Two Studies Among Monkeys Show Potential For New HIV Treatment

“Antibodies derived from the blood of HIV-infected people suppressed the virus in the blood of monkeys in two studies that suggest the experimental approach may improve AIDS therapy or point the way toward a cure,” Bloomberg reports (Bennett, 10/30). “The two studies, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, involve the use of rare antibodies made by 10 percent to 20 percent of people with HIV that can neutralize a wide array of strains,” Reuters notes (Steenhuysen, 10/30). “Two groups, from Harvard Medical School and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, performed the first trials of these antibodies,” BBC News reports (Gallagher, 10/30). “The study results ‘could revolutionize efforts to cure HIV’ if the approach is found to work in people, said a commentary published Wednesday by the journal Nature along with the monkey studies,” the Associated Press writes (Ritter, 10/30). According to Nature, “both teams plan to move their research into human trials” (Ledford, 10/30).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.