New Treatments Available For Those With Aids
by Kerri Stalton
AIDS is a fatal illness that
affects the immune system. It accounts for millions of deaths each year and is a
serious worldwide epidemic. Over forty million people in the world are infected
with AIDS. The immune system degenerates, making those infected susceptible to
infection and disease. Over three million people died of this disease in 2005.
There is no cure for AIDS but there are treatments available to help slow the
progression. AIDS is researched throughout the world in order to discover new
treatments to prolong life and to find a cure. Currently, there have been
studies on two new drugs that show promising results.
Merck & Co., a drug manufacturer in New Jersey, conducted clinical trials on a
new pill. It is to be taken orally twice per day to help slow the progression of
the disease. Studies indicated this drug is performing better than the other
medications currently on the market. This drug will be especially beneficial to
long term AIDS sufferers who have developed a resistance to pharmaceuticals
existing today.
The studies were performed on 167 patients who have shown progression of the
disease and have critically impaired health. Many of these patients have taken
the drug AZT, a common treatment, for more than ten years. In the clinical
trials, varying doses of the drug were experimented on with patients with
varying conditions. In the most successful group, seventy two percent of the
patients showed an improvement with virus levels becoming undetectable. In the
least successful group, virus levels were reduced to undetectable amounts in
fifty six percent. The results of the clinical trial were surprising but
welcomed. The effects were astounding and the drug manufacturer is hopeful that
it will help prolong the lives of people with AIDS. They are continuing to
conduct research in larger trials and hope to apply for approval from the Food
and Drug Administration in 2007.
Gilead Sciences, a competing drug manufacturer, also showed positive results
from a similar type drug. Although the clinical trials were much smaller then
Merck's, the company is hopeful the results will set the stage for larger
trials. The drug is called an integrase inhibitor. Integrase is an enzyme that
speeds the progression of HIV. The inhibitor blocks the enzyme, slowing this
process. The initial trials were only conducted with only ten patients. However,
after ten days there was a one hundred fold reduction in virus levels. Similar
to the Merck study, this shows promise in helping to prolong the life of
patients. This pill will be taken once per day in conjunction with Novir,
another AIDS medication. Increased studies of this drug will begin in the spring
of 2006.
Although AIDS is a world wide epidemic with no cure as of yet, continuing
research is showing promise. Recent studies indicate there will soon be two new
drugs available for treatment, both showing incredibly enhanced improvement from
existing medications. As science advances, scientists are hopeful that they will
one day find a cure for this disease, eradicating it from existence.
About the Author: Gray Rollins
is a featured writer for AidsHivs.com. To learn more about
how AIDS is treated and the
types of AIDS treatments, visit us.
Source: This article is taken from
www.goarticles.com
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