HIV cure trial led by Kenyan achieves viral suppression

20 per cent of participants ditched ARVs over a year ago and they are still virally suppressed

by ELISHA SINGIRA

Health20 March 2025 - 19:27

In Summary

Studying how the 20% managed to control the virus on their own will help scientists develop better HIV cure strategies, as well as work out ways to improve future treatments – Prof Thumbi Ndung’u

Even after the trial, four individuals, who are still being closely monitored, have continued without medication for an average of 1.5 years.

A HIV cure trial led by a Kenyan expert has demonstrated promising results in achieving antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free virus control.

The trial conducted in Durban, South Africa, showed that 20 per cent of participants remain off ART and are virally suppressed after one-and-a-half years, according to a press statement from the researchers.

Prof Thumbi Ndung’u (pictured), the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (Santhe) programme director said that a combination immunotherapy, using neutralising antibodies alongside antiretroviral therapy (ART), was used with a purpose to achieving cure or reducing viral load and enhancing immune responses, potentially leading to long-term viral control.

“The study tested a promising HIV treatment approach called combination immunotherapy. The goal was to either eliminate or reduce hidden traces of HIV in the body so the immune system could keep the virus in check without the need for lifelong medication,” he said, according to the statement.

The results of the study were presented at the recent 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in San Francisco, USA.

In the study, the first HIV cure clinical trial in Africa, the researchers treated participants with antiretrovirals soon after they acquired HIV. Once the virus was controlled by ART, they administered powerful immune-boosters - which helps the immune system fight the virus more effectively. Under close medical supervision, participants then stopped ART to see if their bodies could control the virus on their own.

The trial results show that 30 per cent of participants (six out of 20) were able to stay off HIV treatment for nearly a year, and 20 per cent (four participants) remained off treatment until the trial ended at 55 weeks. Even after the trial, these four individuals, who are still being closely monitored, have continued without medication for an average of 1.5 years.

The study was led by the HIV Pathogenesis Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a research and capacity-building initiative within the larger Santhe consortium.

Other partners are the Africa Health Research Institute, the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, and Gilead Sciences.

Prof Ndung’u said that further research needs to be done by scientists to know how some people were able to control the virus to help in the search for the cure.

He said: “While this treatment approach didn’t work for most participants, it is still a significant development in HIV cure research. Studying how the 20% managed to control the virus on their own will help scientists develop better HIV cure strategies, as well as work out ways to improve future treatments.”

The trial is significant because it proves that complex HIV cure research can be successfully conducted in resource-limited settings where the need is greatest, and highlights the importance of including African populations in global scientific advancements.