A new report from the medical journal PLOS ONE, has highlighted a discovery that the anti-fungal drug Ciclopirox has a dramatic effect on HIV in laboratory settings.
Ciclopirox is commonly used for the treatment of fungal foot infections but researchers are exploring the effect it has in stopping the virus replicating.
While most anti-viral medications for treating HIV keep the virus at bay, it is never eliminated from the cells completely, and if a person stops treatment the active virus returns.
The early indicators are that Ciclopirox may have two properties which make it effective in treating HIV infected cells, firstly it stops the expression of HIV and reactivates the cells ability to ‘self destruct’ if damaged. Like most new discoveries regarding HIV treatments the pathway to clinic trials is a long one, but it may be shorter for Ciclopirox as it already an approved drug.
OIP Staff
