Professor Thumbi Ndung’u from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Africa Health Research Institute has revealed that the HIV cure trial conducted in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, demonstrated promising results in achieving antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free virus control.

Ndung’u led a study that explored an innovative HIV cure through an approach known as combination immunotherapy. The Africa Health Research Institute said the trial shows that 20% of participants remain off ART and are virally suppressed after one-and-a-half years.

The results of the study were presented recently at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in San Francisco in the US.

The institute indicated that the study tested a promising HIV treatment approach called combination immunotherapy. The goal of this approach is to either eliminate or reduce hidden traces of HIV in the body so the immune system can keep the virus in check without the need for lifelong medication.

The institute revealed that in the first HIV cure clinical trial in Africa, the researchers treated participants with antiretrovirals very soon after they acquired HIV, and once the virus was controlled by ART, they administered powerful immune boosters, which helped the immune system fight the virus more effectively.

Under close medical supervision, participants then stopped ART to see if their bodies could control the virus on their own.

Ndung’u said 20 women were enrolled in the trial and results showed that 30% of participants (six out of 20) were able to stay off HIV treatment for nearly a year, and 20% (four participants) remained off treatment until the trial ended at 55 weeks, and even after the trial, these four individuals, who are still being closely monitored, have continued without medication for an average of 1.5 years.

“While this treatment approach didn’t work for most participants, it is still a significant development in HIV cure research. Studying how the 20% managed to control the virus on their own will help scientists develop better HIV cure strategies, as well as work out ways to improve future treatments,” said Professor Ndung’u.

Ndung’u emphasised that this trial is significant as it proves that complex HIV cure research can be successfully conducted in resource-limited settings where the need is greatest, and this highlights the importance of including African populations in global scientific advancements.

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