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South African scientists have released the findings of the first HIV cure trial in Africa with promising results showing viral suppression in 20% of women who stopped taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) after 18 months South African scientists have released the findings of the first HIV cure trial in Africa with promising results showing viral suppression in 20% of women who stopped taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) after 18 months. The study involved 20 women who tested positive for HIV at the Females Rising through Education, Support and Health (Fresh) clinic in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, and started taking antiretroviral treatment a day after knowing their status. The women aged between 23 and 32 and were living with HIV-1 subtype C, the most common HIV-1 strain in Southern African, which also represents 50% of infections worldwide.
They had been on antiretroviral therapy for at least six years before they joined the study, which involved stopping the therapy and started taking an "intervention" of three products. The study was conducted from July 2022 to January 2024. According to the research findings, 20% of participants (four women) were able to control viral load to undetectable for a median of 1.
5 years after they stopped taking antiretrovirals (ARVs), while 80% did not control their viral load and had to restart them. Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per millilitre of blood, which helps keep the infected person healthy and prevents transmission. The research and laboratory investigation was led by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Africa Health Research Institute director for basic and translational science Professor Thumbi Ndung'u.
He said the objective of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the product "intervention", which included two broadly neutralising antibodies — VRC07-523LS and CAP256V2LS — that bind to HIV and stop it, as well as Vesatolimod, which binds to human immune cells and activates...
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