Vaccine for HIV?

[Songbird]

I've heard people talk about how there may never be a true cure for HIV/AIDS because people would have no fear and start having copious, unprotected sex. Not sure I believe that. But this seems like encouraging news at face value.

A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection
MARILYNN MARCHIONE,Associated Press Writers
MICHAEL CASEY,Associated Press Writers


BANGKOK (AP) — For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result. Recent failures led many scientists to think such a vaccine might never be possible.

The World Health Organization and the U.N. agency UNAIDS said the results "instilled new hope" in the field of HIV vaccine research, although researchers say it likely is many years before a vaccine might be available.

The vaccine — a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines — cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok.

Even though the benefit is modest, "it's the first evidence that we could have a safe and effective preventive vaccine," Col. Jerome Kim told The Associated Press. He helped lead the study for the U.S. Army, which sponsored it with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The institute's director, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned that this is "not the end of the road," but he said he was surprised and very pleased by the outcome.

"It gives me cautious optimism about the possibility of improving this result" and developing a more effective AIDS vaccine, Fauci said. "This is something that we can do."

 

[OnTheRiver]

Unless they can get it safely into sub-Saharan Africa, it won't make a ****'s bit of difference.

 

[Deeper_Background]

HIV Vaccine Approved for Human Studies
After two decades of research, a group of Canadian scientists has won approval to start testing an experimental HIV vaccine on humans.

The vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, has received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical human trials.

Beginning in January, the vaccine will be given to 40 healthy people with HIV to test its safety.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1104653--hiv-vaccine-developed-in-canada-approved-for-human-studies?bn=1

 

[McNuggetsMan]

HIV Vaccine Approved for Human Studies
After two decades of research, a group of Canadian scientists has won approval to start testing an experimental HIV vaccine on humans.

The vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, has received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical human trials.

Beginning in January, the vaccine will be given to 40 healthy people with HIV to test its safety.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1104653--hiv-vaccine-developed-in-canada-approved-for-human-studies?bn=1

Maybe I don't properly understand how vaccines work, but I thought you had to get a vaccine BEFORE you get infected, not after. If they are giving it to 40 people who already have HIV, how is this a vaccine?

 

[bigpern23]

HIV Vaccine Approved for Human Studies
After two decades of research, a group of Canadian scientists has won approval to start testing an experimental HIV vaccine on humans.

The vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, has received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical human trials.

Beginning in January, the vaccine will be given to 40 healthy people with HIV to test its safety.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1104653--hiv-vaccine-developed-in-canada-approved-for-human-studies?bn=1

Maybe I don't properly understand how vaccines work, but I thought you had to get a vaccine BEFORE you get infected, not after. If they are giving it to 40 people who already have HIV, how is this a vaccine?

HIV Vaccine Approved for Human Studies
After two decades of research, a group of Canadian scientists has won approval to start testing an experimental HIV vaccine on humans.

The vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Western Ontario, has received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical human trials.

Beginning in January, the vaccine will be given to 40 healthy people with HIV to test its safety.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1104653--hiv-vaccine-developed-in-canada-approved-for-human-studies?bn=1

Maybe I don't properly understand how vaccines work, but I thought you had to get a vaccine BEFORE you get infected, not after. If they are giving it to 40 people who already have HIV, how is this a vaccine?

They're testing its safety to make sure it doesn't kill them. The second phase will involve testing it on 600 HIV-negative subjects and the third phase would ramp that number up 6,000.

Reading. It's FUNdamental. :P ;)

 

[Beef03]

I found this sentence to be a little strange, maybe worded improperly, although maybe answered by the second story:

The vaccine — a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines — cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok.

The way this is written, with no other explanation given makes it sound like they gave 16,000 volunteers the vaccine, then tried to infect them with the HIV virus. I can only assume that they took 16,000 AIDS or HIV patients the vaccine. But damn, some clarity would be nice.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

You can get the vaccine for $180,000.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I found this sentence to be a little strange, maybe worded improperly, although maybe answered by the second story:

The vaccine — a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines — cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok.

The way this is written, with no other explanation given makes it sound like they gave 16,000 volunteers the vaccine, then tried to infect them with the HIV virus. I can only assume that they took 16,000 AIDS or HIV patients the vaccine. But damn, some clarity would be nice.

No. What they did is give the vaccine to 16,000 volunteers from at-risk groups, then compared the rate of infection from that group within a certain window of time to the expected rate of infection from that group within that same window of time.

 

[93Devil]

You can get the vaccine for $180,000.

It's like Magic.

 

[Dick Whitman]

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" sounds like such bunk to me, and always has.

There are too many smart scientists working on this problem to sneak an off-speed pitch by them for twenty years like that. And if Magic gets the red carpet treatment, wouldn't someone else with money get it, too? And wouldn't someone talk eventually?

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" is on par with the faked Moon landing to me.

One thing I thought was cool in recent months was the story about how video gamers solved some kind of structural puzzle regarding the virus. Wisdom of the crowd.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" sounds like such bunk to me, and always has.

There are too many smart scientists working on this problem to sneak an off-speed pitch by them for twenty years like that. And if Magic gets the red carpet treatment, wouldn't someone else with money get it, too? And wouldn't someone talk eventually?

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" is on par with the faked Moon landing to me.

One thing I thought was cool in recent months was the story about how video gamers solved some kind of structural puzzle regarding the virus. Wisdom of the crowd.

I believe in the moon landing. I also believe that Magic Johnson has access to some drug that the rest of the public does not. Secret cure? Not necessarily... A drug that might be in the works in another country that is not FDA approved? That seems the more likely scenario.

 

[Dick Whitman]

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" sounds like such bunk to me, and always has.

There are too many smart scientists working on this problem to sneak an off-speed pitch by them for twenty years like that. And if Magic gets the red carpet treatment, wouldn't someone else with money get it, too? And wouldn't someone talk eventually?

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" is on par with the faked Moon landing to me.

One thing I thought was cool in recent months was the story about how video gamers solved some kind of structural puzzle regarding the virus. Wisdom of the crowd.

I believe in the moon landing. I also believe that Magic Johnson has access to some drug that the rest of the public does not. Secret cure? Not necessarily... A drug that might be in the works in another country that is not FDA approved? That seems the more likely scenario.

Yeah, there are certainly different levels of such a so-called conspiracy where believability and plausibility begins to fade proportionally.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't think it's a "conspiracy"

I just think he has access to something that regular people do not. That's the case with a lot of sick people who happen to be rich/famous.

 

[Dick Whitman]

It is implausible to me that he has access to anything we aren't aware of. There is too much attention on AIDS research and too many journals covering it and too many scientists hoping to make a name for themselves through it. Why would they stay silent? The incentives just don't line up.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

It is implausible to me that he has access to anything we aren't aware of. There is too much attention on AIDS research and too many journals covering it and too many scientists hoping to make a name for themselves through it. Why would they stay silent? The incentives just don't line up.

Do you have any idea how many people who are dying of cancer or have alzheimers or some other disease travel to Europe or Mexico or Russia to get treatments that aren't approved here?

It's not uncommon at all. People figure they have nothing to lose and if they have the resources, they use them.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If there is some kind of mysterious drug keeping Magic alive, I would've guessed Freddy Mercury would have had access to it as well.

Mercury had full blown AIDS. It was discovered late. That was also 20 years ago.

 

[Dick Whitman]

It is implausible to me that he has access to anything we aren't aware of. There is too much attention on AIDS research and too many journals covering it and too many scientists hoping to make a name for themselves through it. Why would they stay silent? The incentives just don't line up.

Do you have any idea how many people who are dying of cancer or have alzheimers or some other disease travel to Europe or Mexico or Russia to get treatments that aren't approved here?

It's not uncommon at all. People figure they have nothing to lose and if they have the resources, they use them.

But we know about those treatments. They have been written about in journals. They have been peer-reviewed, some of them. But we know about them. I grant you that other countries have a less strenuous approval process than we do for new drugs. The Magic Johnson theory to me seems to be that he has been receiving some clandestine, under-the-radar miracle HIV treatment. And I don't buy it.

 

[zagoshe]

It would never get passed for use here -as much as the closeted gay family values Republicans wouild want it for their own kids and other gay youngsters in this world, they wouldn't be able to vote for it because they'd lose votes from their constituents, all of whom believe they are truly "family values" politicians.

 

[93Devil]

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" sounds like such bunk to me, and always has.

There are too many smart scientists working on this problem to sneak an off-speed pitch by them for twenty years like that. And if Magic gets the red carpet treatment, wouldn't someone else with money get it, too? And wouldn't someone talk eventually?

"Magic has a secret AIDS cure" is on par with the faked Moon landing to me.

One thing I thought was cool in recent months was the story about how video gamers solved some kind of structural puzzle regarding the virus. Wisdom of the crowd.

I believe in the moon landing. I also believe that Magic Johnson has access to some drug that the rest of the public does not. Secret cure? Not necessarily... A drug that might be in the works in another country that is not FDA approved? That seems the more likely scenario.

He has access due to his wealth to care most people do not. There is no conspiracy in that.

Or it's sleeping with $180,000 in cash every night.

And a lot of people here know we are referencing South Park, right?

 

[93Devil]

It would never get passed for use here -as much as the closeted gay family values Republicans wouild want it for their own kids and other gay youngsters in this world, they wouldn't be able to vote for it because they'd lose votes from their constituents, all of whom believe they are truly "family values" politicians.

Not as crazy as it sounds.

It could also be more profitable to treat it than cure it.