US Pharma now developing 44 drugs/vaccines for HIV/AIDS

The USA’s biopharmaceutical research companies are currently developing 44 medicines and vaccines for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, according to the latest Medicines in Development report by the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

A second report, a PhRMA-sponsored white paper by Boston Healthcare Associates (BHA), The Value of Innovation in HIV/AIDS Therapy, highlights the progress in HIV/AIDS treatment and its impact on patients afflicted with the disease.

Both reports are being released in conjunction with PhRMA’s 2014 Multiple medical advancements have taken place since 1981, when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the first five cases of HIV/AIDS. Since anti-retroviral treatments (ART) were approved in 1995, HIV/AIDS-related deaths in the USA have dropped by 83%, resulting in a 32% decline in HIV/AIDS-related hospitalizations. These medicines are improving overall care for patients and are helping to prevent costs associated with treating the disease. According to a University of Chicago study, HIV/AIDS patients today live 15 years longer than in the 1980s.