HIV Treatment Innovation
At CHI's 2009 California Healthcare Policy Forum,
John C. Martin of Gilead Sciences spoke on the process of innovation in HIV/AIDS treatments. Click here to learn more about the event and to view a video of Dr. Martin's presentation.
New Medicines in Development
In November 2009, PhRMA published a report highlighting 97 new medicines and vaccines in development to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions.
Click here to read the full report and to learn more about HIV/AIDS research around the globe.
New Advances
Researchers have made many advances in treatments for improving care and treatment for patients with HIV/AIDS. Read below for information about new medicines available for treating conditions related to HIV/AIDS.
Recent FDA Approvals
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IntelenceTM – etavirine – approved 1/18/2008. For the treatment of HIV in adults who have failed treatment with other antiretrovirals.
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IsentressTM – raltegravir potassium – approved 10/12/2007. For the treatment of HIV-1 infection in combination with other antiretroviral agents in treatment-experienced adults who have evidence or viral replication and HIV-1 strains resistant to multiple antiretroviral agents.
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SelzentryTM – maraviroc – approved 8/6/2007. For use in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of adults with CCR5-tropic HIV-1, who have been treated with other HIV medications and who have evidence of elevated levels of HIV in their blood.
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PrezistaTM – darunavir – approved 6/23/2006. For the treatment of HIV in adults who have not responded to other treatments; to be administered with low-dose ritonavir and other anti-HIV agents.
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Aptivus® tipranavir – HIV – approved 6/22/2005.
Click here for a full list of recent FDA approvals in all disease areas
Then and Now – HIV/AIDS
In 1990, a diagnosis of AIDS meant very limited options and patients could expect to live for only 26 months. Thanks to the approval in 1995 of protease inhibitors – and further advancements in new medicines and combination therapies in the decade since – the AIDS death rate has fallen dramatically. Click here to learn more about recent advances in treating HIV/AIDS.
Innovative Research
Great Moments in Innovation
Throughout history, scientists have used innovative research to develop countless life-saving new medicines and treatments. Though not officially identified as a disease until the early 1980s, there have been many advances in HIV/AIDS treatments in recent decades. From the first FDA-approved treatment for AIDS in 1987, AZT, to a new class of HIV drugs discovered in 2003, called fusion inhibitors that stop HIV from attaching itself to healthy cells and prevents it from multiplying, these new medicines have changed the course of medical research.
Click here to see a timeline highlighting milestone moments in HIV/AIDS and many other conditions.
New Medicines Save and Improve Lives
Research shows that innovative new medicines and vaccines contribute significantly to life expectancy gains made in the U.S. and around the world. New medicines have also made a major contribution to the decline in the death rate from HIV/AIDS in the U.S. over the last 10 years.
Read more
Discoverers Awards
Each year, PhRMA honors pharmaceutical research scientists whose research and development efforts have greatly benefited humankind, and whose dedication and interest in improving the quality of life exemplify the best in the industry with the Discoverers Award.
The 1999 Discoverers Award went to 10 scientists: David Peter Clough, Ph.D.; Ian Buchanan Duncan, Ph.D.; Noel Roberts, Ph.D.; Dale J. Kempf, Ph.D.; Daniel W. Norbeck, Ph.D.; Joel R. Huff, Ph.D.; Bruce D. Dorsey, Ph.D.; Joseph P. Vacca, Ph.D.; Stephen W. Kaldor, Ph.D.; and Siegfried H. Reich, Ph.D. for their contributions to the discovery of protease inhibitors. The researchers discovered and developed four different protease inhibitors, which help prevent the AIDS virus from reproducing. These medicines are key ingredients in the combination drug therapy that has revolutionized the treatment of AIDS. In 1997 alone, the death rate from AIDS dropped by nearly half – the biggest single-year decline in history for a major cause of death.
The 1994 Discoverers Award went to Ken Richardson, Ph.D., for his discovery of Diflucan®, which revolutionized the treatment of anti-fungal diseases. The discovery of Diflucan came at a particularly opportune time – just when the incidence of life-threatening fungal infections was increasing exponentially. This increase resulted from the growing number of people - recipients of organ transplants, burn victims, those on chemotherapy, and AIDS patients – with the weakened immune systems that make them susceptible to deadly fungal diseases.
Click here for a list of all of the Discoverers Awards since 1987.
Newsletters
Innovation.org publishes newsletters that highlight new and innovative research in many disease areas, including HIV/AIDS. Click on the link below to view a past newsletter spotlighting research in HIV/AIDS.
Click here to view the current issue of the Innovation.org newsletter.
Charts
The following charts demonstrate the important role of new medicines in improving life for patients with HIV/AIDS.
Click here to view all of the charts listed on Innovation.org.
ResourcesMedicines in Development DatabaseClick here to access our medicines in development database, which contains information about drugs currently in clinical trials or at FDA for review across all diseases.
Clinical Trials ResourcesClick here to visit our new Clinical Trials Resources page to learn more about ongoing clinical trials for cancer and many other diseases in the United States and around the world.
[i]U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States, 2009 With Chartbook on Medical Technology (Hyattsville, MD: HHS, 2010).
[ii]J. Xu, K.D. Kochanek, and B. Tejada-Vera, "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2007,"
National Vital Statistics Reports 58, no. 1 (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, August 2009).
