Four children born with HIV remained free of detectable levels of the virus for at least a year after pausing antiretroviral therapy in a clinical trial backed by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers say the findings are a promising sign for future HIV remission science.
The trial involved 54 children who began an ART regimen of standard first-line therapies within 48 hours of birth. Researchers identified six children, now age 5, who were eligible to pause treatment based on predefined virological and immunological criteria.
Four of the six children experienced remission. One child was in remission for 80 weeks before the virus rebounded to detectable levels. Three others have been in remission for 48, 52 and 64 weeks, respectively.
"These results are groundbreaking for HIV remission and cure research, and they also point to the necessity of immediate neonatal testing and treatment initiation in healthcare settings for all infants potentially exposed to HIV in utero," said lead study virologist Deborah Persaud, MD, professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, in a March 6 news release.
Researchers shared the trial results March 6 at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Denver. They said additional research is planned or underway to look for biomarkers that may predict the likelihood of remission and to assess how outcomes may differ in children receiving newer ART drugs.
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