The University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), a ‘joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada’, have joined forces to start a new trial that will test a low-cost antibiotic, that aims to reduce deaths among 8 000 patients with Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV). These patients either have ‘advanced HIV’ that are starting or restarting anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Also read: HALO Nightclub transformed into a technological haven As reported by the University of Cape Town on Wednesday, 6 March 2024, the study, called REVIVE, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ‘involves a pan-African network of investigators’ that are co-lead by researchers from UCT and the PHRI. The trial will determine if the antibiotic azithromycin, can reduce death rates in adults with advanced HIV, when the medication is taken daily over the course of four weeks. ‘If azithromycin is shown to be effective, it will modify the standard of care for patients with advanced HIV in Africa,’ said Sean Wasserman, co-principal investigator (PI) of the study based at St. George’s, University of London, and adjunct associate professor at UCT. ‘This large clinical trial will contribute important knowledge that we hope will translate into improved care for people with advanced HIV disease,’ Wasserman added. As HIV-related illnesses causes ‘an estimated 630 000 deaths each year’, the majority of deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. It is for this reason that the study will span ‘over 100 sites’ on the African continent, in countries such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, to name a few. At six sites across three countries, 330 patients have already enrolled for the study. According to the United Nations (UN) HIV Country Intelligence’s Epidemiological HIV data of South Africa from 2023, it was estimated that 7 600 000 people in South Africa were living with HIV, with 5 698 272 people being reported to have received ART in 2023. In addition, it was estimated that the ART coverage of all ages of people was 75%. Also read:  City welcomes latest international support for energy plan Picture: Pexels / Towfiqu barbhuiya