Since 1996, clinicians have treated HIV-infected patients with combination antiretroviral therapy, which can produce dramatic reductions in viral load and striking improvements in clinical outcome. Investigators have shown that antiviral treatment can also mitigate or even reverse some of the immune deficiency and dysregulation that are the hallmarks of HIV infection.
Combination therapy has limitations, however.
The drugs can be toxic, difficult to take and often ineffective for those with a history of extensive treatment. For many patients, combination therapy also fails to provide adequate immune restoration. Moreover, since the life-threatening consequences of HIV disease result from the loss of immunity the virus induces and not from the virus itself, efforts to augment immune function are an important frontier in the management of HIV infection. IL-2 is a cytokine that is licensed in the United States for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Characteristics and biological activity of IL-2.