Write a Comment
4 Comments
Chris, To answer your question regarding fillings. Yes, everyone would let their teeth fall-out of their heads if the profit margins on fillings were as high as the profit margins on anti-HIV medicines. Also, if the pain associated with having a filling was as high as that of a cART regimen with dual-NRTI drugs, there would be few people with fillings. We need generics that work as well as brand name drugs. But, the TPP will prevent that from ever happening. High profits or healthy people?
I know people who were in the 1st AZT monotherapy trial for people with above 500 CD4+ T cells, opened in early 1988, who have high CD4+ T cells (1,000 cells/mml) and a normal CD4+/CD8+ ratio (1.3). This study could have taken place a decade ago. With the Big Pharma charging from 100-to-1 to 1,000-to-1 mark-up (on production cost), 10% annual price increases, and generics are allowed to be imported with little or no drug in their pills, it's little wonder that viral loads are out of control.
Well, duh! If you had any other major infection, wouldn't you hit it with all you had asap? Would you wait until all your teeth had cavities before getting a filling?
Michael
Only months ago, this magazine printed an article that seemed to call the utility of early treatment into question. That article was promptly rebuked by numerous comments and ignored medical precedent and common sense. I worry about the damage that was done, especially to newly diagnosed readers who may have been inspired to delay treatment. This magazine has an obligation to publish an immediate retraction and apology.
May 29, 2015 • Collinsville, IL