First person ‘cured’ of HIV using medication alone, marking the most exciting breakthrough in years

In a major leap forward in the search for a HIV/AIDS cure, a person has been “cured” of HIV using a cocktail of medicines in what activists have dubbed a breakthrough as “exciting” as it was “unexpected”. HIV, known as human immunodeficiency virus, hobbles people’s immune systems leaving them more vulnerable to once everyday diseases. In a new study, presented Tuesday (July 7) at the International AIDS conference 2020, a patient on a relatively simple antiretroviral drug regimen was given a medicine commonly used to treat skin cancer. As a result, experts told PinkNews, while they are wearily calling it a “cure” for the virus, it is difficult how to define the word when instances of the virus’ demise are so few.