New antibodies against HIV
The results of a phase II open clinical trial conducted in Taiwan under the leadership of Dr. Chang Yi Wang, head of the scientific department and head of United Biopharma, indicate that regular administration of antibodies blocking the HIV binding site on the surface of human immune cells can reduce HIV activity for 4 months in patients taking a short break from antiretroviral therapy. In addition, it was demonstrated that an experimental drug based on UB-421 antibodies is safe for patients and does not lead to the appearance of antibody-resistant virus strains.
In the study, 29 patients with a well-controlled course of HIV stopped taking daily antiretroviral drugs on the day of the first antibody injection or a week after it, depending on the therapy they were undergoing. 14 participants received 8 weekly injections of UB-421, while another 15 participants received 8 higher doses of the drug with a break of 2 weeks. At the end of the 8- or 16-week therapy period, all participants resumed their antiretroviral therapy and returned to the clinic several times for examination over the course of 8 weeks. Except for one participant who dropped out of the study due to a moderate skin rash, HIV remained inactive in both groups during the study (the level of HIV DNA in blood plasma is below 20 copies/ml).
Earlier experimental injections of broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies provided suppression of virus activity for about 2 weeks by affecting the proteins of the virus itself. However, rapid mutation of HIV led to the emergence of antibody-resistant strains, and therapy lost its effectiveness. UB-421 antibodies theoretically make it possible to avoid this, since they block a stable human protein used by the virus to penetrate into T-lymphocytes. In the conducted study, the formation of resistant strains did not really occur. Since this small study was conducted without a control group receiving placebo injections, other clinical trials of the safety and efficacy of UB-421 when used as HIV therapy are currently planned in Taiwan and Thailand. As part of another ongoing study, experts are evaluating the safety of regular injections of two powerful broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies at once, potentially capable of suppressing the development of resistant HIV strains due to exposure to two different regions of the viral particle.
Article by Chang-Yi Wang et al. Anti-CD4 Antibody UB-421 on HIV-1 Rebound after Treatment Interruption is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Novel antibody may suppress HIV for up to four months.