Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug to combat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in patients who have had limited success with other drugs. HIV is a virus transferred through blood and bodily fluids that directly infects the human immune system and eventually leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is the progressive failure of the immune system, and, as a result, patients with AIDS often have difficulty recovering from minor illnesses. About 1.1 million people in the U.S. live with HIV. However, out of those 1.1 million, the CDC estimates that one in seven HIV-positive patients are unaware that they have HIV because of HIV’s long incubation period, which means that the patient does not display any symptoms until many years after being infected.
A 3D rendering of the HIV virus.
Image Source: Olena_T
Ibalizumab-uiyk, better known as Trogarzo, is a new drug that has been shown to be successful in those with highly resistant strains of HIV. Current treatment for HIV involves using multiple drugs in tandem to slow the progression of the HIV virus. However, some types of the virus have proven unresponsive to pre-existing treatments for HIV. For such patients, Trogarzo was created as a potential treatment against this type of HIV.
Trogarzo is injected intravenously with an initial dose of 2,000 mg with subsequent bimonthly doses of 800 mg. The drug works by preventing HIV from infecting CD4+ T cells (helper T cells). Helper T cells are part of the body’s adaptive immune response and activate B cells, which produce antibodies to fight pathogens. CD4 is a receptor present on helper T cells, hence the name “CD4+ T cells.” HIV uses this receptor to insert its genetic information into the T cell. Trogarzo interferes with this process, thereby saving the helper T cell.
The Trogarzo clinical trial held promising results. 83% of subjects had more than half of their copies of HIV eliminated compared to the 3% of subject who did not receive Trogarzo.
Trogarzo has been noted to cause some side effects in patients such as diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, and rashes. Despite these possible side effects, Trogarzo is a promising new drug that may help patients with severely unresponsive forms of HIV.
Featured Image Source: Donald Bliss, NIH
