The U.S. has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, maker Gilead Sciences announced Wednesday. It’s the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it’s unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option.
While a vaccine to prevent HIV still is needed, some experts say the shot — a drug called lenacapvir — could be the next best thing. It nearly eliminated new infections in two groundbreaking studies of people at high risk, better than daily preventive pills they can forget to take.
“This really has the possibility of ending HIV transmission,” said Greg Millett, public policy director at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
Imagine the business unit telling the scientists “sorry, we can’t put out your vaccine, please alter it” and the scientists replying with anything other than “go fuck yourself, I’m selling this for millions to someone else” lol
There’s no conspiracy to prevent an HIV vaccine
I mean, the scientists could not legally sell it to someone else. They’re employed by the pharmaceutical company who owns their research.
But you’re right, being the first company to beat HIV would be worth way more than whatever profits you’re making off the drug. Same with cancer.
You overestimate wildly how much pharmaceutical companies Vs Universities contribute to the R&D to a new drug
lol who downvoted this. I work in healthcare and a bunch of our research if funded by pharmaceutical companies. It’s not like they do it all in house
If they say “we won’t pursue your drug you discovered” then you 100% can pursue it elsewhere
That’s not how pharmaceutical research works.
You’re right, it is more complicated because there is usually more than one party involved. Regardless, if anything were available like a true vaccine, someone would piggyback on that research and make bank
My Nurse Practitioner was telling me yesterday they are studying the right dosage to make it just 1 shot a year. So hopefully on the way when they figure that out
Yeah, this stuff takes time to work out. As long as the side effects aren’t a big deal, they might err on the side of too much.
Covid vaccines were something of an exception because they were motivated and infections were widespread. Lots of chances to get good data. Treatments for other diseases don’t have those advantages.
The HPV vax, for example, was released in 2016 on a three dose schedule. There’s some studies out there that argue two doses would be plenty, but it’s not a consensus, either. That’s after almost a decade.
PrEP is already keeping HIV infection rates pretty low, at least in rich countries where there’s money to do these studies. Not going to be good data on dose schedules for many, many years. Maybe even decades.