Multidrug resistant HIV meets its match in ibalizumab

Researchers testing a new medication on patients with multidrug-resistant HIV have found that it caused 83 percent of participants to experience a virologic response. The drug is delivered intravenously once every two weeks, improving the rates of medication adherence and further reducing the chances of passing on the infection.

The findings were presented Oct. 28 at IDWeek 2016 in New Orleans. The new drug, called ibalizumab, uses a genetically molecule that coats immune cells to protect them from HIV. This drug could be the newest solution for the 10,000 Americans with multidrug-resistant HIV.

"This is the first drug in a long time for patients with multidrug resistance," said Jacob Lalezari, MD, lead author of the study and medical director for Quest Research in San Francisco. "This therapy showed good activity in patients who were resistant to everything else, which is very exciting for these vulnerable patients and those who care for them."

In a study of 40 multidrug-resistant HIV patients, results showed that after seven days of treatment the average decrease in viral load was 1.1 log10. Some 60 percent had a decrease of viral load of 1.0 log10 or greater and 83 percent had a decrease of 0.5 log10. The administration of once every two weeks also showed promise in increasing medication adherence among patients.

"This drug benefits a small but challenging population of HIV patients who are highly treatment experienced," said Daniel R. Kuritzkes, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "This will not be a first- or second-line therapy for those who are infected with HIV, but it may be helpful for certain patients."