A generation ago, an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. Not anymore, though – thanks to significant therapeutic advances, patients can now live a normal life (more or less).
While a cure for HIV remains elusive, treatments continue to improve. In this article, we’ll talk about HIV treatments that have emerged in recent years.
Rukobia Got FDA Approval in July 2020
If you’re at risk to get HIV, you’ve probably heard about Gilead’s one pill per day treatment regimen. Sadly, this modality does NOT work for everyone. There are multiple reasons for this – some HIV infections resist common antiviral medications, some patients don’t tolerate them safely, etc.
So, until recently, this was a scary situation to be in. But thanks to the development of Rukobia, this gap in treatment modalities appears to have been filled. Last year, ViiV Healthcare submitted this pill to the FDA for final approval. And in July 2020, it was granted, giving doctors another weapon in their war against HIV.
But there’s a bit of a catch – unlike standard HIV drugs, Rukobia is designed to be taken twice per day, not once. And like many other pills, nausea is a common side effect. But for those fearing a progression from HIV to AIDS, Rukobia’s success is literally a lifesaver.
Cabenuva Will Free HIV Patients From Their Daily Pill
ViiV Healthcare’s been busy lately. Not only did they successfully launch Rukobia last year, but they scored another huge win in 2021. Back in January, they announced that the FDA had approved Cabenuva, an HIV drug that’s injected once per month.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is huge. For years, the once per day pill regimen had enabled users to live a mostly normal life. But for many of them, the thought of an interrupted supply (for any reason) also produced feelings of anxiety. It also made planning holidays complex, as users needed to ensure adequate supply before committing to anything.
The Cabenuva injection will remove/reduce these worries. It will also help remove the stigma associated with HIV, which are reinforced by taking the once per day pill.
Gilead Sciences Unveils Lenacapavir
Now, the prospect of a once-per-month injection sounds amazing. But, hold Gilead Science’s beer – if things go well for them, Lenacapavir promises to cut treatment cycles to twice per year. Yup, that’s right – soon, HIV patients may only have to get semi-annual treatment with Lenacapavir.
Lenacapavir is an injectable HIV drug. In a recent study, 40 volunteers got jabbed with Lenacapavir. Six months later, all of them still had trace amounts of the drug in their systems. 32 of the patients were HIV positive – nine days post-injection, even the small amount administered significantly decreased their viral count.
However, don’t expect to find this drug at your neighbourhood pharmacy anytime soon. Currently, a lack of concurrent treatment regimens is holding back Lenacaoavir’s progress. As of now, existing HIV treatment regimens – including Cabenuva, ViiV’s injectable – are paired with companion drugs. This strategy covers different aspects of HIV, which can resist certain treatment modalities.
At present, no companion drugs are as long-lasting as Lenacapavir is. And in their most recent study, Gilead lacked adequate female and minority representation. Because of these challenges, they’ll need to conduct more research before Lenacapavir treatments can become a reality.
ITV-1: Enzolytics’s Addition to the HIV Treatment Field
Despite their differences, all of the above treatments have one commonality: they suppress HIV in the absence of an immune system response. In a way, they’re analogous to chemotherapy, with HIV taking the place of cancer cells.
ITV-1 – an injectable treatment being developed by Enzolytics – doesn’t actively attack HIV. Instead, it enlists the patient’s immune system to do that. Normally, this wouldn’t be possible, as HIV’s constant mutations allow it to mask its presence. But ITV-1 works by acting as a superantigen and by blocking entry to immune cells.
After having a study cancelled due to financial issues, Enzolytics has started anew. Should they succeed, ITV-1 could get approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Once the EMA approves a drug, FDA approval often follows in short order.
We’ll be honest – this therapy is a bit out there. And at this point, the proposed dose frequency has yet to be established. But if ITV-1 works, it’ll provide treatment from an entirely new angle.
Finding the Cure is the Ultimate Goal
HIV is one of the scariest pathogens that has crossed the species barrier in the past 50 years. At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, the world watched on in horror as perfectly healthy adults slowly wasted away.
But in the face of this terror, the scientific community responded. Thanks to decades of intense research, life-saving treatments have been discovered. However, the mission isn’t done – researchers will continue to push hard until HIV is eradicated from the face of the Earth.
Until that day, though, the treatments mentioned in this article will continue to improve the lives of HIV patients.
