After over three decades, HIV/Aids could soon be treatable if the clinical tests of a new drug bears fruit. Developed by Zion Medical, an Israel-based biotech company, the drug destroys 99.9% of HIV in the human body within only four weeks of treatment.
Known as Gammora, the drug contains peptides [proteins] derived from the HIV virus, which trigger self-destruction of the infected cell, without affecting the normal ones.
“The peptide, produced by San Diego, California-based PolyPeptide Labs, has the potential to cure HIV-infected patients by destroying all cells carrying the HIV virus-genome. As opposed to the commercially available retroviral treatments, the so-called ‘cocktail,’ which merely suppress the spreading of the virus, but do not cure the infection,” the statement issued by the company, reads in part.
Results of the human clinical trial were announced through a US-based global Cision Public Relations Newswire on Wednesday, last week.
The drug, whose trials were partly carried out in Uganda, has recently concluded Phase 2a of three or four that human drugs in clinical trials go through before being made commercially available.
Capt Jimmy Omara, the spokesperson of Special Forces Command, who run Dr Ronald Bata hospital in Entebbe, confirmed yesterday that they took part in the research, but did not elaborate, neither did he cite the period when the trial was conducted here.
“Yes, we can confirm that such an activity took place. The details of it will be brought when our partners come back here next week,” Capt Omara said in an interview.
But news of the breakthrough was received with caution in Uganda. Dr Stephen Watiti, a medical consultant on HIV/Aids at Mild May-Uganda, applauded the discovery, but warned people living with HIV/Aids to continue adhering to their drugs until the ‘magic drug’ is on the market.
The drug will be subjected to human trials.