HIV/AIDS HAART: Permanent HIV suppression may be achieved with immunomodulants in association with HAART

AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, May 15, 2006
Staff Medical Writers

According to a recent report from Italy, "The natural history of HIV infection has been greatly modified by the introduction of powerful antiretroviral agents that act on multiple steps of HIV replication. Thus, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has prolonged the life of HIV-infected individuals, significantly impacting on the progression to AIDS."

"It was assumed that ART-induced suppression of HIV would have resulted in a degree of immune recovery sufficient enough to allow immune control over HIV replication independently of the use of drugs.

"Unfortunately," said the authors, "interruption of therapy, even after long periods of full suppression of viral replication, is almost inevitably associated with a prompt rebound of HIV viremia."

"The outcome of this observation is that ART has to be considered as a lifelong therapy, with the associated resulting problems of the emergence of multidrug resistant viral strains, toxic effects, costs and compliance," wrote M. Clerici and colleagues at the University of Milan.

Researchers concluded, "The use of immunomodulants in association with ART could achieve the goal of boosting the immune response to a threshold, permitting the immune response to indefinitely suppress HIV replication."

Clerici and colleagues published the results of their research in Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs (Immunomodulants for the treatment of HIV infection: the search goes on. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2006 Mar;15(3):197-200).

For additional information, contact M. Clerici, University of Milan, School of Medicine, Dept. Preclinical Science, DISP LITA Vialba, Via GB Grassi 74, I-20157 Milan, Italy.

The publisher of the journal Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs can be contacted at: Ashley Publications Ltd., Telephone House, 69-77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4LQ, England.

Keywords: Milan, Italy, HIV/AIDS, HAART, Immunomodulants, Viral Suppression, Immune Control.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Clerici M. et al., "Immunomodulants for the treatment of HIV infection: the search goes on", Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2006 Mar;15(3):197-200.

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