New HIV drug shows 'unprecedented' results: study

A new type of drug has shown promising results in HIV patients that have failed to respond to conventional treatment according to a new study. This new type of medication called an "integrase inhibitor". Integrase inhibitors are the first type of drug that targets the three emzymes needed by the HIV virus to replicate. In the 24 week study 65% of the 178 patients had dropped below the measurable threshold of HIV.

The long term effects fo the drug are still being studied, but if the side effects are minimal, this could be another stepping stone towards a vaccine or even cure for the disease.

PARIS (AFP) - A new category of drug has shown promising results for HIV/AIDS patients who failed to respond to other treatments, a study to be published Saturday shows.

Especially when combined with other medications, raltegravir -- the first in a new class of anti-retroviral drugs called integrase inhibitors -- dramatically reduced the presence of the HIV virus and boosted immunity in clinical-trial patients, according to the study in the British journal The Lancet.
New HIV drug shows 'unprecedented' results: study