Mirror Daily

Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Log in
  • Home
  • National & Global News
  • Business & Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Health
  • About Mirror Daily
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Latest News
    • The Geological Features of Pluto Have Just Gotten Dark Names Inspired from the Underworld
    • The Abuse of Imodium
    • McDonald’s Salads are worse than their Burgers
    • US Family Sues Hospital Over Botched Tonsillectomy
    • Should We Go Back to The Moon?
    • Photo of Gay Military Men Kissing Goes Viral

Pages

  • About Mirror Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Fossil Reveals That Dinosaurs Suffered from Arthritis
  • Our Team
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Use
  • World Breastfeeding Week: Advantages and Disadvantages

Recent Posts

  • Canadian Teen Killed by Toxic Shock Syndrome on School Trip June 29, 2018
  • Donut Fries Coming to Dunkin’ Donuts Nationwide June 28, 2018
  • Kohl’s Hiring Workers for Holiday Season amid Labor Shortage June 28, 2018
  • This is How You’re Sabotaging Your Skin Safety June 27, 2018
  • SF Woman Calls Cops on Little Girl for Selling Water on Street June 26, 2018
  • Sarah Sanders Misused Official Twitter Account to Complain about Restaurant June 25, 2018
  • Man Arrested for Placing 10-Ft-Long Heroin Spoon Outside Drug Maker HQ June 25, 2018

Valacyclovir, a Treatment for Herpes, Can Reduce HIV Levels in AIDS Patients

March 14, 2015 By Tara Hamilton 10 Comments

HIV_Mature_and_Immature

Even when patients with AIDS do not have the herpes virus, taking Valacyclovir (a drug that is prescribed normally for genital herpes) can improve their condition, by reducing the levels of HIV viruses in their cells.

The lead author of the study, Leonid Margolis (head of the Section of Intercellular Interactions at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the US), pointed out that the results are highly encouraging and the test should be repeated with larger groups of patients. If new tests confirm the findings so far, Valacyclovir could be included in the drug combination used to neutralize the HIV virus, especially in cases where the virus has become resistant to other kinds of drugs – Leonid Margolis declared on Friday.

The results of this study were published by Margolis and his team in the British journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Experts from four centers (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Washington, Case Western Reserve University, Emory University, and the Civic Association for Health and Education in Peru) were involved in the research.

Previous studies had already shown that Valacyclovir is efficient in decreasing HIV levels in patients who suffered from both AIDS (caused by the HIV virus) and genital herpes (caused by the herpes simplex virus 2 – HSV-2). But it was believed that the lower HIV levels were due to the smaller numbers of immune cells which could carry HIV, which in its turn was explained by Valacyclovir’s action against HSV-2. Now, the researchers tested the hypothesis that reduced HIV levels in patients treated with Valacyclovir are due directly to the medication’s effect against HIV’s reproductive mechanism.

To verify that this is the case, the specialists studied 18 patients in whose cells the HIV virus was present, but the HSV-2 virus was not. 9 patients took the drug twice every day in the course of three months, while the other 9 were administered a placebo. The two groups were switched after half a month, and the placebo group was given Valacyclovir, while the first group received a placebo. The HIV virus levels in the patients’ blood increased and decreased considerably according to whether they were on placebo or on Valacyclovir – the patients who took the drug in the interval when they were tested had less HIV viruses than the patients who were on placebo. This indicates that Valacyclovir has a direct impact on HIV levels, regardless of the presence of HSV-2. Scholars hope that further study will confirm the discovery, in order to improve the lives of the 35 million people currently living with AIDS.

image source: wikipedia

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Tara Hamilton

Tara has graduated from the University of Oregon, with bachelors degree in Spanish Literature in 2010. She lived in Miami for one year and travelled extensively before settling down in El Paso.

Latest posts by Tara Hamilton (see all)

  • Aspirin Might Keep Away Cancers of the Digestive Tract - November 1, 2017
  • Halloween, the Biggest Food Poisoning Hazard for Pets - October 27, 2017
  • Botox Might Be a Possible Cure for Pediatric Migraines - October 25, 2017

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: herpes drug might be effective against HIV, HIV medical research, HIV possible cures, Valacyclovir

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Articles

Albert Einstein in group photo

Einstein’s Travel Diaries Reveal His Lesser Known Racist Side

June 14, 2018 By John Birks

Baobab tree in Tanzania

Southern Africa’s Iconic Baobab Trees Facing Massive Die-Off

June 11, 2018 By John Birks

UFO 'Self Parking' Sign

Researcher Accuses NASA of Massive Alien Cover-Up

March 5, 2018 By John Birks

Elon Musk's flying Tesla roadster

NASA Warns Elon Musk’s Flying Tesla Roadster May Contaminate Mars

February 28, 2018 By John Birks

Windows 10 home screen

Microsoft Working on Making Windows Password-Free

February 12, 2018 By John Birks

Ice Cubes

Scientists Discover Fourth State of Water: Superionic Ice

February 10, 2018 By John Birks

Head of a northern gannet

Forever Alone Nigel the Gannet Found Dead near Fake Partner

February 3, 2018 By John Birks

Globular Star Cluster

Scientists Find Surprise Black Hole in Globular Star Cluster

January 20, 2018 By John Birks

The Amazon Echo Dot

America’s Smart Speaker Market Jumps to 39 Million Users

January 15, 2018 By John Birks

Pink plasma ball

CES 2018: Intel Presents Out-of-This-World Quantum Computer

January 10, 2018 By John Birks

Teen using her iPad

Major Apple Investors Urge Company to Do More About iPhone Addiction

January 8, 2018 By John Birks

Russian spacecraft

Out-of-Control Chinese Space Station Hurling Toward Earth

January 5, 2018 By John Birks

wanning moon seen on the evening sky in between trees

Scientists Thrilled about Trump’s Initiative to Send Explorers Back to the Moon

December 31, 2017 By John Birks

Two iPhone 7 models on table

Apple Confirms Slower-iPhone Conspiracy Theory

December 22, 2017 By John Birks

Related Articles

  • California teen Sara Manitoski

    Canadian Teen Killed by Toxic Shock Syndrome on School Trip

    Jun 29, 2018
  • Happy woman on yacht

    This is How You’re Sabotaging Your Skin Safety

    Jun 27, 2018
  • Woman speaking on the phone

    SF Woman Calls Cops on Little Girl for Selling Water on Street

    Jun 26, 2018
  • Gay Pride 2015 in Germany

    WHO No Longer Considers Transgender People Mentally ill

    Jun 22, 2018
  • Man drinking beer

    Drinking Alcohol Can Boost Cancer Risk (Study)

    Jun 21, 2018
  • Coffee cup

    What Makes Some Things Addictive?

    Jun 21, 2018
  • Healthy breakfast

    Type 2 Diabetes Later in Life Could Be Early Sign of Cancer, Study

    Jun 19, 2018
  • Man pouring draft beer

    Major Industry-Funded Drinking Study Shut Down by NIH

    Jun 18, 2018
  • Burning oil lamp and Christian Orthodox prayer beads

    Churchgoers Tend to Live 4 Years Longer than Atheists (Study)

    Jun 15, 2018
  • DNA strand

    Groundbreaking DNA-Editing Tech Could Boost Cancer Risk, Study

    Jun 13, 2018

Categories

  • Business & Economy
  • Capital & Retail Sector
  • Health
  • IT & Diversified Sector
  • National & Global News
  • Tech & Science

Copyright © 2021 MirrorDaily.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact