HIV-AIDS Cure News Update 2017: Researchers Launch Injectable Treatment Trials in Uganda

By Nathaniel Artosilla, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, August 17, 2017

Scientists at Uganda's Makerere University are marking another milestone in the search for an effective HIV-AIDS treatment. The researchers are set to begin trials of injectable antiretroviral (ARV) therapy which aims to slow the rate at which the virus multiplies.

The scientists are now recruiting participants for the study which is set to start this October. The project itself is a joint endeavor with scientists from Johns Hopkins University.

The aim of the tests is to ensure that people have a wide range of treatment options available to them. This means establishing the possibility of injectable ARV treatments for patients who have a low tolerance for tablets.

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At a science café organized by the Health Journalists network in Kampala, Uganda, senior researcher Dr. Flavia Matovu Kiweewa said that the trials are not meant to prove if the injections work or not. That has already been established; what the tests want to find out is how effective it is compared to other HIV-AIDS treatments.

The study will involve 250 female sex workers sourced from all over the country. It will not, however, involve vulnerable groups such as pregnant and breastfeeding women. Kiweewa said that the participants will be initiated on either Lamivudine and Truvada ARV tablets or a combination of injectable drugs Carbotegravir and Rilpivirine.

It was recently reported that a South African child born with the disease was "cured" after she underwent treatment as a baby. After more than 10 years since her last treatment, she has yet to show any of the normal symptoms of people who have contracted the disease.

HIV-AIDS has been a scourge for many countries for decades especially for the United States where it caused widespread fear. Since the 1980s, the disease has killed 35 million people with many destined to carry it for the rest of their lives.