Metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, could help deplete the viral reservoir and eliminate it entirely in people living with HIV who receive antiretroviral therapy, Canadian researchers say in a new study.
In 2021, a team led by immunologist Petronela Ancuta of Université de Montréal's affiliated hospital research centre, the CRCHUM, showed that metformin, when taken for three months, improved patients' immunity and reduced the chronic inflammation usually associated with complications such as cardiovascular disease.
One reason these benefits are so effective is that metformin inhibits the activity of the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) molecule, which in turn slows down HIV replication in the cells of patients infected with the virus.
