A new study confirms that a natural protein can help restore immune systems that have been damaged by the AIDS virus.
Last year, doctors from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported that regular injections of interleukin 2 can boost the body's production of blood cells that are a primary target of HIV.Now, in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, the team has duplicated the findings in a more rigorous comparison study in a larger group of patients.
Donna E. Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services, called the report "new evidence that our national investment in AIDS research is paying off."
Despite the encouraging findings, doctors have yet to prove that the treatment actually helps people live longer or reduces the risk of AIDS complications. A study to investigate that is planned.
The latest study was conducted by Dr. Joseph A. Kovacs and colleagues on 60 HIV-infected people. All of the participants got standard anti-AIDS drugs, and half also received interleukin 2, or IL-2.