A promising treatment has led to the recovery of many HIV patients in the world

The seventh patient in the world has recovered from HIV thanks to a promising treatment

A team of doctors in Germany announced the effective recovery of a patient from HIV who was transplanted with stem cells ten years ago. The German man, who requested to remain anonymous, is the seventh person in the world to achieve recovery from HIV.

The painful and risky procedure is reserved for people with HIV and aggressive leukemia, so it is not an option for all of the around 40 million people living with the deadly virus around the world.

The patient was called "Berlin's next patient", as the name "Berlin Patient" was previously given to Timothy Ray Brown, who was the first person to be declared cured of HIV in 2008, but died of cancer in 2020.

The unidentified 60-year-old German man was first diagnosed with HIV in 2009.

He was suffering from acute myeloid leukemia when he underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat the leukemia in 2015. The procedure, which carries a 10% risk of death, essentially replaces a person's immune system. He then stopped taking antiretroviral drugs, which prevent HIV from replicating, in September 2018.

Doctors said that after about six years of this procedure, he appears to be free of HIV and cancer.

Dr. Christian Gabler, a physician and scientist at Charite Medical University in Berlin, is scheduled to present the case next week at the 25th International AIDS Conference. Gabler explained that the team cannot be "completely certain" that every trace of HIV has been eliminated, noting that "the patient's condition is highly suggestive of the existence of a cure for HIV. He feels good and is excited to contribute to our research efforts."

At a press conference last week, Sharon Lewin, president of the International AIDS Society, warned against using the word "cure."

However, she said that remaining in remission (the state of inactive disease in a patient known to have a chronic, incurable disease) for more than five years means he will be "close" to recovery.

She pointed out that there is a major difference between the German man’s case and most other cases that have reached a long-term recovery stage.

Five of the other six patients received stem cells from donors that contained two copies of a rare genetic mutation (in which part of the CCR5 gene was missing) that prevents HIV from replicating.

The researchers hope that their recent success with “Berlin's Next Patient” means there will be a much larger pool of potential donors in the future.

Source: New York Post - https://ar.rt.com/xyby