Promising new breakthrough treatments and potential cures for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including non-pill antiretroviral therapy (ART), broadly neutralising antibodies, immunotherapy and gene therapy, were discussed at the Healthcare Transformation Talks at Arab Health 2023, the Middle East’s largest healthcare exhibition and congress.

Visitors at Arab Health, which runs until 2 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre, had the opportunity to discover exciting new updates in moving closer to understanding how to treat HIV in the long term, with the hopes of eventually finding a cure.

With 38.4 million people living with HIV and 1.5 million new infections in 2021, the HIV pandemic remains a major global problem. Although a 2022 UNAIDS report shows a 30% decline in infections in the decade since 2010, regions including the Middle East & North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia have seen infection rates are increasing due to limited access to prevention services and limited access to ART.