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Nearly 90 Medicines and Vaccines In Development for HIV/AIDS

Nearly 90 Medicines and Vaccines In Development for HIV/AIDS

Washington, D.C. (December 1, 2011) — America’s biopharmaceutical research companies are testing 88 medicines and vaccines to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions, according to a report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). 

While HIV/AIDS is one of the most devastating diseases affecting people around the world, overall global growth of the disease has stabilized, the number of new infections has been steadily declining, and there are fewer AIDS-related deaths due to the availability of different therapies, such as antiretrovirals, and an enhanced focus on prevention.
 
Over the past three decades, more than 30 medicines have been approved to treat HIV/AIDS. While these medicines have helped to prolong the lives of HIV-infected patients, it is not enough. America’s biopharmaceutical researchers are focusing on improved treatment regimens, more targeted therapies, and intensifying their efforts to develop preventative vaccines. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative estimates that a vaccine that is 50 percent effective and given to only 30 percent of the population could reduce new HIV infections by 24 percent over 15 years. Of the 88 medicines and vaccines in development, 49 are antivirals and 27 are vaccines. All of the medicines are either in clinical trials or awaiting review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They include:
 
  • An antisense gene therapy that uses genetic material derived from HIV-1 itself to remove disease-causing aspects of the virus. 
  • A transdermal vaccine comprised of DNA plasmids that helps suppress virus replication and destroys HIV-infected cells.
  • One treatment in a new class of medicines is intended to prevent the HIV virus from attaching to new cells and breaking through the cell membrane.
HIV/AIDS remains a formidable foe and worldwide epidemic. “The disease poses a complex problem, and we in the biopharmaceutical research industry know as well as anyone that it will require a complex solution, said PhRMA President and CEO, John J. Castellani.  “We will find a cure eventually, but in the meantime, we continue our efforts to develop new preventative approaches and treatments, so the millions of patients suffering today have a hope of a better tomorrow.”

Find PhRMA Online:

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org

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