It's awesome that this is possible. Right now HIV infections are basically a minor nuisance, provided you're taking the appropriate medication, but this bodes well for future treatment of viral infections.
People who don't have access to truvada definitely aren't going to be getting cutting-edge gene therapy any time soon. And how many people died of type I diabetes in 2015?
> Even with your caveat, the fact that more than 1 million people died from HIV in 2015
Idk where you got that number from... From the article you linked, "In the United States, 6,721 people died from HIV and AIDS in 2014". That's out of "An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2013". Since 1/8 people infected with HIV don't know it (and subsequently probably develop full on AIDS and complications), it's fair to say that most of the deaths are due to lack of treatment.
Edit: I see you were talking about worldwide, but that's still out of 36 million people living with HIV in the world.
>Right now HIV infections are basically a minor nuisance, provided you're taking the appropriate medication
The cost of treating an HIV+ person in the US is roughly $400K over the course of their expected lifetime. This is more than a nuisance sum. HIV treatment can also significantly affect quality of life.It is not yet time to become blase.
Well, that just sets the market clearing price of the cure. The sum of money paid to acquire any cure is going to be anchored by the current cost of treatment. And certainly anyone who would pay $400k for a lifetime of "shitty treatment" is going to want to pay at least that much for the miracle cure.
> Right now HIV infections are basically a minor nuisance
I don't understand how anybody can say that. HIV treatment is extremely heavy and has potentially horrible side effects that must be masked with other drugs that have their share of horrible side effects. This + the fact that many people get only diagnosed when they are terminally ill due to the nature of the disease. I'm not even talking about the cost of the treatment.
Your comment is just horrible, whatever the intent was.
Sure if you live in the developed world and have insurance that covers Truvada or have a plan with a deductible at or under ~$3K you can get PrEP for free (With the free copay card that covers $3600/yr). But I've got friends who have higher deductibles and can't cover the difference and the card is only good in the US:
> The Gilead Advancing Access® co-pay coupon card (“Card”) can be used only by eligible residents of the U.S., Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories at participating eligible retail, specialty, or mail-order pharmacies in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories. Product must originate in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories. You must be 18 years or older to use the Card for yourself or a minor.
Even with your caveat, the fact that more than 1 million people died from HIV in 2015 is probably a good signal to not use the term "minor nuisance".
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/statistics.html