This article originally appeared on
NIH.gov (National institutes of Health) – click HERE for the full article.
A major international
randomized clinical trial has found that HIV-infected individuals have a
considerably lower risk of developing AIDS or other serious illnesses if they
start taking antiretroviral drugs sooner, when their CD4+ T-cell count—a key
measure of immune system health—is higher, instead of waiting until the CD4+
cell count drops to lower levels. Together with data from previous studies
showing that antiretroviral treatment reduced the risk of HIV transmission to
uninfected sexual partners, these findings support offering treatment to
everyone with HIV.
The new finding is from
the Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment (START) study, the first large-scale
randomized clinical trial to establish that earlier antiretroviral treatment
benefits all HIV-infected individuals. The National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health,
provided primary funding for the START trial. Though the study was expected to
conclude at the end of 2016, an interim review of the study data by an
independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) recommended that results be
released early.
“We now have clear-cut proof that it is of
significantly greater health benefit to an HIV-infected person to start
antiretroviral therapy sooner rather than later,” said NIAID Director Anthony
S. Fauci, M.D. “Moreover, early therapy conveys a double benefit, not only
improving the health of individuals but at the same time, by lowering their
viral load, reducing the risk they will transmit HIV to others. These findings
have global implications for the treatment of HIV.”
“This is an important
milestone in HIV research,” said Jens Lundgren, M.D., of the University of
Copenhagen and one of the co-chairs of the START study. “We now have strong
evidence that early treatment is beneficial to the HIV-positive person. These
results support treating everyone irrespective of CD4+ T-cell count.”
…START is the first
large-scale randomized clinical trial to offer concrete scientific evidence to
support the current U.S. HIV treatment guidelines, which recommend that all asymptomatic
HIV-infected individuals take antiretrovirals, regardless of CD4+ cell count.
Current World Health Organization HIV treatment guidelines recommend that
HIV-infected individuals begin antiretroviral therapy when CD4+ cell counts
fall to 500 cells/mm3 or less.
About the National
Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's
medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal
agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical
research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit www.nih.gov.
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