A new HIV treatment could end the need for a daily pill and allow people to go drug free for up to two years.
Currently, most people with HIV take antiretroviral therapy (ART). The pill, typically taken daily, is not a cure but does stop the virus from making copies of itself. The drug transformed the survival rate of HIV because it prevents the progression to Aids.
But antiviral medicine, for the 113,500 people living with HIV, costs the UK more than £400m each year.
However, a trial of a new medication involving 68 people found 75 per cent of participants were able to stop taking ART for five months, half could stop for a year and about a quarter could stop for two years.
Researchers at Imperial College London developed the treatment using a mix of antibodies to suppress the virus. The drug is a mixture of two broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs) – immune proteins that act as a physical barrier to bacteria and viruses.
Scientists behind the study now want to find out if they can develop the drug so more people can benefit from its antiviral effects for longer.
Prof Sarah Fidler, of Imperial College London, told the Telegraph: “This is the first time a bNAb-based therapy has demonstrated viral load control of this duration and magnitude in a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
“These results open new possibilities for HIV treatment and bring us closer to our goal of finding a cure.”
HIV is spread through infected bodily fluids entering someone’s bloodstream, such as through birth, sex or sharing needles. Soon after infection, there may be no symptoms, but if left untreated it progresses to Aids. This damages the immune system and may eventually cause more serious illnesses, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia or cancer.
There is currently no cure for HIV, but there are antiretroviral treatments, such as ART, which can bring the virus down to an undetectable level in the blood. This means the infection can no longer be passed on and the person can live a long and healthy life.
However, ART is not able to eliminate the virus and scientists want to find a long-term drug that can suppress HIV.
For the study, published in The Lancet HIV, participants were recruited from Britain and Denmark between 2021-2024 and assigned to either receive the bNAb drug or a saline placebo.
Scientists found the bNAb therapy to be more effective than the placebo and could be used as a new option for controlling HIV.
The government aims to end HIV transmissions by 2030 through increased testing, improving awareness of prevention and addressing the stigma that many people living with the virus continue to face.
The latest HIV surveillance data for 2024 shows new diagnoses are falling by 4 per cent across the UK, from 3,169 in 2023 to 3,043 in 2024.
