Single-shot HIV treatment suppresses virus 10,000-fold for months, animal study finds

Researchers have developed an experimental HIV treatment that sustains itself in the body, with the goal of controlling virus levels for the long term after a single dose.

So far, the new treatment has been tested in monkeys, not people. But in the monkeys, it dramatically suppressed HIV for at least seven months. If the drug is approved for people someday, its protection might last years, said Adrian Wildfire, a virologist and drug development scientist who was not involved in the research.

"I suspect you'll see some decline in function [of the treatment] after five to seven years," Wildfire told Live Science. That represents a big jump from current treatment options.

About 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, but only about three-quarters of them are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy, the standard treatment. A smaller percentage are virally suppressed, meaning the amount of HIV in their body has declined to extremely low levels.

Related: We could end the AIDS epidemic in less than a decade. Here's how.

Some people face difficulties obtaining an HIV diagnosis and therapy prescription; others may struggle to afford medication, tolerate its side effects, or remember to take the daily pills many treatment regimens require to keep the virus at bay. Some existing long-acting shots last weeks or months, but people typically need to reach suppression with pills before qualifying for the shots.

Complicating the challenge, the virus also evolves very quickly, meaning it can become resistant to treatments, especially if doses are missed. Without treatment, HIV rapidly destroys a key class of immune cell in the body, leaving the person vulnerable to cancers and infectious diseases. At this stage, the infection has progressed to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).