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FDA approves first pill to help prevent HIV
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first drug shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection, the latest milestone in the 30-year battle against the virus that causes AIDS.
The agency approved Gilead Sciences’ pill Truvada as a preventive measure for healthy people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV through sexual activity, such as those who have HIV-infected partners. The decision comes less than two weeks after the agency approved another landmark product: the first over-the-counter HIV test that Americans can use in the privacy of their homes.
The two developments are seen as the biggest steps in years toward curbing the spread of HIV in the U.S., which has held steady at about 50,000 new infections per year for the last 15 years. An estimated 1.2 million Americans have HIV, which develops into AIDS unless treated with antiviral drugs. And it’s estimated that one-fifth, or about 240,000 people, are unaware that they are infected.
“I think the combination of self-testing and a medicine that you can take at home to prevent infection could mean a whole new approach to HIV prevention that is a bit more realistic,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of New York University’s Langone Medical Center, who served on the FDA panel that recommended approving Truvada. While a positive step forward, Daskalakis added that Truvada would likely be unavailable for many people without health insurance, who often face the greatest risk of acquiring HIV.
Researchers had long sought to create a pill that could help stem the epidemic. Public health advocates said Monday that Truvada represents a major breakthrough, both as a medical therapy and as a means of expanding other preventive measures. Patients who get a prescription for Truvada will be expected to take part in a comprehensive HIV prevention plan, which experts say will enhance the drug’s impact.
“It really marks a new era in HIV prevention because in adding Truvada as a prevention strategy, what comes with it is expanded access to HIV testing, condoms and preventive counseling and support,” said James Loduca, vice president of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
But HIV experts have raised concerns that patients might not use the drug correctly. Dr. Tom Giordano of Baylor College of Medicine said Monday the drug must be taken every day to be effective, and would be most effective for a relatively small group of people.
Milwaukee Mike
July 17th, 2012
My cynical side says we will pay for this when they give out doses with the free clean needles for IV drug users.
CrustyB
July 17th, 2012
What does the pill do, make you straight?
Moe Tom
July 17th, 2012
Se what the gobernment can do when it puts its mind to it? Amazing.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
July 17th, 2012
Mike is right. And WE will pay the exclusive price the company can charge for the first seven years, to get these for MEDICAID people. So that’s what, 15% of 300 million times $45 per pill.
I say no. The best AIDS preventive is a stuck zipper.
cfm990
July 17th, 2012
What I want to know is. Who volunteered to butt phuck the rats for testing?
Weldor
July 17th, 2012
How about just keeping your “pill” out of another guy’s arse.
Racist
July 17th, 2012
Fair Warning: This post may develop into an incoherent string of vulgarities and screams, because this article touches on multiple areas of govt dumbfuchery!
Where to begin? With the obvious, that this is setting up a premise promote/justify MORE govt control of “healthcare”? Because people are stupid, and they might not be able to properly take a pill everyday. Not even when that pill is the very thing that will keep them from dying a painful and humiliating death!!! So they’re requiring people to enroll in their program in order to get the pill. WTF? So is the pharma company going to say to a potential customer, “I have this pill that will save your life. But you can’t buy it from us unless you agree to our comprhensive lifestyle program”? Or is a Dr going to give that ultimatum? No I think this sounds like it’s going to have to be a govt mandate to be implemented!
OK slow down. Let the blood pressure go back down…
The drug is going to be unavailable to most people without insurance. More govt needed there, because well, Obamacare…
OK here’s the thing. The thing that makes me want to choke people! I understand that it costs fortunes to research and test and develope new medicines. And I absolutely think that the developer should be able to see a return on their investment, and make a healthy profit for their hard work. But a large factor to the cost of bringing meds to market, is the GDFDA! Companies have to jump through so many hurdles, and navigate regulatory mazes to ensure not a single death results from rushed development. In the govt’s quest to prevent potentially a couple, or even dozens, of deaths or other complications, they delay the life-saving medicines from getting to hundreds or even thousands of people who are going to die without it anyway!!!! It’s freakin Stupid. And what’s infuriating is, What GD business is it of govt’s what options a Dr and patient explore trying to save his life? NONE!
told ya…
Racist
July 17th, 2012
wait, I got sidetracked from the most pressing aspect of this. I’d say the timing seems to suggest to me that if they can get some campaign props, I mean, people taking the pill and enrolled in their “How to get shot(off in) and not die” program over the next couple of months, they got themselves a another group of potential victims of that mean ol’ Mitt Romney and the Republicants who want to take away those people’s healthcare and just let them die!
There, that was a little less manic…
cfm990
July 17th, 2012
This has the potential to be an even greater cost to the country than aids. No condom, no problem, I’m on the new pill. Gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis etc, will be on the increase. State health departments and clinics will be stretched to their limits. The Federal Government will be forced to spend billions more. States may have no choice but to accept the money, and the mandates that are attached.
Ricky
July 17th, 2012
next week – the cure for sickle cell.
unlike the aids pill, sickle cell pill will be free. that way Barry can sway the vote.
Bob M.
July 17th, 2012
I understand chastity works wonder in preventing HIV too! Not terribly expensive last time I checked, either!
Maudie N Mandeville
July 17th, 2012
Obama was first in line for the vaccine.
Toaster
July 17th, 2012
mark Levin talked about Gilead last night with one important additional fact. From 1997-2001 the Chairman of Gilead Sciences was Donald Rumsfeld our former SECDEF (I’m sure our media will be all over this fact the same way they were all over yellow cake Uranium being found in Iraq after the “Bush lied” meme was under way). For all of those asshats on the left ho accuse conservatives like Reagan and Rumsfeld of not liking homosexuals or “homophobia”, please go F*ck yourselves. Gilead Sciences and this drug exist largely because of the efforts of the of people regularly vilified by the know-nothing reactionaries on the left.
The Wikipeada entry for Gilead Sciences</b acknowledges Rumsfelds tenure as Chairman and lists the other drugs they developed too.
Billy Fuster
July 17th, 2012
Instead of swallowing it the pill is inserted into the rectum to plug it up.
Jerry The Great
July 17th, 2012
“Woo! No consequences!We can do anything we want!”
That’s just what we needed.
muddjuice
July 17th, 2012
Okay, so we did all this scientific study on how to deal with and possibly “cure” a disease that, while it is terrible, is self-inflicted.
Where’s the cure for cancer? Where’s the cure for liberalingitis?