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December-AIDS

December 1st is World AIDS Day

HIV/AIDS is one of the most devastating diseases affecting people around the world. In 2008, an estimated 33.34 million people worldwide were living with HIV, 2.6 million new people were infected with HIV, and 1.8 million died from the disease in 2009, according to the Joint United Nation’s Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).^[i] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 1.1 million Americans were living with HIV infection and more than 17,000 died from the disease in 2008.^[ii]

Since first identifying the HIV virus in 1983, 31 medicines have been approved to treat HIV infection. These approved medicines have helped to prolong the lives of HIV-infected patients. According to the CDC, deaths from AIDS decreased in the United States by 17 percent from 2003 through 2007.

Following the approval of the highly active antiretroviral treatments (HAART) in 1995, deaths from HIV/AIDS in the United States fell dramatically—by more than 70%. Remarkably, the death rate continues to fall, and new medicines continue to become available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that between 2006 and 2007 the HIV/AIDS death rate fell 10%, which was the largest single-year decline since 1998.^[iii]

Recognizing the impact that HIV/AIDS has on the United States and the entire global population, Innovation.org highlights important and innovative research into new HIV/AIDS treatments.

New Medicines in Development

In December 2011, PhRMA published a report highlighting nearly 90 new medicines and vaccines in development to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions.

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

Egrifta^TM - tesamorelin acetate - approved 11/10/2010. For the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipody.
Intelence^TM – etavirine – approved 1/18/2008. For the treatment of HIV in adults who have failed treatment with other antiretrovirals.
Isentress^TM – 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.
Selzentry^TM – 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.

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. Read more

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 Story of Selzentry
The 2010 Discoverers Award was awarded to Manos Perros, Ph.D., Anthony Wood, Ph.D., and Elna van der Ryst, Ph.D. for the discovery of Selzentry® (maraviroc). When it was approved in 2007, Selzentry was the first oral HIV drug in a new class in over a decade. For patients running out of options either because the virus had become immune to existing medications or they could not tolerate existing drugs, Selzentry offered new hope.

The Story of Protease Inhibitors

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.

Click here for a list of all of the Discoverers Awards since 1987.

Resources

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.

Medicines in Development Database
Click 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 Resources
Click 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.

Featured Studies and Reports

As part of its ongoing effort to encourage new research and pharmaceutical innovation, Innovation.org highlights key studies and reports into critical disease areas. Read about recent research and advances in HIV/AIDS in the resources below.

^[i]Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Global Report: UNAIDS Report on the Global Aids Epidemic – 2010, , 2010, pp. 8-19

^[ii]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).

^[iii]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).