HIV treatment 2015: scientists may have found new cure

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A major scientific breakthrough in HIV treatment will soon end up the daily treatment that each HIV patient goes through.

Business Insider reported that scientists are now studying the efficacy of taking injection drugs every four or eight weeks, instead of the daily oral treatment.

A study by top pharmacy companies Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline revealed that injection drugs every four or eight weeks is as effective as that of the usual 3-pill daily treatment in suppressing HIV virus inside the body.

In a report from the Daily Mail, Johnson & Johnson Head of Pharmaceuticals Paul Stoffels said that "despite great progress in HIV treatments, the burden of treating HIV patients remains high."

"Long acting injectable drug formulations may offer another option for HIV maintenance therapy," Stoffels said. "Our hope in studying such combinations is to make HIV infection manageable with a potentially transformational all injectable regimen."

Two-in-one shot

The injectable treatment combines two HIV drugs - cabotegravir and rilpivirine.

According to Business Insider, cabotegravir is being developed to suppress HIV through both oral and injectable treatments by ViiV Healthcare (a joint venture of GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Inc., and Shionogi & Co.).

Cabotegravir will be combined with rilpivirine for a one shot treatment. Rilpivirine has been Johnson & Johnson's pill treatment for HIV since 2011.

Study shows hope for the new treatment

The U.S. News & World Report cited the results of the first thirty-two weeks of the 96-week clinical study. Three hundred nine HIV patients, who were taking the daily 3-pill treatment prior to the experiment, were studied.

The study showed that, over thirty-two weeks, about 95 percent of those who tried the injectable treatment every four or eight weeks had comparable suppressing results to the 91 percent who are taking the daily 3-pill treatment.

'2020'

Cases of HIV worldwide continue to increase. HIV also continues to be one of the world's fatal viruses that have no cure. The medical treatments that HIV patients now have are just to suppress the multiplication of the virus cells in the body

The World Health Organization and other health organizations worldwide are still continuously discovering treatments that can ultimately eradicate the virus.

With the discovery of an injectable treatment, it is possible that patients have to take treatment every four or eight weeks. They will no longer go through the traditional 3-pill daily.

If proven effective, the injectable HIV treatment is said to be made available in 2020.