A study shows that a twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing new HIV infections in women in Africa.

Twice-yearly shots used to treat AIDS were 100% effective in preventing new infections in women, according to study results published Wednesday.

There were no infections in the young women and girls that got the shots in a study of about 5,000 in South Africa and Uganda, researchers reported. In a group given daily prevention pills, roughly 2% ended up catching HIV from infected sex partners.

“To see this level of protection is stunning,” said Salim Abdool Karim of the injections. He is director of an AIDS research center in Durban, South Africa, who was not part of the research.

The results in women were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at an AIDS conference in Munich. Gilead paid for the study and some of the researchers are company employees. Because of the surprisingly encouraging results, the study was stopped early and all participants were offered the shots, also known as lenacapavir.

  • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.worldEnglish
    149·
    5 months ago

    We can speculate very easily.

    There’s a trade-off, cost-benefit analysys. If a disease is so catastrophic that it kills everyone fast, well you’re not gonna make profit off them ever, because they die. Cure this one.

    What about diseases that can be controlled somewhat, and only affect small amounts of the population? What if for them to stay alive they have to stay on a regular concoction of expensive pharmaceuticals either forever or for a long time? And they can still go to work? Why cure this, out of altruism? That’s not how capitalism works.

    Let’s just say, for shits and giggles, we could cure immediately the common cold and mild influenza, forever. No more cough and cold over the counter medicine needed, much less pain and fever reducers. Local pharmacies don’t need to stock this stuff anymore. The companies that produce and sell these are all tied to wallstreet. Getting colds doesn’t stop you from working (or buying/consuming). Shit, I work with “men” who are “tough” who never call out of work sick because “I’m not a pussy” (cultural hardwork ethic propaganda nonsense).

    Etc., etc. You get my point.

    • thetreesaysbark@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      91·
      5 months ago

      I’m not sure why you’re being downvoted.

      Correct me if I’m wrong but you’re not saying this is a good thing. Just that it is a thing.

      Makes sense to me. But I concede that I’m ignorant of what diseases we have cured recently, and too tired to research it right now.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.eeEnglish
        8·
        5 months ago

        Yellow fever, cholera, mumps, polio, measles, and malaria were endemic in the US prior to their eradication. By “endemic” I mean children got them as often as chicken pox. They were almost unavoidable and killed millions.

        Measles and mumps are making a comeback due to anti-vax losers, but the others are still gone.

      • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.worldEnglish
        71·
        5 months ago

        The downvotes are meh, I’ve made similar comments that got more upvoted. Lemmy is a fickle beast and probably depends on the crowd at the time and their mood or the article or whatever.

        You’re correct, I was not saying this is good by any means. I want the profit motive removed from everything healthcare related. I was just giving an exaggerated simple example of how the capitalist profit motive could (and arguably does) work in some instances.