My name is Diane Havlir. I'm a medical doctor specializing in HIV/AIDS and chief of the Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital.
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In the fall of 2007, there were some exciting new developments in the HIV treatment arena. These advances offer significant prospects of new treatment options for individuals living with "drug resistant" HIV.
One of the biggest challenges in HIV treatment is that, in some people, the virus becomes resistant to medication. If this occurs, the safest approach to getting the virus under control is to use at least two new classes of drugs. Until recently, entirely new drug classes only became available, one class at a time. Therefore, to an extent, we were always playing "catch up" in our attempts to attack drug-resistant HIV, and affected patients were moved from one regimen to the next, with only temporary benefit.
Late last year (2007), two highly anticipated new classes of HIV treatments were approved for use. Maraviroc, which blocks the entry of HIV, was approved by the FDA in August 2007. Raltegravir, is the first of an entirely new class of drugs called "integrase inhibitors." Integrase drugs block HIV as it integrates into the cell. If these treatments are used strategically, in combination with other agents, research has demonstrated that very impressive results can be achieved.
What does this mean for persons living with HIV? It very likely means that patients with highly drug-resistant virus, for the first time, have a good chance to achieve viral suppression and the related, sustained benefits. This good news owes to years of tremendous effort in testing, research and analysis. First and foremost, we must acknowledge the incredible sacrifice made by many of our patients who voluntarily participate in clinical trials that study such drugs. This involvement helps us to make progress on a wide range of scientific questions regarding how can we improve treatment, prevention and immune support options. In addition, none of these advances would be possible without the ongoing efforts of academic and industry investigators who dedicate their careers to HIV science.
I wish I could say we now have the ideal therapy for everyone, but we don't. Therefore, continued research and development, new testing, and the re-testing of existing agents is critical to our mission of improving clinical outcomes and quality of life.
During this special time of the year when many of us celebrate with loved ones and give thanks for things we cherish, I hope we'll also remember our shared mission to care for those in need, unconditionally. Here at San Francisco General every word of encouragement, every dollar donated, every gesture of comfort, cumulatively moves us closer to achieving better HIV care for all those affected around the world. Thank you again for supporting our program, and warm wishes for good health this season.
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