Charlie Sheen has revealed his HIV has been fully suppressed by an experimental injection in a clinical trial.
The 51-year-old actor revealed his HIV diagnosis publicly last November and has been involved in a clinical trial for a drug called PRO-140 since early 2016. Here he is bravely telling the world he has the condition.
Sheen received the news from the head of his clinical trial on Tuesday that he has achieved complete suppression of the virus. This means that he still has the condition but it is control, and the chance of transmitting it is negligible.
He revealed his suppression of HIV ahead of World AIDS day, which has been held annually on December 1 since 1988.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sheen said he felt strong and confident about his condition, and hoped the research will both bolster approval for this treatment and de-stigmatise people living with HIV.
“It’s impossibly amazing,” he said. “Personally, I think about how I felt on the day and how I feel today. Wow. Talk about a transformation.
“One minute you’re on the road to perdition, the next you’re on the road to providence. It’s amazing. I thought for sure I’d be stuck on that cocktail forever, but look at me now.”
As opposed to traditional antiretroviral therapy (ART) used to combat HIV, which involves taking a daily cocktail of medicine, as part of the trial Sheen receives a weekly injection that has no side effects.
World AIDS Day has been held annually on 1 December since 1988 as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with the condition and to commemorate people who have died as a result of the illness.
Surveys have suggested many are still unaware that the virus can be suppressed to such a level that risk of transmission is negligible. There remains a stigma attached to the virus and a lack of public information about how it is spread and what having the disease means for those who are diagnosed.
