Ciclopirox, an anti-fungal drug available as a foot cream can permanently eradicate HIV from infected cells by forcing them to "commit suicide."
HIV infections can be fatal. According to a CDC report, approximately 1.1 million people in the United States have this infection and about 18.5 percent of them are not aware of the fact that they are carrying the virus. Approximately 636,000 people with an AIDS diagnosis have died in the U.S.since the epidemic began.
Researchers from three departments at New Jersey Medical School have discovered a potential cure for this infection. Ciclopirox, an anti-fungal drug available in the form of a foot cream can permanently eradicate HIV from infected cells by forcing them to "commit suicide." The drug jams the mitochondria, known as the powerhouse of the cells, forcing them to die a slow death.
Previous HIV treatments have been developed through a combination of anti-retroviral drugs. However, these drugs need to be taken for life, and even then there is no guarantee of eradicating the infection completely. Moreover, if a patient stops taking the drug at any point in time, the infected cells recover and attack with more vengeance causing further spread of the infection.
However, unlike these drugs, researchers claim that Ciclopirox completely eradicates HIV from the infected cells. Moreover, a patient doesn't have to use the foot cream for life and there are no side effects when he or she stops taking the drug. The drug has been deemed safe for use by humans as it has already received early-stage approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug is in the process of testing in clinical trials and it is believed that its efficacy will see the drug coming to the market very soon.
