Your dollars invested in amfAR's Basic Research Program are funding projects that are making extraordinary progress in combating CMV disease. New therapies are extending the lives of people with AIDS who, as they live longer, become more susceptible to opportunistic diseases. One of these diseases is cytomegalovirus eye disease, i.e., CMV retinitis, the incidence of which has more than doubled since 1985. The sight of an HIV-positive patient may be threatened by CMV at any time. Left unchecked, CMV can cause extensive damage to the inner eye.
Drug treatments are, therefore, essential for preventing or stopping such terrible damage.
Treatment often involves the permanent placement of intravenous lines and prolonged hospitalizations, and there can be multiple side effects. Foscarnet, although it does not usually suppress the white blood count, has other side effects, including nausea, kidney damage, and damage to the nervous system. Also, the development of resistance by CMV to these drugs is itself a problem. Clearly, new approaches are needed. Recently, a third treatment for CMV retinitis was announced, and amfAR played a key role in its development.