Long-term Undetectable (LU)

There is no cure for HIV, so the best defense is to keep your HIV viral load undetectable (HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL) for the long-term—to stay Long-term Undetectable (LU).

A low viral load means HIV is not actively reproducing, which makes the progression of HIV disease less likely. An undetectable viral load means that the amount of virus particles in the blood is so low, the viral load test cannot detect it.

A study of KALETRA in combination therapy suggests that it can keep viral loads low over the long term in patients new to HIV therapy. In a clinical study, 100 patients who were new to HIV therapy were treated with a KALETRA regimen. After 4 years, 70 of the patients who started taking KALETRA still had undetectable viral loads (HIV RNA under 50 copies/mL). That means that 70% of patients who started on KALETRA reached a very important goal – they kept the amount of HIV in their blood low.

In one clinical trial, 70% of patients new to therapy who started combination therapy with KALETRA had undetectable viral loads after 4 years.

Of the other 30 patients, 2 continued on the study with viral loads greater than 50 copies/mL at year 4. The remaining dropped out of the study for various reasons – some dropped out because of side effects, some moved away and could not continue with the study, while others were excluded because they did not take their medicines correctly. Nine out of 100 dropped out of the study before year 4 because of side effects.

KALETRA has been shown to increase the number of patients' CD4 T-cells. In a clinical study, 100 patients new to HIV therapy were treated with a KALETRA regimen. The study showed that KALETRA helped raise patients' CD4 T-cells through 4 years (204 weeks). On the average, patients in the KALETRA study had CD4 T-cell counts of 721 cells per cubic millimeter of blood after 4 years – an average increase of 440 cells per cubic millimeter. The longer patients took KALETRA, the more CD4 T-cells they had in their blood.

In the same study KALETRA was shown to increase the amount of CD4 T-cells in patients no matter how many cells they had in their blood when they started their therapy. This is one of the ways that a KALETRA based regimen can address the variety of needs among patients with differing CD4 cell counts.

A KALETRA regimen help increase CD4 T-cell counts in a variety of different patients. On the average, CD4 T-cell counts increased 440 cells for cubic millimeter of blood.

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