52 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • MAY 2, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
The future of HIV treatment: Long-awaited progress for patients
In the late 1980s, Dr. Kimberly Smith
was studying medicine at the University
of Michigan. It was early in the AIDS
epidemic but increasing numbers of
cases were coming in.
“Th ere was confusion, fear and chaos
- we were just beginning to learn about
the disease, we had no form of treatment,
and we had no idea what kind of
devastation the disease would have on
families and communities,” she said.
Since those early days of the epidemic,
Dr. Smith has spent much of her career
as a researcher studying HIV and its
treatment and as a physician caring for
people living with HIV in Chicago. She
now serves as the Vice President and
Head of Global Research and Medical
Strategy for ViiV Healthcare, a pharmaceutical
company celebrating 10 years
supporting and developing medicines
solely for people living with HIV/AIDS.
“Th e progress has been amazing,” said
Dr. Smith. “Th anks to the perseverance
of countless advocates and dedicated
eff orts of the medical community, our
understanding of the HIV virus, how
it’s transmitted and how to treat it has
grown tremendously.”
Today, an HIV diagnosis is no longer
a death sentence and people living
with HIV are leading longer and healthier
lives. In fact, thanks to highly eff ective
antiretroviral treatments, those living
with HIV who have access to treatment
can expect to live nearly as long as
the general population. Th at means they
can focus on aging well - including good
nutrition, regular exercise and stress
reduction - alongside lifelong antiretroviral
treatment to achieve and maintain
viral suppression, or when the amount
of virus in the blood is lowered to levels
that are undetectable by standard tests.
As the needs of people living with
HIV have evolved, so has innovation.
Over the past 30 years, science and
disease management approaches have
transformed from treatment to reducing
transmission rates. Now, clinicians and
researchers are focused on addressing
the quality of life challenges that remain,
namely those associated with stigma and
the overall impact of lifelong therapy.
In a global survey of more than 1,100
people living with HIV, 72 percent of
respondents said they sometimes worry
about the long-term eff ects of HIV medicines,
yet only 26 percent discussed
these concerns with their doctor. As
people living with HIV age, they will
likely face associated health conditions
that may lead to needing more medications,
in addition to their daily HIV
treatment regimen.
“Th is is a new era and people living
with HIV, along with their doctors,
have more choices,” said Dr. Smith.
“Healthcare providers can work to
ensure treatment regimens align with
a patient’s health history and longterm
health goals. Th ey can select an
HIV treatment option that maintains
viral suppression while helping patients
achieve their health goals and addressing
important factors like tolerability
and convenience.”
For Dr. Smith, refl ecting on the
remarkable progress made to date serves
as motivation to advance diff erent
approaches that improve lives and meet
the needs of people living with HIV.
“Scientifi c innovation and research in
HIV have shift ed to focus more on the
needs of people living with the virus. 2019
will be a critical year with many advancements
on the horizon that aim to lessen
the lifetime burden of therapy on people
living with HIV. Th rough these eff orts, we
are addressing the challenges of today’s
patient and striving to make HIV a smaller
part of people’s lives.”
To learn more about ViiV Healthcare
and the HIV community, visit https://
www.viivhealthcare.com/en-us/.
Courtesy BPT
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