44 Ways Pharma Companies are Fighting to #EndAIDS
In the United States alone there are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 15.8 percent of those are unaware of their infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC identified the first five cases of HIV/AIDS in 1981 and since then multiple advancements have taken place.
Since antiretroviral treatments were approved in 1995, HIV/AIDS related deaths in the United States have dropped by 83 percent. This has resulted in a 32 percent decline in HIV/AIDS-related hospitalizations, improving overall care and reducing the cost burden.
Antiretroviral treatments have also extended the lives of HIV/AIDS patients by 15 years, according to a University of Chicago study.
“Over the past 35 years, HIV/AIDS has gone from a death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease thanks in large part to advances in biopharmaceutical research,” said PhRMA President and CEO John J. Castellani. “Despite the progress that has been made, researchers are continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS and, with more than 40 medicines in the pipeline, there is more hope than ever that a cure can be achieved.”
Biopharmaceutical companies are currently focused on improved treatment regimens, more effective therapies and preventive vaccines that are either clinical trials or awaiting review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 44 vaccines and medicines in the development pipeline include 25 antivirals, 16 vaccines and three cell/gene therapies, according to PhRMA.
According to the group, examples of the 44 medicines and vaccines include:
- A first-in-class medicine intended to prevent HIV from breaking through cell membrane;
- A cell therapy that modifies a patient’s own cells in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV;
- And a therapeutic vaccine designed to induce responses from T cells that play a role in immune protection against viral infections.
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