Stability of the latent reservoir for HIV-1 in patients receiving valproic acid

In light of a recent report that short-term treatment with valproic acid (VA) might accelerate the decay of the latent reservoir for HIV-1 in patients receiving combination therapy and allow eventual eradication of the infection, we studied patients with prolonged suppression of viremia who were receiving combination therapy and who had also been receiving chronic VA therapy for neurological or psychiatric conditions. Latently infected cells were readily detected in all patients at levels comparable to those seen in patients receiving combination therapy alone. We conclude that the clinical use of VA has no ancillary effect on the decay of the latent reservoir.