AIDS, HIV, and everything in between
The history of AIDS is a short one. As recently as the 1970s, no one was aware of this deadly illness. Since then, the global AIDS epidemic has become one of the greatest threats to human health and development. At the same time, much has been learnt about the science of AIDS, as well as how to prevent and treat the disease.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a condition caused by a virus called HIV. This virus attacks the immune system, the body's "security force" that fights off infections. When the immune system breaks down, an individual loses his resistance to disease and can develop many serious, often deadly infections and cancers. These are called "opportunistic infections (OIs)" because they take advantage of the body's weakened defenses. We often hear people saying that a victim of HIV/AIDS “died because of AIDS”. This is not entirely accurate, since it is the opportunistic infections that cause death. AIDS is the condition that lets the OIs take hold. The number of deaths due to AIDS has been increasing each year.
Heterosexual transmission of HIV has reached 85% globally. In the US, male-to-male sexual contacts account for new diagnoses, along with intravenous drug abuse. Many infected individuals are not aware that they already have HIV and so are not diagnosed immediately. The proportion of infected victims has continued to rise in the recent years.
According to UNAIDS report of 2008, The United States of America accounted for an estimated 1.2 million of the 2.0 million people living with HIV in North America, and in Western and Central Europe in 2007. Overall in those regions, 81 000 people were newly infected with HIV in 2007. Comparatively few people—31 000 in a range of 16 000–67 000—died of AIDS last year. This number includes all people who have ever been diagnosed with an AIDS-defining condition and are believed to be alive, including many people who have recovered their health by taking antiretroviral therapy.
Antiretroviral therapy is a medication for the treatment of infections by retroviruses, primarily HIV/AIDS. When several such drugs, typically three or four, are taken in combination, the approach is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. However, people are aware that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Most of the drugs are expensive and the patient can suffer from severe side effects. There have also been cases of drug resistance especially among patients who have used the drugs for about twenty years. With the number of infected patients increasing every year, researchers are still trying to develop new and improved drugs to help infected patients live quality lives despite their condition.
Cytolin® is a new drug for treating HIV/AIDS but it is not aimed at killing the virus directly. Instead, the drug is aimed at preventing the human immune system from self destructing in response to HIV infection. It can’t be considered as one of the antiviral drugs known today and it should be used together with existing antiviral.
CytoDyn, Inc. is determined to get FDA approval of their new drug Cytolin® despite the lengthy and expensive process. CytoDyn, Inc. is a Colorado corporation with its home office in Santa Fe, NM. The Company's shares are quoted on the Pink Sheets under the symbol CYDY. CytoDyn periodically reports the financial condition and results of operations in the SEC Filings. "Cytolin®" and "CytoDyn" (as used to identify a particular class of products) are the registered trademarks of CytoDyn, Inc. The graphic logo is the registered mark of CytoDyn, Inc. Member New Mexico Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. Cytolin® is a very promising new treatment for early HIV infection before the antiviral drugs are used.