An HIV-Positive man in Ottawa celebrated his 70th birthday and endurance in the fight against the deadly virus with courage and hopes to tell new generation of HIV victims the benefits of latest drugs versus global epidemic.

After Seventeen Years in the Edge of Death

David Hoe was diagnosed with HIV in 1988 and was within days from death in 1996 managed to remain alive for his 70th birthday celebration, reminding him the breakthrough of HIV drugs. The newly-introduced protease inhibitors worked wonder to David Hoe which made him walk again after taking them.

"They worked within seconds," David Hoe said, quoted by OttawaCitizen.

"The virus that used to kill people is now managed," Dr. Mark Wainberg, director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital said.

HIV drugs can be very effective in the managing of the deadly virus and extends life expectancy than those who do not take has been proven. However, these drugs also impose danger to patients such as increased risk to heart attack and some cancers.

According to Dr. Wainberg, some people with HIV continue to live up to their 80s using new drugs against the virus. But the main issue remains with the prevention of HIV infection and transmission to the new generation as sexual encounters are very common nowadays without any knowledge that HIV is still incurable.

"A lot of people think it has been cured. But the infection rate keeps going up. We have a generation that thinks there is no need to worry," Dr. Wainberg explained.

David Hoe is very thankful with the advancement of medical drugs to manage HIV.

"There are bunch of use now in our golden years. We were brought back from the brink. Because HIV was such a killer, only those who made it to 1996 were ones who made it through," David Hoe testimonial.

Protease Inhibitors

Protease Inhibitors or PIs are a class of antiviral drugs that are widely used to treat HIV/AIDS and hepatitis infection caused by hepatitis C virus. PIs have been developed or are presently undergoing testing for treating various viruses. Here is what it does:

1. It inhibits viral replication by selectively binding to viral proteases such as HIV-1 protease.

2. Blocking necessary components used by viruses to produce infectious viral particles.

3. Similar to antibiotics, antiviral drugs can cause development drug-resistant mutated viruses.

4. Works in combination to prevent drug-resistance mutation.

5. Currently being investigated to be used as anti-protozoals for use against malaria and gastrointestinal protozoal infections.

6. One kind known as protease inhibitor drug was found to cure Chagas Disease in mice.

7. Set of antiviral drugs have been found with anti-malarial properties.

8. Researchers are dealing with the possibility to PIs as anti-cancers such as tumour suppression and multiple myeloma.

9. Side effects of PIs include increased risk of heart attack, kidney stones and diabetes mellitus type 2.

10. Available in many forms and produced by several manufacturers such as Abbot, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Boehringer-Ingelheim.