Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Friday September 26 7:20 PM EDT
He seemed to be free of infection nine months after he stopped taking the drugs, it said. Astonished researchers were now trying the treatment in 20 patients.
Franco Lori and Julianna Lisziewicz, who founded the Washington-based Research Institute for Genetic and Human Therapy (RIGHT), said the virus was undetectable in the patient's blood.
"We are not saying this represents a cure for, or will lead to eradication of, HIV," they said in a statement.
"More patients need to undergo this particular therapy and be observed over a longer period of time before any conclusions can be drawn about this approach as a new course of treatment," they said.
They also warned people not to try the combination themselves. "Since these drugs are toxic if taken in the wrong dosage, this mixture should be used only under a doctor's strict supervision."
The patient, who lives in Berlin, was given hydroxyurea, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's (BMY) didanosine (ddI) and indinavir (Merck and Co Inc's (MRK) Crixivan).
Hydroxyurea has been around for a long time -- it is used to treat disorders such as polycythemia vera, which causes overproduction of red blood cells, and some types of leukemia.
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