life cycles, how they work and finally, how to break them. We have never had drugs that work against viruses. Now there are scores of them and the vast majority of them came directly from AIDS research.

Maybe, just maybe, the long nightmare of HIV/AIDS is soon to end.

The true legacy of the epidemic will be a greater understanding of viruses and drugs that work against them

[kbois]

Mankind has been battling against the invisible enemy of viruses since we started walking upright. It's been uphill all the way. 

You're right though. Viruses like HIV/AIDS, coronavirus, ebola, herpes, papillomaviruses and a host of others are what has enabled researchers to study them and discover what makes them tick. The only way to treat viruses is to figure out what will work against them. They're not like bacteria. They don't go away with antibiotics. 

Once they are in you they're superglue and not going anywhere. Throw in the ability to mutate faster than Taylor Swift changes outfits and it's no wonder researchers can't keep up. 

I'm glad it looks like this company is getting close to a cure. Hopefully the pharmaceutical companies in the US won't keep the the cost of the drug out of reach for those who need it. 

[Mancunian]

Alas at this moment in time, there is no cure for HIV, but like many others, I remain hopeful and optimistic that there will be a cure in the future. HIV research has been ongoing for many years at is currently at the point where HIV treatment is more advanced. There have been trials on various viral inhibitors that have now developed to a point where HIV can be treated leaving no detectable viral load. This is not a cure, but it does mean that the HIV virus can be suppressed to a point it cannot be detected, those on treatment regimes that have achieved this status are no longer considered to be contagious. In other words, they cannot pass the virus on to others. The most recent trials have developed a new tablet which delivers medication in one tablet instead of the usual combination therapy of two or three tablets. The new medication is more effective, easier to take and has fewer side effects, over 95% of those taking part in the trials have reported no side effects. This new medication is also cheaper than previous forms of treatment. So there has been a lot of good news, but more still needs to be done. The single-tablet treatment now available in the UK is commercially known as Delstrigo, it may or may not have a different commercial name elsewhere in the world.

As a result of the different trials scientists have reported advances in the treatment of other virus-based ailments and treatments for those are also being developed. One of those advances has been reported to have been in the treatment of cancer where the development of some cancers has been slowed down greatly to the benefit of patients who have taken part in those trials. Again further research is needed to corroborate this and develop this further. Hopefully, more positive discoveries will be made prompting further research and development.

HIV research has pushed virus research to make advances that otherwise would not have been possible due to the drugs developed to treat HIV.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Mancunian

[chris191070]

I remember whe I started my HIV drug regime I was on multiple tablets a day but now thanks to the advance in medication. I am on one tablet a day and undectable.

So all these pandemics do help our scientists with the development of new medication.

[Mancunian]

40 minutes ago, chris191070 said:

I remember whe I started my HIV drug regime I was on multiple tablets a day but now thanks to the advance in medication. I am on one tablet a day and undectable.

So all these pandemics do help our scientists with the development of new medication.

Your results mean that you are an undetectable and officially an HIV survivor, congratulations, I am happy for you. 😃

[raven1]

Thanks for bringing us this very hopeful news.  I have lived through the entire Aids time, and lost many close friends to the disease. I have younger friends, who like Chris, are taking treatment and are honest about their condition.  I know a cure will make their lives so much easier.