Analyzing the Efficacy of HIV Injections and the Efforts Taken by Medical Research Companies in Making this Innovation a Success

Highlights

• Introduction
• Development of preventive HIV injections
• R&D activities in the production of curative HIV injections

 The primary goal of the healthcare sector has always been to develop medical cures for all known diseases. Over the years, advancements in life sciences, chemistry, and instrumentation engineering have helped researchers develop techniques that improve healthcare outcomes at all stages of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Even the most dreaded diseases and ailments like cancer, tuberculosis, HIV AIDS, leprosy, etc., are now curable with specialized medication and therapies. In HIV AIDS cases, for instance, new injection and invasive drug delivery mechanisms have been devised that alleviate the pain and symptoms associated with the chronic disorder.

Role of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) HIV injections in reducing the prevalence of AIDS across the globe

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic medical condition caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) wherein the retrovirus interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection. HIV attacks the immune system of the human body, especially the T-cells, and blunts its ability to counter different infections. HIV is mainly transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated syringes, exchange of bodily fluids like sweat, blood, and semen.

 Researchers have been developing both preventive and curative therapies for HIV/AIDS, just like with any other disease, to reduce the prevalence of this chronic ailment.  Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a preventive therapy that involves taking a short course of medications or injections ideally within 72 hours after potential exposure to an infection. While PrEP tablets are now regularly used, invasive drug therapy, i.e., HIV injections is still in the research phase. Both tablets and injections use long-acting cabotegravir, which belongs to the class of integrase inhibitors. Recently two studies were commissioned to test the efficacy of this injection in men as well as women. The HPTN 083 and the HPTN 084 study, as they were called, showed that both these vaccines were quite safe and effective in both males and females respectively.

Anti-retroviral HIV injections for managing the spread of infection

Along with preventive medications, medical researchers in the HIV injection industry have devised anti-retroviral therapy (ART) which is curative in nature and designed for patients already suffering from HIV-AIDS. In the past few years, as compared to preventive therapies, this type has made better progress. Apart from cabotegravir, another class of drugs called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are also now being widely used for managing the spread of HIV in patients. Rilpivirine is one such example of NNRTI which has become the go-to drug for treating AIDS in many medical institutions and hospitals.

While these drugs are traditionally administered to patients in the form of tablets, recently a comprehensive study was conducted which was focused on studying the efficacy of HIV injections as compared to conventional medications. As part of this study, three randomized control trials were carried out which offered some stunning results. In the first trial, patients who hadn’t undergone any type of HIV treatment were selected and administered tablets for the first 20 weeks. In the next phase, half of these candidates continued with the pills, while the rest were administered injections daily.

In the second trial, the same set of procedures was followed; the main difference was that, in this trial, patients who had already received some kind of treatment were selected. Also, in the second trial, patients were given injections in the second phase every month instead of administering them daily. The third trial was similar to the second one, the only point of difference being the gap between the two injections- while it was monthly in the second trial, the gap was increased to two months in the third trial. The study revealed that in the first trial, injections were as effective as tablets. However, long-term follow-ups of the second and third trials indicated that injections were significantly more effective in reducing the viral load in patients.

To sum it up, the HIV injection landscape is expected to witness a major boost in the coming period on account of the increasing number of R&D activities by different medical and healthcare institutes. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS in various countries is expected to bring in numerous growth opportunities for the market in the near future.

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