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A
new possible weapon in the fight against HIV is currently under study.
This weapon is in the form of a new class of medications called
“Fusion Inhibitors”.
T-20
(developed by Trimeris Inc. in collaboration with Hoffman-LaRoche
Inc.) is the first of this new class of medications to make it to
clinical trials.
What’s
really exciting about T-20 is that it works very differently than any
of the approved treatments currently available. Unlike our current
treatment options which attempt to inhibit the viral enzymes that HIV
needs to replicate itself (once it has already entered a cell), Fusion
Inhibitors work to block the virus from ever making that first
connection. By actually binding with the virus, T-20 attempts to stop
the interaction between the envelope of proteins on HIV that make it
possible for HIV to fuse itself with a host cell. Because T-20 works
so differently than any antiretroviral now in use, it is unlikely to
have any cross-resistance with existing treatments. This is very good
news for people who have a lot of treatment experience.
Recent
phase ll clinical trials with T-20 have shown that it appears to help
reduce viral load by more than one log in over 60% of the heavily
pre-treated study participants,
and almost one third had a viral load below the level of
detection.
The
one big downside of T-20 is that it must be injected subcutaneously
(meaning “under the skin”) Other than some skin irritation at the
site of injection, it seemed to be fairly well tolerated and no one
dropped out of the study due to adverse side effects.
T-20
Phase ll clinical trials are still on-going, and they have recently
begun a study of the medication in pediatric patients. If you would
like more information about Fusion Inhibitors, or other new treatment
options for HIV, please call one of the Women Alive Treatment
Advocates at 323-965-1564. They will be happy to discuss this and any
other treatment related questions you may have.
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