A Merck & Co. drug for a rare type of cancer flushed out hidden deposits of HIV in a study, according to researchers, who say the results provide a hint that curing AIDS might someday be possible.
The finding on Merck’s Zolinza, reported yesterday in the journal Nature, comes as researchers at the International AIDS Conference in Washington this week express optimism that a cure is on the horizon. Although current treatments hold the disease at bay, stopping the drugs allows infected cells that are hidden in the immune system to re-emerge, spreading the virus anew.
A single dose of Zolinza reactivated the hidden cells in eight infected patients, a first step toward finding and eliminating all virus traces from the body, according to investigators at Merck and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who undertook the research.
â€" From wire reports
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