MEDICAL UPDATE: IL-2 Update

MEDICAL UPDATE: IL-2 Update

Being Alive; March 1992
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker

For a while now, IL-2 has appeared to be our best hope for an effective immune boosting drug. Unlike antivirals, immune boosters do not directly attack HIV. Rather, these drugs build up the body's immune function and keep it able to fend off infections. To effectively fight HIV long term, we need both antivirals and immune boosters. To date, we still have no effective, FDA-approved immune boosting therapy.

IL-2 has been undergoing trials at two northern California sites. At Stanford, the drug is infused intravenously. In the San Francisco study, the drug is injected under the skin. The first round of tests is now completed. Preliminary results show a consistent rise in CD4 counts for those who begin therapy with counts over 200. For those who begin with counts below 200, however, there has been no increase. Both studies now go on to a second round of trials with higher doses of IL-2 than that used in the first round.

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