HIV infection is still a major challenge, even in Italy. It is necessary to promote access to testing for the prevention of HIV infection and of other sexually transmitted diseases, ensure that all people living with HIV infection receive effective and well tolerated therapies over time, and explore innovative paths for definitive HIV treatment. For this reason, the Viral Evolution and Transmission team at the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, directed by Dr. Gabriella Scarlatti, has recently started a phase 1 clinical study to test the safety and immune efficacy of the new therapeutic vaccine HIVconsvX.

“It is crucial to guarantee a therapeutic path that favors adherence to therapy,  which not only improves the quality of life for people with HIV, but it is also an extremely efficient instrument, together with prevention, for containing HIV epidemy and reducing to zero the number of new infections”, says Professor Antonella Castagna, full professor of Infectious Diseases at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

On the occasion of World AIDS day, on December 1, the Operative Unit of Infectious Diseases at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, headed by Professor Castagna, announces the ALADDIN study, which addresses patients who could receive Long-acting therapy with Cabotegravir associated with Rilpivirina directly at home.

The ALADDIN study

The ALADDIN (Antiviral Long Acting Drugs Landing in People Living With HIV) study, coordinated by Dr. Silvia Nozza, infectious disease specialist at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, aims at comparing hospital administration versus home administration of the Cabotegravir Long Acting treatment associated with Rilpivirina Long Acting in HIV-positive patients. The study will be fostered by ViiV Healthcare as part of the support for independent research studies.

Two different treatment administration conditions will be tested: the standard treatment in hospital and the innovative treatment at home. "Starting from December 2, we will involve 100 people on stable and effective antiretroviral therapy to evaluate the feasibility, adequacy and acceptability of each of the two methods of administration of the Long Acting therapy”, explains Doctor Silvia Nozza, who adds: “our goal is to be able to provide concrete answers to the needs of people with HIV treated at San Raffaele in Milan to improve adherence to therapies".

Initiatives for December 2

On the occasion of World HIV Day, San Raffaele is also renewing its commitment to raising public awareness on a crucial issue: prevention. 40 million people around the world live with HIV infection and roughly a third still has no access to treatment. In 2023, over 1 million people were infected worldwide. These numbers show the urgency to remind the importance of adopting responsible behavior and effective preventive actions. Doing regular testing and implementing prevention strategies for both HIV as well as other sexually transmitted diseases is essential to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

For this reason, on Monday, December 2, 2024, the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele is promoting three important initiatives.

• From 9:00 to 16:00 an EASY-Test camper, kindly offered by Medici in Strada, will be present in the main square  at San Raffaele Hospital. A team of doctors from the Infectious Diseases Unit will perform the rapid, free and anonymous test for detecting HIV and syphilis antibodies and provide useful information about the pathology.
   
• From 10:30 to 11:00, at the Infectious Diseases department of the San Raffaele Hospital – Turro (Via Stamira d'Ancona, 20, Milan), HIV patients and staff from San Raffaele and San Luigi Center, who have joined the Yarn Therapy project, accompanied by Professor Antonella Castagna, nursing coordinator Dr. Katia Ruggieri, and Ivana Appolloni, Director of Gomitolorosa, , will distribute the hexagon blankets hand-made by patients hosted by the hospital.
   
• From 1:30 pm to 6:15 pm, researchers, doctors, nurses from the Infectious Diseases Unit, together with UniSR students and associations of people with HIV infection, will participate in the symposium "HIV: from prevention to treatment" (San Raffaele Hospital, via Olgettina 60 Milan, San Raffaele Hall, sector C). The symposium aims at deepening the development of scientific research, exploring the global panorama of the disease and discuss real needs of people living with HIV infection.

"The path leading to equal access to testing, prevention and optimal antiretroviral therapy is still long - highlights Professor Antonella Castagna - but I am confident that continued progress in prevention, research and treatment will lead us, in the future, to definitively defeat this disease".