Type 2 diabetes drug metformin could help reduce the viral reservoir — or clear it completely — in people living with HIV who are using antiretrovirals, according to a study published in September in the journal iScience.
For the study, researchers conducted a 12-week pilot clinical trial on 13 non-diabetic antiretroviral therapy treated people with HIV. The participants received metformin supplementation in addition to their antiretroviral therapy.
Researchers found that metformin increased the frequency of productively infected T cells expressing HIV proteins while preventing the virus from leaving the cells, noting this can help boost antiretrovirals.
As a result, metformin was shown to help reduce inflammation and improve immune system targeting of infected cells, according to the study.