5 ms·
Between this and Moderna's mRNA HIV vaccine, it's possible we'll see HIV eradicated in the coming years. Really amazing.
by hughes 5y ago
Between this and Moderna's mRNA HIV vaccine, it's possible we'll see HIV eradicated in the coming years. Really amazing.
- jimbob45 5y agoNo one’s pushing. If PrEP had come out in the 80s, you can be certain that HIV would have been eradicated by now by force of public will.
- geophile 5y agoHave you met COVID?
- jimbob45 5y agoPrEP prevents transmission 99% of the time. COVID has the same rate…but only for preventing serious infection.
- roflc0ptic 5y agoYea but like, is everyone going to take PrEP all of the time? It’s great I’m sure if you’re planning on doing otherwise risky behavior, but in my experience, risky sex is never especially premeditated. It’s just a “just this once”, and then suddenly you’re buying plan B.
- toomuchtodo 5y agoCompliance can definitely be a challenge with pharma in pill form, but even with a modest amount of effort, it would radically reduce transmission throughout a population as those who are able to adhere to the dosage schedule would act as a firebreak in the greater population. Like those who are vaccinated against high transmission communicable diseases. The UK is on track to eliminate HIV transmission within the decade [1] [2] assuming PrEP use within and near high risk populations. So, to answer your question ("is everyone going to take PrEP all of the time?"), that seems like a reasonable solution until a vaccine is approved for prevention and a CRISPR protocol is developed for therapy in the already infected. It may even take some time for HIV production to ramp, making prEP even more important so the at risk don't get complacent and an unnecessary bump in infections occurs. (it's important to note that kidney function should be monitored in those on PrEP) [1] https://www.aidsmap.com/news/nov-2017/uk-moving-towards-elimination-hiv-transmission https://www.aidsmap.com/news/nov-2017/uk-moving-towards-elim... [2] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-likely-is-england-to-achieve-zero-new-hiv-cases-by-2030 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-likely-is-engl...
- roflc0ptic 5y agoOh, cool. I think I hadn’t thought my comment through very well - don’t need to get transmission down to zero, just r below 1. Prep plausibly helps with that
- toomuchtodo 5y agoNo worries at all, I hope this information was helpful!
- jsperx 5y agoThere are long-acting (e.g. 8 weeks) injectable versions that are outperforming[1] the daily pill so that approach shows some promise. Not that anybody enjoys injections… [1] https://www.hiv.gov/blog/long-acting-injectable-form-hiv-prevention-outperforms-daily-pill-nih-study https://www.hiv.gov/blog/long-acting-injectable-form-hiv-pre...
- anakaine 5y agoOnce every 8 weeks is entirely more palatable and manageable than a daily pill in my mind. Daily pill forgetfulness leads to things like unplanned kids. Unplanned kids are life altering, but generally not deadly, unlike a communicable disease like HIV.
- vore 5y agoI don't want to downplay the severity of contracting a life-altering disease like HIV, but with modern antiretroviral therapy the life expectancy for HIV positive people is actually about 70-80 years, though not that ART is side effect free...
- wbl 5y agoIf you're the sort of person who does risky things you tend to know. Hooking up every night in the Castro isn't something that just happens, even if the acts aren't particularly premeditated.
- roflc0ptic 5y agoDunno, I think self deception is a powerful thing. I certainly have taken a number of sexual risks that, in retrospect, were really stupid, but I was able to rationalize at the time.
- refurb 5y agoMedication compliance is ~80% at the best of times. Even with an every 8 week injection the patient needs to show up.
- adrianN 5y agoPerhaps if PrEP were free so that it could be effectively used in developing countries, where, to my knowledge, at least some people still believe that having sex with a virgin cures HIV.
- rastafang 5y agohope they don't jack up the prices to some unreasonable levels like some companies like to do
- bpodgursky 5y agoI hope they jack up the vaccine prices really high and then use the money to cure every other disease.
- frashelaw 5y agoyou F R E E M A R K E T people really boggle my mind
- bpodgursky 5y agoUs free market people built the world's best vaccines. You're welcome.
- b0tzzzzzzman 5y agoThat so? Why was the definition changed after mRNA was being forced into people?
- bpodgursky 5y agoI oppose vaccine mandates yet believe, backed by good evidence, that the mRNA vaccines dominate any other COVID vaccine available. The two should not be related.
- b0tzzzzzzman 5y agoI can agree with you. I am not trying to press antivax or for vaccines. I am trying to highlight how terminology was changed to allow covid mRNA to qualify under the FDA. I also was taken aback by the full on defense of 'capitalism' as it relates to the covid shots. That was not a freemarket driven choice. It was paid for by the US government via tax payers. To conflate them because of social purpose, or whatever ideology people want is just wrong. They stand to make decades of profit and it wasn't some high moral road. It was only for money.