Four decades of medical progress
It has been more than forty years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS and since the first antiretroviral treatments were introduced. Today, advances in this field have completely transformed the outlook of the infection. Current treatments are highly effective, safe, and increasingly convenient for patients.
New long-lasting treatments — known as long-acting therapies — allow for weekly or monthly administration, either orally or via injection. Similar developments are also underway for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which in the future could be administered as a monthly or even biannual injection.
A global situation of progress and concern
Despite major therapeutic and preventive advances, recent years have seen a slowdown in the decline of new HIV infections. Universal treatment and prevention strategies had reduced global infections from 1.5 million annually to fewer than 700,000.
However, reduced funding for international prevention and treatment programmes — particularly in the United States — has caused this downward trend to stall and potentially reverse.
“As we mark World AIDS Day, we must remember that a world without HIV is only possible if we unite our efforts to stop, control, and eventually eradicate one of the great pandemics of the twentieth century,” says Dr. Josep Mallolas, Head of the HIV-AIDS Unit at Hospital Clínic and leader of the AIDS and HIV Infection research group at IDIBAPS.
The HIV/AIDS Unit at Clínic-IDIBAPS: a benchmark in care and research
Hospital Clínic Barcelona manages one of the largest HIV cohorts in Europe, with over 12,000 historical patients and an active cohort of 6,500, 6,350 of whom are on antiretroviral therapy. The HIV-AIDS Unit offers comprehensive care, including a day hospital — with more than 14,000 annual visits —, inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and a sexual health unit providing PrEP, PEP, sexually transmitted infection care, and anal health services.
Its multidisciplinary team includes medical specialists, nurses, laboratory staff, data managers, research coordinators, and biostatisticians.
Research conducted by IDIBAPS plays a fundamental role in moving towards a future without HIV. Its research groups focus on developing new antiretroviral drugs, exploring functional cure strategies, and studying immune responses and the long-term effects of HIV infection. This work ensures that therapeutic innovations reach patients safely and efficiently.
