Protese /Maintenance ?

[Rockerforlife]

Why is it they give HIV patients a PI drug to keep the aids virus in remission but not HVC patients.Isnt this form of maintence? .I think they should be giving it  to people who have HVC and did not respond to the PI drugs because what else is left?...Maybe one day they will use the PI as maintenance for the ones who dont respond to SOC and PI drugs.Ive heard of aids people liiving a lot longer now because of the PI`s too.Some are with aids for 25 years and still doing ok.


"An apple a day keeps the doctor away, But if the doctor is cute forget the fruit."

[newleaf09]

HIV incurable because it shuts down the immune system.  HCV TX stimulates immune system to do its job, PI's chime in and help by interfering with viral replication.  Maintenance PI's sounds like the 7th circle of hell to me.  Kill me now, instead.

[Joey_M]

There are some major differences between the HIV and HCV viruses. HIV cannot be cured but PI's along with other medications can keep HIV VL UND for many years, if not indefinitely. I'd probably be dead now without PI's which first came out in 1996 (nobody has been on them for 25 years - first trials were around 1992).

Fortunately, HCV seems to be "curable" but the SOC can be very harsh. PI's are much more recent for HCV and hopefully in the near future some combination without interferon or ribavirin will be successful and effective. Have you seen this study (thanks Mike):
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2009/04/

Anyways, it is amazing the progress being made for both HIV and HCV but I wish it would be faster and that there was more funding and research for both and many other illnesses as well).  

[Rockerforlife]

What am i thinkn?...LOL...the PI can cause the virus to multiply(mutation),so this answers my question.I guess PI`s used as a maintenace therapy is out of the question.