Important note: Information in this article was accurate in March 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, March 20, 2000
Prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports
Immunomodulation has become a major focus of HIV research in an effort to augment, boost, or restore the patient's damaged immune system.
"Recombinant interleukin-2 is currently being studied in Phase II/III trials in HIV infected patients," S.C. Piscitelli et al. wrote ("A risk-benefit assessment of interleukin-2 as an adjunct to antiviral therapy in HIV infection," Drug Saf 2000 Jan;22(1):19-31.
Several clinical studies have demonstrated that intermittent regimens are associated with significant rises in CD4+ cell counts without an increase in viral load. Most of these studies employ five consecutive days of interleukin-2 therapy by continuous intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection, repeated every eight weeks.
"An alternative strategy is the daily administration of low doses of interleukin-2, but clinical experience with this regimen is limited," Piscitelli et al. wrote. "Interleukin-2 administration can adversely affect virtually every organ system, requiring aggressive supportive care. A variety of administration strategies and interventions are being evaluated to minimize toxicity."
Currently, no clinical end-point data are available for interleukin-2 in HIV infected patients.
"Until Phase III studies are completed, interleukin-2 can be used in the research setting as an immunomodulator and adjunct to antiretroviral therapy. Its potential to activate latently infected cells and promote HIV eradication from reservoir sites is also an important area for further study," the researchers noted.
"If clinical benefit can be demonstrated, interleukin-2 could be useful as an adjunct to antiretroviral therapy if adverse effects can be minimized and therapy can be given infrequently on an outpatient basis."
The corresponding author for this study is S.C. Piscitelli, NIAID, Department of Pharmacology, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10, Room 1N257, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
A search of www.NewsRx.com found 83 articles dealing with HIV and interleukin-2.
Key points reported in this study are:
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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