Clinical trials of what could be the long-awaited drug against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will begin in Denmark by the end of the year.
The results of preliminary laboratory tests, conducted by two teams of Australian scientists in collaboration with colleagues in Denmark, inspire cautious optimism.
An article describing the results of these “tests” was published in Cell Reports Medicine.
The research of Australians convincingly shows that the drug Venetoclax can detect “sleeping cells” in the human body, which are affected by the deadly virus, and destroy them.
In addition to Denmark, the trials of this drug will also begin next year in Melbourne, Australia, the BBC reported.
The pills were originally developed under the trade name VENCLEXTA to fight leukemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer.
It was approved in the US in 2016, and since then, according to doctors, it has already helped thousands of cancer patients.
As of today, there are 40 million people with HIV in the world.
Timely diagnosis of this virus and prompt administration of antiviral therapy enables to stop the reproduction of the virus, which means that the destruction of the immune system is also stopped.
In case of regular intake of pills, the infected person stops posing a risk to his relatives, but he himself remains incurable.
As soon as the prescribed medication is stopped, the disease will return.
