HIV cure trials in South Africa offer glimpses of hope
This breakthrough could pave the way for long-term HIV remission and a future without lifelong ART dependence
A ground-breaking HIV cure trial conducted in Durban, South Africa, has demonstrated promising results in achieving antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free virus control.
A first for Africa, the HIV cure trial shows that 20 per cent of trial participants remain off ART and are virally suppressed after one-and-a-half years. Results provide insights toward the development of future HIV cure approaches.
Kenyan Professor Thumbi Ndung’u, who works at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Africa Health Research Institute, says that the HIV cure trials offer good news in the fight against the killer scourge. This breakthrough could pave the way for long-term HIV remission and a future without lifelong ART dependence.
The results of the study were presented recently at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in San Francisco in the US. At least 20 women were enrolled in the trial and results showed 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. Under close medical supervision, participants then stopped ART to see if their bodies could control the virus on their own.
“While this treatment approach didn’t work for most participants, it is still a significant development in HIV cure research. Studying how the 20 per cent 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,” said Prof Ndung’u.
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. The researchers treated participants with antiretroviral very soon after they acquired HIV. Once the virus was controlled by ART, they administered powerful immune-boosters.
The research was led by the HIV Pathogenesis Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Africa Health Research Institute, the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, and Gilead Sciences.
