02/06/2006
Researchers: Drug combination prevents HIV in monkeys.
"Study authors believe the findings may be the strongest animal data yet suggesting that potent antiretrovirals given before HIV exposure may prevent sexual HIV transmission."
Posted 7:21 PM EST by Andy Towle in Elsewhere | Permalink
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We already know that most people won't use "safe sex" to prevent HIV infection. They won't use condoms to prevent infection. What good is a drug that prevents infection, if people are too stupid to take it?
Umbrellas only work if you stand under them.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Feb 6, 2006 7:31:36 PM
I seem to recall there being a lot of research showing that it is very difficult (if not impossible) to infect monkeys with the same virus that is alleged to cause AIDS in Humans. The link you provide seems to indicate that these researchers invented some mutant semian/human HIV virus that they then used to infect monkeys and produce this this silly-ass research. I say silly because what point does it prove? Why do we need to know that some drug protects monkeys from an invented virus? Unless of course some drug company intends to infect people with this new invented mutant semian/human virus.
When you have a fahking research team inventing a fhaking mutant semian/human HIV virus, it is pretty hard to say that the people who claim that HIV itself was invented are "conspiracy theorists".
I recently saw a PBS report that stated that there are known instances of humans whose immune systems can kill the HIV virus. Seems to me THOSE people deserve more attention than inventing a mutant semian/human AIDS to infect monkeys.
Posted by: Peter Everhard | Feb 6, 2006 7:58:14 PM
Perhaps Peter Everhard would like to further enlighten us about the scientific process. "Fear science! Big, bad, complicated, nonintuitive science!" Peter exhorts.
Move to Dover, PA, genius, the school board needs you now more than ever.
The fact is that medical research involving monkeys and other non-human primates provides great insight without the obviously unacceptable risk to human life. It is highly unlikely that serious scientists would engage in "silly-ass research" (Is that a technical term, Dr. Everhard?) without some potential for (at least incremental) discovery.
Without these "evil" drug companies -- though certainly motivated more by the profit motive than the milk of human kindness (Perish the thought! When was the last time you got up to go to work every day out of altruism?) -- many of my friends and doubtlessly many readers of this blog would not be here today. Anyone remember life with HIV before protease inhibitors?
Peter merely presents the ugliest face of ignorance: Fear and derision of the unknown. Welcome to the unruly mob, Peter, here's your pitchfork.
Posted by: GM | Feb 6, 2006 11:33:59 PM
Well put GM. And Peter, they already are studying prostitues (from what country I forget) who's immune systems seem to kill HIV. So why not cover ALL bases?? It seems to me that the world would be happy to have a vaccine, whether it comes from Curious George or a human.
Posted by: cafegogo | Feb 6, 2006 11:43:21 PM
The prostitute immunity seems like the most logical way to go. After all, the smallpox vaccine was hit upon only when dude noticed that milkmaids, long inured to the milder cowpox, never got fatally ill.
Posted by: Jacko | Feb 7, 2006 2:27:30 PM