Scientists have just announced the results from the first clinical trial in people with HIV-1 of a new antiretroviral drug, which suggests it could be a very useful new tool in treating the virus.The drug is currently known as 'VH-499' (that's short for VH4011499), and it works by inhibiting the virus's capsid protein, without which HIV cannot proliferate to harmful or transmissible levels."Advancements in care and prevention have transformed HIV-1 into a manageable chronic condition and reduced transmission rates," write clinical pharmacologist Rulan Griesel and team in a paper announcing the clinical trial results."While many individuals achieve durable suppression with current [antiretroviral] regimens, some continue to face challenges related to drug-drug interactions, adherence, tolerability, stigma, and access."A transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus capsids (purple). (Callista Images/Connect Images/Getty Images)VH-499, a drug that passed its lab-based preclinical trials with flying colors, works by interfering with the virus's ability to produce its proteinaceous shell, known as a capsid.Those preclinical trials described its ability to stop HIV-1 from replicating as 'potent'.Now, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2a trial has suggested this is a drug worth seeing through.It's important to note this research was funded by ViiV Healthcare, a British pharmaceutical company and a joint venture of Pfizer and GSK, so there is some vested interest in profiting from the development of this drug.Some members of the research team are employees of ViiV Healthcare and GSK.However, the clinical trial findings have been independently verified as part of the scientific peer-review process, before being published in the Infectious Diseases Society of America's journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.VH-499 was first tested in adults without HIV-1 in results presented in 2024 by a team led by GSK.