Are the drugs a cure?

The current drugs are a treatment, but they are not a cure. They stop the progression of HIV. They let your immune system start to repair itself. For most people, their CD4 count becomes stronger but you will still be HIV-positive.

Even people taking combination therapy for many years, with a viral load below 50 copies/mL, still have very small amounts of HIV. This HIV is in cells that are ‘resting’ or ‘sleeping’ and is not reached by current drugs.

These sleeping cells are one of the reasons that it is difficult to find a cure for HIV. Some of these cells can sleep for 70 years.

You may need medication for a long time, but newer drugs may be easier to take and be more effective.

This means you may still get to die from old age rather than from HIV.

It may also mean that you are still alive when a cure is found – and this is something good to aim for.