New developments in medications
Key points
- New drugs as well as new categories of drugs are being developed all the time.
- One of the latest developments reported at the Aids conference in Barcelona, is to target the first step in the virus cycle, namely virus entry.
- Other drugs in the developmental phase are Integrase inhibitors.
- Fusion inhibitor - T20 prevents HIV from entering the host cell by affecting the interactions between the virus and the cell.
New drugs as well as new categories of drugs are being developed all the time.
One of the latest developments reported at the Aids conference in Barcelona, is to target the first step in the virus cycle, namely virus entry. Fusion inhibitor - T20 prevents HIV from entering the host cell by affecting the interactions between the virus and the cell. It stops the viral proteins gp120 and gp41 from forming a stable interaction with the CD4 molecule. The virus is thus unable to fuse with the cell (binding, fusion and entry are blocked). These drugs are still in developmental and testing phases.
Other drugs in the developmental phase are Integrase inhibitors. These drugs are developed to prevent the process by which HIV integrates into the host cell core. The virus is unable to replicate unless it is integrated into the host's DNA and so cannot infect further cells.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Infections, HIV & STIs →
NewsTargeting HIV in semen to shut down AIDS
There may be two new ways to fight AIDS - using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection,…
19 August 2015
NewsBreastfeeding could reduce common infections among Indigenous infants
Promoting breastfeeding could lead to a substantial reduction in common infections and even deaths that are more common in Indigenous infants than non-Indigenous infants, a new study suggests. Indigenous infants in…
18 August 2015
NewsChickenpox continues to decline in US thanks to vaccination
Since the chickenpox vaccine became available in the U.S. in 1995, there has been a large reduction in chickenpox cases. Hospitalizations and outpatient visits for chickenpox have continued their decline after a second…
14 August 2015
