02.22.13 | By Kaelan Hollon

What would you do with an extra decade? Ten whole years of life handed to you, thanks to breakthroughs in medicine –  it’s a breathtaking thought.  Giving patients an extra decade is what a new study found to be the result of antiretroviral drugs used in a research project in Africa. The LA Times reported today that according to research, therapeutic intervention in HIV/AIDS “increased life expectancy by more than 11 years and significantly reduced the risk of infection for healthy individuals.”

New innovations and technologies have turned HIV/AIDS from a life-threatening epidemic into a chronic disease for many patients, in just under three decades.  Since the introduction of HAART combinations in the mid-1990s, AIDS-related death rates in the United States have dropped 79 percent. With nearly 90 new medicines in development for HIV/AIDS, and research results like those reported by LA Times, the future looks very, very bright. 

Check out our website on advances made in HIV/AIDS medication – we’ve got a couple great reports highlighted that explain how and why these advances are so important.