Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is a lentivirus that leads to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV is a medical condition in humans where progressive failure of the immune system can allow potentially life-threatening infections and cancers to thrive within the body.

Becoming infected with HIV occurs through the transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk. HIV is present within these bodily fluids as both free virus particles and as a virus within the infected immune cells.

Back in May, a clinical medical study concluded that the use of antiretroviral drugs could result in a 96% reduction in the probability of HIV being successfully transmitted from one sexual partner to another.

Now, the scientific journal Science has cited the HIV drug trial as the “greatest breakthrough of the year.” In short, the study’s findings represent the best medical news in years for those with HIV and their families.

The Nature of the HIV Clinical Study

The study, entitled the HPTN 052 trial, included a total of 1,763 couples. Within each couple, one partner had no sign of HIV while the other was HIV-positive. Half of those infected received a placebo, while the other half received antiretrovirals. Those who received antiretrovirals experienced a 96% reduction in the transmission of HIV.

The findings were so immediately conclusive that the trial was cancelled four years ahead of schedule, allowing the researchers to administer antiretrovirals to those who had initially been given placebos.

“Not a Vaccine, but the Next Best Thing”

According to Jon Cohen, a contributor to Science who was partially responsible for giving the study the “breakthrough of the year” title, the history of HIV prevention has been filled with far more failures than success stories. He said that mother-child HIV transmissions have been preventable since 1994, but curbing transmission rates between sexual partners has been very difficult until now.

Cohen stressed that antiretrovirals are “not a vaccine,” and that it’s not going to “solve the problem” or “end the epidemic.” However, he said that they’re a huge step forward in HIV research, and that they could represent the “cornerstone” of future HIV treatment developments. In short, he described it as the “next best thing” to a vaccine, and best of all, it’s available to those suffering from HIV right now.

Only Tested on Heterosexual Couples

The researchers were quick to point out that the aforementioned study was only conducted on heterosexual couples. However, they said there’s no reason to believe that the same effects wouldn’t occur for uninfected partners in homosexual relationships.

The trial was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Carl W. Dieffenbach, the director of that organization, said that conducting a similar study focused on homosexual men could be considered unethical since it would be so likely to produce the same results, meanwhile preventing the control group from receiving effective treatment.

Kevin Frost, the CEO of the Foundation for AIDS Research, said that the recent discoveries involving antiretrovirals should play a key role in the upward scaling of worldwide HIV treatment efforts. However, he said that support and funding for these types of efforts is still anemic at best.

More Research has Already Begun

A new trial entitled START has already started thanks to funding from the National Institutes of Health. The researchers behind START are hoping to identify the ideal starting time for antiretroviral treatment following HIV infection.

According to Dieffenbach, one of the biggest hurdles in the battle against HIV is convincing those infected to consistently adhere to treatment regimens. He said that although 79% of HIV-positive individuals are aware of their disease, just 47% receive any type of care for it, and an alarmingly-low 26% receive consistent treatment specifically designed to suppress HIV in their bloodstream.

Dieffenbach said that, as of now, antiretrovirals are administered in the form of a daily pill. Unfortunately, many HIV patients forget to take the pill consistently, or avoid it due to other behavioral factors. For this reason, a large portion of HIV research is currently aimed at making antiretrovirals available in the form of an injection or patch that could be administered on a less frequent basis.

The Bottom Line

For now, there’s still no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, recent studies concerning powerful drugs called antiretrovirals show that they can reduce the likelihood of sexually transmitting HIV by 96%. Science, a leading scientific journal, recently named the finding the medical breakthrough of the year.