ENOB - A Cure For HIV Infection Promise or Reality?

Anti-retroviral therapy (ART), or highly-active-antiretroviral therapy (HAART), is effective in halting the progression of HIV infection (a disease affecting nearly 40 million persons worldwide). However, HAART does not cure the disease as the HIV virus, despite the treatment, remains hidden in the human body. In 2018, Gilead’s Genvoya and GlaxoSmithKline’s Triumeq, the two top selling ART drugs, had annual sales of $4.62 billion and $3.36 billion, respectively. Notwithstanding their commercial success, these medicines do not cure the disease. The HIV virus often remains hidden in the human body in reservoirs such as dendritic cells, macrophages, and CD4+ lymphocytes. Resistance to treatment, side effects of HAART, stigma, and the cumbersome need for lifelong therapy are all important issues highlighting the need for a cure. If a patient interrups antiretroviral therapy, the viral infection comes back. Since HIV was first detected in 1983, the medical community have intensively searched for a cure for this disease. Read More >>