Common Drug For Genital Herpes May Also Help Treat HIV

New findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases show that a common herpes drug can help to reduce levels of HIV infection, rebutting earlier information that Valacyclovir (Valtrex), which is needed for the presence of other infections to benefit patients with HIV-1.

This not only shows that the drug can be used effectively via a broader range of HIV-1 patients, but it also suggests promising new avenues for the development of HIV-fighting drugs. As some forms of HIV-1 have become resistant to other existing medications, this has become particularly important.

"These results demonstrated that the mechanism by which Valacyclovir acts against HIV is not only through the presence of HSV-2," said senior author Benigno Rodriguez, associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in US, in a news release. 

The way the drug works is that it activates in virus-infected cells and then blocks their ability of HIV to reproduce, leading to the immune deficiency that's known as AIDS. Previous studies by these groups have helped to illuminate just how the medication can decrease HIV-1 levels in the body.

Prior to this, scientists actually believed that Valacyclovir helped to reduce HIV levels that worked by decreasing the immune activation that's caused by HSV-2.

"The drug might be an agent that can be used safely in some people with HIV infection who have a form of HIV that is highly resistant to other antiretroviral drugs," added Dr. Michael M. Lederman, senior study author. "Valacyclovir might well augment the cocktail of medications they take for reducing HIV replication. Valacyclovir is a well-tolerated drug, and it doesn't have a lot of side effects."

Groups involved in the study switched after a two-week break from any medications. Those who were previously on a placebo got 12 weeks of the Valacyclovir and those who had already taken the medication received the placebos.

When study participants took Valacyclovir, their HIV viral loads went down and they took the placebo as their HIV viral loads went up. Close to a total of 18 patients were involved.

"Our most recent clinical study demonstrates that acyclovir blocks HIV replication directly. The anti-HIV activity of valacyclovir does not depend on blocking the inflammation caused by herpes simplex virus 2," concluded Lederman.