“You could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure, that we’ve seen,” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.
The toddler was cured by an antiretroviral drug (or a set of drugs). The AP mentions the names of the doctors and researchers involved in administering and studying the treatment, but it doesn’t report which drug was used. Nor does it mention the name of the company that manufactured the drug.
We’re guessing that one or more of the drugs used to treat this young child were brought to market by a biotechnology company — probably Gilead Sciences. (Update: We guessed wrong. See below.)
Gilead Sciences was originally formed by one of those evil “vulture capital” firms that was demonized in the most recent presidential campaign.
Will politicians and pundits hail the free-market system and biotech company that made this near-cure possible? Don’t hold your breath.
Update:
This article lists the drugs used: zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine. These three drugs are owned/marketed by ViiV Healthcare, Glaxo SmithKline, and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, respectively.
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