A new drug might be an option for patients with multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV

The intravenous drug ibalizumab might revolutionize the treatment of HIV patients who don't respond to existing drugs, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 26 to 30 in New Orleans.

The study authors tested the drug in 40 patients with multi-drug-resistant HIV in this phase 3 study. The patients had been infected with HIV for an average of 21 years.

The researchers found that after seven days, 83 percent of patients showed a significant response. No treatment-related serious adverse events or discontinuations were reported during this time period.

Study author Jacob Lalezari, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and medical director for Quest Clinical Research, told HealthDay that this drug offered a "double return": It will also potentially prevent treated patients from transmitting the virus to other people, he said.

The study was funded by TaiMed Biologics, the manufacturer of ibalizumab. The research team included employees of the company.