Antifungal Foot Cream May Help Eradicate HIV

In a breakthrough, scientists have discovered that a common drug used to treat nail fungus in feet may permanently eradicate the deadly HIV from the body. The topical anti-fungal drug Ciclopirox causes HIV infected cells to commit suicide by jamming up the cells' powerhouse — the mitochondria, researchers said.

Unlike current anti-HIV drugs, Ciclopirox completely eradicates infectious HIV from cell cultures, with no rebound of virus when the drug is stopped, according to researchers at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. The treatment of patients with HIV has been revolutionized by the advent of combination anti-retroviral drugs.