HIV implant targets disease for up to a year

The device is the result of a seven-year collaboration between various departments of the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. It is comprised of three elements - an organic solvent, a polymer and the drugs themselves. These three components form a liquid with the consistency of honey which solidifies once injected, as the solvent diffuses into the body leaving the polymer and the drugs behind. Adjusting the ratio of polymer to drugs determines the rate of release into the body. It’s believed the implant could enhance long term treatment and prevention of HIV with antiretrovirals where medication regimes often require patients to take multiple drugs at the same time each day.

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In the study, published in Nature Communications, six antiretroviral drugs were tested, with all keeping their physical and chemical properties within the formulation and upon release. All six were also released from the implant at effective levels for a sustained amount of time ranging from one month to a year. The researchers also claim the implant can be surgically removed within one week of implantation and for several months after. Such a situation might arise if a patient reacted badly to the implant, or if a woman became pregnant.