Celebrating Advancements in HIV/AIDS For World AIDS Day
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In 1981, five men were hospitalized with severe pneumonia-like symptoms. They were previously healthy individuals, with no known chronic conditions or coexisting illnesses. Two died soon after hospitalization. Doctors found a mysterious candida infection in each of their lab works. The medical community was dumbfounded and panicked, having little recourse to offer these men other than comfort in their last hours. This would be the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic as we know it.
Today, this chilling and heartbreaking story feels like it happened centuries ago. But we’ve only just passed the 40th year of living with HIV/AIDS as a society. Many people alive today who were present for the emergence of HIV/AIDS say that the COVID-19 pandemic had eerie similarities to the first years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Similarities like government and health officials neglecting to address the seriousness of the illness, government cover-ups, misleading information and bigoted, ignorant stereotyping about where it came from and who was responsible. Sounds quite a bit like early 2020, doesn’t it?
Today, an HIV diagnosis doesn’t have to be a death sentence. We have come a long way, though we still have a long way to go. On World AIDS day, we celebrate the advancements made in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, while remembering those we’ve lost to this devastating virus.
The First Medication
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In March of 1987, the FDA approved a medication called zidovudine (AZT). This would be the first antiviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. At first, it proved successful, but the medical community quickly recognized that its effectiveness was only temporary, and many patients suffered painful and debilitating side effects.
Shortly after, the FDA created a division in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research dedicated solely to the research and creation of treatment for HIV/AIDS. This signaled the FDA’s understanding of the urgency of addressing the pandemic – something the public had been crying out for for six years at that point.
Patient Involvement
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Also in 1987, the AIDS quilt was started. This would become a 54-ton tapestry containing almost 50,000 panels honoring the over 100,000 individuals lost to the AIDS pandemic at the time of its creation. Around this time, we began to see marches and protests, aimed at urging policy makers to include patients and those impacted by HIV/AIDS in policy making. The advocacy proved effective, and the FDA created an initiative requiring at least one HIV/AIDS patient be present on every advisory committee working on addressing the AIDS pandemic. Soon after, the first World AIDS Day would be celebrated.
The Introduction Of Antiretroviral Therapy
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In 1995, we received the first antiretroviral therapy, which would prove to be the first effective form of treatment for HIV/AIDS. Put simply, this type of therapy stops the HIV virus from replicating in the body. There are many variations that accomplish this through different methods.
The introduction of antiretroviral therapy cut the number of AIDS-related deaths by 47 percent between 1996 and 1997. Most work in the medical community on treating HIV/AIDS has focused on this type of treatment since its release.
A Look At Current Treatment
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Because the HIV virus can quickly become resistant to one type of medication, most patients are prescribed several HIV medications. These can be taken separately, however, today, there are many combination pills that contain several HIV medications, reducing how many pills a patient must take.
The first FDA-approved combination pill came out in 2006 and was known by the name Atripla. Today, there are dozens of generic and brand-name combination pills. Below are the five antiretroviral drugs available today. Most are available either as stand-alone drugs or as a part of combination pills:
- Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs stop HIV-containing cells from making copies of themselves. They do this by disrupting the reconstruction of the virus’ DNA chain. Brand names include Ziagen, Epivir, Emtriva, Retrovir, Viread and Vemlidy.
- Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs). INSTIs work by disabling the enzyme that HIV uses to insert its own DNA into human DNA. Brand names include Isentress and Tivicay. It is also a part of the combination drug Biktarvy.
- Protease inhibitors (PIs). PIs work by disabling an enzyme that is crucial to the life cycle of the HIV virus. Brand names include Reyataz, Prezista, Lexiva and Invirase. It is also part of the combination pill Evotaz.
- Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). NNRTIs work by stopping the HIV virus from making copies of itself. They do this by disrupting an enzyme needed for that process. Brand names include Sustiva, Edurant, Intelence and Viramune.
- Entry Inhibitors. Entry inhibitors stop HIV from entering CD4 T cells – white blood cells responsible for alerting other immunity cells to the presence of a bacteria or virus. Brand names include Fuzeon, Selzentry, Trugarzo.
One of the most revolutionary treatments that has been greatly impactful in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS is Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP can stop HIV from replicating in the body and is recommended for anyone at risk of contracting HIV. If you’d like to learn more about PrEP, MADAMENOIRE covers the medication here.
Beyond World AIDS Day: What’s To Come?
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The medical community continues to research and develop further medication for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Here’s what the medical community is working on now:
- An HIV vaccine
- A monthly injection
- Nanosuspension of antiretrovirals (a pill only taken every four to eight weeks)
Being diagnosed with HIV doesn’t have to be a death sentence, thanks to these advancements. But today, we also remember those who were tragically taken by the virus before the medical community recognized the urgency of this pandemic.
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