The research team from Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic alleges that they have developed a modified treatment, which intended for lowering the levels of virus in AIDS sufferers. According to experts the new vaccine could replace conservative antiretroviral drug treatments which are very costly.
In the initial clinical trial was conducted on twenty-four patients suffering from AIDS. All the patients were administered modified vaccine that is made up of their own dendritic cells. These are key controller cells situated in the immune system. The vaccine was administered in three customary doses with a time period of two weeks between each dosage.
The study was conducted for twenty-four weeks and experts observed a major decline in viral load of the patients. The new vaccine’s cost is nearly three thousand Euros which is much cheaper than the antiretroviral drug treatment, which costs almost eight thousand Euros a year.
Additionally, the antiretrovirals are needed to be taken whole life on a daily basis, dissimilar to the new vaccine. A hospital statement stated that the decrease was significant in some, but in no case did the virus become untraceable. The results of the clinical trial were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
It was tremendously small scale study and it is important to recognize that there is a long way to go before depicting any conclusions from this study. Though, HIV treatment has developed massively over the decade, the new study is welcomed always, which sheds new light on effective treatment alternatives for HIV sufferers, Deborah Jack from the National AIDS Trust.
According to Lisa Power, policy director at HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, curative vaccines are a thrilling area of research. Existing drug treatment is good at keeping HIV in check, but as people with HIV now regularly live well into old age, the lifetime cost of treatment can be high.
An effectual curative vaccine could not only be less expensive but it is easy to manage for the people living with HIV.