HIV experts call for coordinated R&D effort on drug-free remission

A group of leading HIV experts is calling for a coordinated research effort to find ways of clearing latent HIV from the body, with the  ultimate aim of curing the disease rather than controlling it with  life-long therapy.

In an article published in the March 6 issue of Science, senior figures  from academia, government and the drug industry suggest that a  public-private partnership is required to help HIV treatment evolve  towards the goal of drug-free remission.

The authors of the article, which include pharmaceutical industry  scientists Daria Hazuda from Merck & Co and Roger Pomerantz from  Tibotec, an HIV-focused drugmaker owned by Johnson & Johnson - argues  that the HIV community must accelerate the progress of individual  research groups, harness the drug discovery capabilities of industry and  governments to coordinate regulatory approaches and mobilize funding.