Two Approved Cancer Drugs Fight HIV

[Roon]

A combination of two U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved cancer drugs effectively reduced HIV replication in the lab, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Virology.

Most of the approved antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are quite potent when used correctly, bringing down HIV by up to a million-fold. They all have a critical weakness, however, which is that over time HIV can mutate to the point where it becomes resistant to the drugs.

Several years ago, scientists began theorizing that it might be possible to use HIV’s ability to mutate against itself. What if, they wondered, HIV could be pushed to mutate so rapidly that mistakes cropped up in the genes of every new generation of virus. Would that defective virus accumulate in such numbers that the infection would burn itself out? This process, called lethal mutagenesis, has been tested with other viruses in small rodents, and it appears that it is at least theoretically possible.

“HIV’s ability to mutate makes it difficult to target and treat,” asserted Louis Mansky, PhD, from the University of Minnesota (UM), in an announcement about his study. “We wanted to take advantage of this behavior by stimulating HIV’s mutation rate, essentially using the virus as a weapon against itself.”
http://www.poz.com/articles/hiv_lethal_mutagenesis_761_18990.shtml?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=poz&utm_campaign=august

Warning:link takes you to a website that is frank about aids.

[xchrom]

1. Let's hope this works. Nt

[aquart]

2. I know we didn't understand enough soon enough to reach this earlier.

But I wish we had.

[Lance_Boyle]

3. But they are not approved for HIV: off-label use won't be covered by insurance.

And the cost will likely rise ("to cover clinical trial costs") should the manufacturer(s) decide to seek approval for use in HIV treatment. Which could take years of Stage III / IV clinical trials.

Ain't the FDA grand?

[Roon]

4. I don't know about other states and cities,

but here in denver you can always get your aids meds for free. You just have to prove that you can't afford them and fill out the paperwork.

All my meds that I take,including phsyce meds, costs about $3,500 a month. I now have medicare part D,but before that I used ADAP and help from the ryan white fund. The poor can get good healthcare here, they charge you on a sliding scale. If you have no money, you pay nothing.

The only catch is you basically have the pencil whip the county hospital to get stuff like meds and schedule appointments.

[Roon]

5. OOOPS! I was wrong

Even if you have no money or income, you still have to pay a co-pay for visits and procedures. My uncle had a stent put it and had to pay 250.00..a heck of a deal, but still a lot of money when you are poor. They will allow you to make payments,if you don't keep up, they will cut you off save for emergencies.

Learn something new every day.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. I don't know whether that program would cover experimental treatment

which is what use of these drugs in HIV would be until FDA approves them for use in treating HIV. Generally cancer patients can get experimental treatments covered in situations where experimental treatment IS the standard of care, but again I don't know if this would fly for HIV - standard of care is quite good these days, and not experimental.

That said, it would be nice to see some efficacy data on this - hopefully the manufacturer(s) see profit potential in seeking approval and begin trials soon.