HIV Cure: Zero Infections Achievable with New Strategies?

Rome, 27 Nov. (Adnkronos Health) – The availability of new preventive strategies and long-acting therapies can help contain HIV infection, acting on adherence to treatment, both in the preventive and therapeutic fields. These are the main contents discussed today in Rome by the experts who participated in the event ‘Ist – HIV Call 2025: what management and prevention opportunities for the silent health emergency’, organized by Cencora-Pharmalex with the patronage of the Higher Institute of Health, the Interdisciplinary Society for the study of sexually transmitted diseases (Simast), the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) and Federchimica Assobiotec, with the unconditional contribution of ViiV Healthcare Italia. In Italy, HIV today represents a silent epidemic, which is talked about too little, the organizers underline in a note. This is mainly due to the lack of information which leads to late diagnoses and further delays the possibility of best combating the spread of the virus. In our country there are an estimated 163 thousand people with HIV, of which 15 thousand are undiagnosed. According to ISS data, 2,379 new diagnoses were reported in 2024, equal to an incidence of 4 per 100 thousand residents. The highest incidences (greater than or equal to 4.5 cases per 100 thousand residents) were observed in Lazio, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. People who discovered they were HIV positive in were male in 79% of cases. The median age is 41 years, higher in males (41 years) than in females (40 years). In this scenario, therapeutic evolution and innovation represent great hope for people at risk of contracting the virus and for people already HIV-positive, capable of significantly reducing the risk of infection as well as serious outcomes, making HIV a treatable chronic condition. According to UNAIDS, by 2025, 86% of people testing positive for the virus should reach an undetectable viral load and 95% of people at risk should have access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The event – continues the note – represented an important opportunity for discussion between clinicians, institutions and patient associations, focused on therapeutic innovations and the challenges of HIV prevention thanks to innovative treatments that guarantee excellent results when diagnosis is timely. “A recent clinical study has shown that over 90% of patients prefer to switch to long-acting injectable therapy after an initial oral treatment, this is because it allows them more freedom in everyday life, thus also removing the stigmatizing memory of illness”, explains Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) and member of the Higher Health Council. “Long-acting preventive and treatment strategies – he adds – promote greater adherence to treatment, reduce the risk of treatment failure and increase the effectiveness of infection prevention. We doctors, when possible, must offer it to people with HIV. On the prevention side, pre-exposure prophylaxis must be seen as a prevention tool within everyone’s reach”. Updated World Health Organization guidelines highlight the importance of making long-acting PrEP widely available, recognizing its essential role in protecting public health. “The Ministry of Health has recently presented the new national plan of interventions for the prevention of HIV infections, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for the five-year period 2024-2028 – states Maria Rosaria Campitiello, head of the Department of Prevention, Research and Health Emergencies of the Ministry of Health – It is a programmatic document that aims to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis and management strategies, in line with the WHO objectives for the elimination of viral hepatitis and for the containment of HIV and STIs by 2030. One of the most important innovations of the Plan is the strong investment in combined prevention, in the free distribution of condoms and the strengthening of PrEP, which still today suffers from severe delays in terms of accessibility in Italy and which must be given impetus”. The head of the Department of Programming, medical devices, drugs and policies in favor of the National Health Service of the Ministry of Health, Francesco Saverio Mennini, adds: “Infectious diseases and in particular HIV, still represent a significant health challenge today, despite therapeutic progress. The Ministry of Health is working to reduce the incidence of new infections, increase access to tests, improve linkage-to-care and promote the integration between prevention, screening and treatment, especially in contexts of greater vulnerability. We are aware of how important it is to work in a vision of One Health, integrating innovation and planning. In the fight against HIV – he highlights – it is essential to promote prevention and treatment strategies that allow us to achieve the WHO’s objective of eradicating the HIV epidemic by 2030. These strategies would represent an investment both from an economic point of view and in terms of quality of life and avoided complications for patients”. For Luciano Ciocchetti, vice-president of the XII Social Affairs Commission, Chamber of Deputies, “it is essential to maintain high attention on HIV. To achieve the WHO’s objective, politics must strongly commit to prevention and guarantee equal access to the most advanced treatments for all. Only authentic collaboration between national and regional institutions, the scientific community and associations representing patients and communities involved will be able to generate concrete progress, both for people at risk and for those already living with the virus”. It is crucial to understand and recognize, today, the role of long-acting strategies – the experts point out – because they can represent an essential element of protecting public health. “Section L of the Technical Health Committee (Cts) plays a central role in the coordination of measures aimed at containing the spread of HIV, in monitoring the quality of healthcare for people with HIV – explains Giordano Madeddu, president of section L of the Cts, Ministry of Health – We deal with the development of projects and innovative therapies. For the three-year period of my presidency we plan to carry out the priority actions included in the National Action Plan to eradicate HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections Not least – he concludes – promoting the implementation of PrEP, the simplification of testing and the strengthening of multidisciplinary management of people on antiretroviral therapy, including the most vulnerable”.