housands of men sign up to trial HIV drug in NSW, Australia

[Chip (OP)]

source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-23/hiv-drugs-truvada-trial-nsw-australia/7437932

Thousands of men sign up to trial HIV drug in NSW, Australia

Nearly 35 years have passed since the first reports of deaths from a mysterious illness were finally attributed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).


HIV can hide in the body early in infection and can integrate into the genetic instructions of human cells, including in the immune cells that HIV infects. (Centers for Disease Control)

During that time, researchers, clinicians, activists and public health professionals have worked hard to decrease the soaring rates of deaths and infections but health experts no longer speak of a cure as a viable goal.

Only one of the approximately 80 million people infected since 1981 is considered truly cured, said Professor Sharon Lewin, director of the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

HIV in 2015

The World Health Organisation estimates that 34 million people have died globally from HIV-related causes between 1981 and 2013. The highest number of deaths in a year was in 2005 when approximately 2.3 million people died, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. This has nearly halved over the 10 years to 2015.

Global statistics for 2014 (most current data available)
36.9 million people living with HIV at the end of 2014
14.9 million people are receiving antiretroviral therapy
2 million became newly infected
1.2 million died from HIV-related causes

Australian statistics for 2014 (most current data available)
27,150 people living with HIV at the end of 2014
1,081 people were newly diagnosed in 2014
HIV-related deaths are not measured in Australia but are rare

Source: World Health Organisation, HIV/AIDS fact sheet
Kirby Institute, Annual Surveillance Report 2015
Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the Berlin patient, has no HIV in his body after he received a stem cell transplant for leukaemia in 2007 from a person naturally immune to HIV.

Combination antiretroviral therapies revolutionised treatment of HIV from 1995 and today, people on effective daily treatment can have close to a natural lifespan.

Although most people who take antiretroviral therapies have very low or undetectable levels of HIV in their blood, they are not cured and must maintain daily treatment for life.

Ninety-nine per cent of people who stop their treatment will have the virus in their blood two to three weeks later, Professor Lewin said.

With a cure unattainable, it "might be more achievable" to focus on remission.

Previously called a "functional cure", remission occurs when someone stops their treatment and the levels of virus in the blood remain controlled at very low or undetectable levels.

"We're way off that at the moment," Professor Lewin said.

[Roman Totale]

So what's novel here?  I didn't glean anything from the text you posted that showed something superior to antiretroviral drugs, which have been around a while.

[Chip (OP)]

nothing new other than the current state of play - combination therapies keeping HIV/AIDS in a form of remission - it's prolonging life.

my AIDS friend is doing well and is gaining weight these days. he looks well and he takes a handful of meds daily.