Study concludes that interleukin-2 has no benefit before HIV treatment interruptions, but increases side-effects

Injections of interleukin-2 (Proleukin) do not allow patients to remain off HIV treatment for longer, according to the final results of a randomised controlled trial. Interleukin-2 also had no effects on patients’ viral loads during treatment interruptions. The study’s results were published in the June edition of The Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Diseases.

Interleukin-2 is a naturally occurring immune system messenger or ‘cytokine’ that stimulates the production and maturation of CD4 T-cells. Researchers have studied the use of interleukin-2 in HIV-positive patients since the early 1980s as a way to boost CD4 cell counts in patients who have not yet started anti-HIV treatment. They have also tested its effects in patients who are planning a break from HIV therapy, to prolong the time they can remain off treatment. The aim of this is to avoid the side-effects and cost of continuous treatment.......

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FDA approves drug for resistant HIV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has approved sales of Johnson & Johnson's first drug to treat HIV infection.
The drug, Prezista, also known as TMC114, is a protease inhibitor designed to treat resistant strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The FDA said the drug was approved as a second-line treatment for patients who stop responding to other antiretroviral drugs.

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