Three people effectively cured of HIV have spoken about how a risky transplant procedure saved their lives, with one saying they are 'living proof' of hope in the fight against the virus.聽
The trio spoke about their experience at the International AIDS Conference in Munich, which has gathered experts, researchers and activists to discuss developments in the HIV epidemic.
Only seven people are considered to have been effectively cured after receiving a stem cell transplant, a painful and risky procedure only suitable for patients who have both HIV and aggressive leukaemia.
Adam Castillejo, a 44-year-old also known as the 鈥楲ondon patient鈥�, told AFP that it took 鈥榶ears鈥� to be sure that his transplant had had the desired effect.
鈥楾here is not a specific time when you say: 鈥淵ou're cured鈥�, it takes a while and then you have controlled expectations towards that.鈥�
Only once doctors are sure that the patients' HIV will not return do they stop treatment with antiretroviral drugs, which reduce the amount of the virus in the blood.
Marc Franke, 55 -- the 鈥楧uesseldorf patient鈥� -- also experienced the painstaking process.
鈥楾he doctors did so many tests to really be 100 percent sure before the antiretroviral therapy was discontinued,鈥� Franke said.
The bone marrow transplant, which carries a 10 percent risk of death, essentially replaces a person's immune system.
Pointing to the 鈥榚normous鈥� mortality rate and other complications, Franke went so far as to say: 鈥業 can't recommend it to anyone.鈥�
Despite having 鈥榣ost several years鈥� to leukaemia, Franke said in retrospect he 鈥榳ould have preferred to take one tablet a day鈥� of antiretrovirals than to have gone through the gruelling transplant process.
Inspiring 'new directions'
Earlier this month doctors announced the number of people effectively cured from HIV had reached seven.
The seventh -- dubbed the 鈥榥ext Berlin patient鈥� -- received a bone marrow transplant for his leukaemia in 2015 and stopped taking antiretroviral drugs in late 2018.
Medical researchers said he now appears to be both HIV and cancer free.
Sharon Lewin, President of the International AIDS Society, called the cases 鈥榬eally exciting鈥� but admitted that the therapy was only applicable to a very small number of people.
The procedure had effectively cured just 鈥榮even people out of 40 million people living with HIV鈥�, Lewin said. 鈥楾hese are very rare cases, but they inspire new directions in science.鈥�
All but one of the seven patients received stem cells from donors who had a rare gene mutation which effectively makes people immune to HIV.
Paul Edmonds is in his late sixties and was the third patient who spoke about his experiences at the conference.
He agreed that 鈥榯he stem cell transplant is not for everyone because there's so many risks involved鈥�.
However Edmonds said his and his fellow patients' experience gave 鈥榟ope... that a cure is possible because we're living proof that it can happen鈥�.聽
There were 1.3 million new HIV infections last year, while 39 million people are living with the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
Timothy Ray Brown -- the original 鈥楤erlin patient鈥� -- was the first person declared cured of HIV back in 2008. Brown died from cancer in 2020.
