Recent news
January 2012
Science names HIV prevention trial as the 2011 breakthrough of the year
January 4, 2012--The journal Science recently named an HIV prevention trial as the 2011 breakthrough of the year. The HPTN 052 clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), found that if HIV-positive heterosexual individuals begin taking antiretroviral drugs when their immune systems are relatively healthy, as opposed to delaying therapy until the disease has advanced, they are 96 percent less likely to transmit the virus to their uninfected partners.
Although results from this trial were originally not scheduled to be released until 2015, the findings were released in May 2011 after an independent data and safety monitoring board concluded it was clear that when HIV-positive individuals with healthier immune systems start antiretroviral therapy, they are less likely to transmit the virus to their uninfected partners.
"The HPTN 052 study convincingly demonstrated that antiretroviral medications can not only treat but also prevent the transmission of HIV infection among heterosexual individuals," said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci in a press release from the NIH. "We are pleased that Science recognized the extraordinary public health significance of these study results. This recognition also is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the HPTN 052 researchers and the more than 3,000 study participants who selflessly gave their time and energy to make such a significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS."
Many consider the success of the HPTN 052 trial as demonstrative of the need for sustained federal support for HIV/AIDS research in order to end the pandemic.
"Scale-up of these proven prevention methods combined with continued research toward a preventive HIV vaccine and female-controlled HIV prevention tools places us on a path to achieving something previously unimaginable: an AIDS-free generation," Dr. Fauci added in the press release.
- Read the Science article here
- Read the official press release from NIH here.
- For additional information about the trial click here.
