Spain Immigration focus on Spanish immigrant life: According to Spanish media reports, antiretroviral therapy has been adopted for about 20 years, and today, HIV infection has fundamentally changed this treatment. Patients taking medication only seek to control viral load and ensure immunity; however, for experts, after achieving these two goals, they have begun to try to provide infected individuals with a higher quality of life. They conducted a research project that, for the first time, enabled patients to control their condition with a simpler treatment regimen.
"We now have many drug combination options, but we cannot conclude which one is the best because, in reality, all treatment models are very effective. Therefore, we try to create the most suitable treatment plan for each patient," said Mr. José, head of the HIV and Infectious Diseases Research Group at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid. He is also one of the participants in this research initiative.
The data from this study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The data shows that over the course of one year, they achieved a zero viral load for 250 participating HIV-infected individuals, meaning their condition was controlled. Half of them used a standard drug treatment regimen, while the other half reduced some of the drugs in their regimen.
After one year of monitoring, researchers confirmed that it is possible to simplify the HIV treatment methods in current clinical guidelines by using more effective drugs.
"The number of pills taken by both groups of patients was the same, five per day. However, the treatment drugs were simplified; that is, the first group took three types of drugs per day, while the second group only needed two. This can also bring a long-term advantage, which is slowing down the increase in viral drug resistance."
Because, in reality, the number of pills does not represent the amount of medication ingested; in fact, a pill containing three drugs also carries the toxicity of each one. "Some patients only care about the number of pills they take; for them, the pill is the only thing that matters. But others, for example, those with bone problems or who do not want to take tenofovir (associated with digestive problems), focus on more than just the quantity."
In Spain, HIV-infected individuals are generally divided into two categories: recently diagnosed, mostly young homosexual patients who lacked appropriate protection during sexual intercourse; and another group, accounting for about 50%, who are patients over 50 years old. In recent years, their complications have been particularly serious. They often also suffer from conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. It is still impossible to determine whether these are related to HIV or to their lifestyle and substance consumption.
Perhaps one of the more important points resulting from this study is that reducing the types of drugs used does not reduce efficacy.
In addition to reduced toxicity, simplifying drug treatment can also lead to economic savings. "3TC is a generic drug. If no other drug investment is added, we save patients between 2,827 and 3,813 euros in medical costs per year," José told us.
The research data in the article also added that about a year ago, an article on a similar topic regarding the consistency of the effects of simplified drug use versus standard drugs was published in the same journal. "These two studies provide us with strong evidence."
"Perhaps the results of this study are not enough to change current HIV treatment guidelines, but we should all be aware that, according to a study analyzing 4,700 patients from 35 countries, HIV treatment should begin at the time of diagnosis." "Considering the patient's immunity, starting treatment as early as possible is the only way to make patients better," Dr. José concluded.