Cape Town — A new trial named REVIVE is set to test the efficacy of a low-cost HIV antibiotic that can reduce the deaths among 8 000 patients with dvanced HIV and who have undergone Anti-Retroviral (ARV) therapy. The study is co-led by the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) in Canada, and his funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The aim of the trial is to test whether the antibiotic azithromycin, taken every day over four week, can effectively reduce HIV mortaliyty rates among adults with advanced HIV, a UCT statement said. According to Sean Wasserman, co-principal investigator of the study, if the drug is shown to be effective, ti will change the way HIV patients are cared for in Africa. “The REVIVE trial aims to identify an effective and implementable public health strategy to reduce the unacceptably high early mortality experienced by people with advanced HIV and will establish a pan-African network for future research to improve care for this population.” Sean Wasserman, co-principal investigator of the study, said. John Eikelboom, co-PI of the study and a senior scientist at PHRI, said HIV remains one of the top five causes of mortality in Africa and should be treated as a matter of urgent international priority, with over 63 000 deaths per year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The REVIVE trial will be conducted across more than 100 sites in various African countries, including Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, with additional countries expected to join. Already, over 330 patients have been enrolled at six sites spanning three countries. Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Picture: Pexels For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com Compiled by Matthew Petersen