Rapid advances in science fueling new era of fighting HIV/AIDS

America's biopharmaceutical companies are continuing the fight to conquer the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can develop into acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), with 52 medicines and vaccines currently in development to help treat and prevent the infection, according to a report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in partnership with The AIDS Institute.

Over the past three decades, continued biopharmaceutical innovation in HIV/AIDS treatment - from the discovery of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in the mid-1990's to the introduction of medicines to prevent the transmission of HIV, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - has revolutionized the outlook and improved the quality of life for the 1.1 million patients in the United States with HIV.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless individuals - from biopharmaceutical researchers, to those patients enrolled in clinical trials - we have seen an 88 percent decline in the HIV/AIDS death rate since the 1990s and an estimated 862,000 premature HIV/AIDS deaths have been prevented in the United States,” said Stephen Ubl, president and chief executive of PhRMA, adding: “While we have made great progress, there is more to be done, which is why the 52 medicines and vaccines in development offer tremendous hope and inspiration that an AIDS-free generation may one day be in reach.”