Aciclovir Not Effective In Reducing HIV-1 Transmission
A recently published study led by researchers at the University of Washington verified that a drug intended to suppress herpes failed to slow down HIV transmission through sex, but the study has other potentials, a researcher says.
Aciclovir, which targets Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), was administered to approximately 3,400 serodiscordant — one partner HIV-positive and the other HIV-negative — couples in a Phase 3 clinical trial. HIV-positive participants also carried HSV-2.
The clinical and placebo groups had similar results in that the use of aciclovir did not have any noticeable effect on the transmission of HIV. Despite aciclovir not reducing the transmission of HIV, researchers learned the drug decreased the frequency of genital ulcerations in participants by 73 percent. Limiting wounds like ulcerations is an important step in slowing the spread of HIV through flesh openings.
More importantly, the treatments resulted in a 40 percent decrease in “viral load,” or the amount of the virus in a given blood sample, in the HIV-positive participants. A reduction in viral load can limit the virus’s effects on the immune system. In AIDS patients, this may potentially keep CD4 cells from dropping below 200 cells per microliter.
Overall, the aciclovir succeeded in altering the levels of the virus, but did not play a major role in the disease’s transmission.
“We have demonstrated that interventions must achieve a bigger reduction in HIV levels in order to reduce HIV transmission,” said leading researcher Connie Celum. “This understanding is a major contribution to HIV research that will help guide our search for new HIV prevention and treatment strategies.”
The results are likely to encourage other experts to look at the relationship between HIV transmission and the virus’s levels in HIV-positive and AIDS patients. More descriptive results of the study will be presented at the International AIDS Society conference in July.
For more information on the study, please see the research article at the PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials Web site.
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