New Hopes for AIDS Treatment

After three decades of efforts to treat AIDS, scientists seem to have finally succeeded in producing a new experimental vaccine, opening a path towards a definitive treatment for this disease and combating the HIV virus. According to Reuters, scientists have found a method to keep the HIV virus in an inactive state without the need for medication, as part of their ongoing efforts to advance preventive drug production. Researchers believe that finding this method is significant because the HIV virus has always been able to increase its resistance to different drug combinations. Since 1996, three or four types of drugs have been produced that have made AIDS no longer incurable and deadly. Linda-Gail Bekker, deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre in South Africa, states, "A new drug needs to be developed because our Achilles' heel is the virus's resistance to drugs, as this virus has an incredible speed of mutation and adaptability." The race to create a better drug has turned AIDS into a competitive field for major pharmaceutical companies like Gilead Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline, which earn billions of dollars from producing drugs for modern treatments. The latest clinical data indicates that Gilead's new drug Bictegravir is as effective as GlaxoSmithKline's Dolutegravir in comparison to older preventive drugs, and both have similar side effects. Both drugs also have a high capability to stop the progression of the AIDS virus. GlaxoSmithKline has even published results from a 96-week study regarding two injectable drugs, which are administered every four or eight weeks and may yield better results than current daily pills. GlaxoSmithKline believes these two drugs represent the future of AIDS treatment, especially for elderly patients who are weak against the side effects of using multiple drugs simultaneously. Meanwhile, another company, Merck & Co, is studying a drug that may have even longer-lasting effects, potentially replacing other existing drugs in the market. However, many specialists believe that the ultimate solution to rid the world of AIDS is the development of a vaccine, although all previous efforts in this area have been disappointing. Nevertheless, scientists have not been discouraged. One new treatment method resulting from collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and U.S. government specialists is expected to reach the experimental stage by the end of this year. Vaccines used in Thailand in 2009 showed about a 31% reduction in this infectious disease, and some African countries are currently using a more advanced version of the same vaccine. Specialists are aiming to achieve a reduction of 50% (or even more) in both versions of the vaccine. Currently, there are 36.7 million AIDS patients worldwide, with more than half undergoing lifelong treatment. Paul Stoffels, head of the scientific division at Johnson & Johnson, believes that while there are parallel advancements in both vaccine and AIDS drug production, he also states, "We still cannot say we have conquered the HIV virus because those who become infected today will need medical care for the next 30 to 50 years. Therefore, both treatment knowledge and preventive knowledge must evolve to reduce the increasing number of patients."