An expert panel of French doctors has recommended that interleukin-2 (IL-2) should be made available as quickly as possible as an immune booosting treatment for people with undetectable viral load who have failed to enjoy substantial T-cell increases on HAART (people with CD4 counts below 200 despite viral control).
The panel, chaired by Dr Jean-Paul Delfraissy, has recommended that IL-2 should be licensed by the French Health Ministry under a special scheme called temporary use authorisation (autorisation temporaire d'utilisation, or `ATU'). This scheme allows the French government to require early release of drugs before they are licensed throughout Europe, and has been used to provide much wider and swifter access to new drugs than in other European countries.
IL-2 has not yet been licensed anywhere in the world, and studies of how best to use the drug are still underway, including two studies in the UK. IL-2 may be obtained on a named patient basis in the UK for use in HIV infection, but so far, manufacturer Chiron reports that very few individuals have taken advantage of this option.