Definitive Results: IL-2 Does Not Benefit HIV-Infected Patients

For years, researchers have tried to find ways to incorporate interleukin (IL)-2 into HIV management, given its positive effects on CD4-cell counts. However, two large trials this year — SILCAAT and ESPRIT — demonstrated that those positive effects do not translate into better clinical outcomes for patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART; JW AIDS Clin Care Oct 14 2009).

In both trials, HIV-infected patients were randomized to receive ART with or without IL-2 and were followed for a median of 7 to 8 years. Patients in the SILCAAT trial had baseline CD4 counts <300 cells/mm³, whereas patients in the ESPRIT trial had CD4 counts ≥300 cells/mm³. In both studies, CD4-count increases were greater in the IL-2 group than in the ART-alone group (by 53…