HIV Conspiracy??? Has anyone heard this crap?

[orlandoneg]

I don't believe in the general conspiracies outlined at the top of this thread. However, I am concerned about a tendency for many healthcare workers to not fully question and explore the pathophysiology of disease. The generally accepted beliefs in science are often very quickly accepted; and not challenged. In the case of HIV/AIDS: I believe it's possible that HIV plus an unknown X factor results in AIDS. We haven't fully identified that X factor (or perhaps multiple factors). I wish that we more fully investigated medical conditions. In the US - and I suspect most other capitalist-learning societies - pharmaceutical companies don't have a financial incentive to cure all life-threatening diseases. It's easier to provide drugs to millions of patients every year and continuing earning profits than to invest billions of dollars in potential cures. That's not to say that pharmaceutical employees and other healthcare workers are evil people. It's that the problem is systemic and most people do the best they can within the limited confines of choices afforded to them. In short: our own benign willful ignorance undermines our collective efforts at times.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

orlandolong; no dispute. So much of HIV/AIDS work has been reactive. At the outset, so little was known about the immune system; and while we know more; we might very well have just scratched the surface. No attempt to demonize big pharma here; but they do earn their abuse. We're all left doing the best we can with what we can learn.

Our long term HIV survivors managed to live through overdose of ARV's; and while outcomes are hugely better right now; it would not surprise me to learn we're OD on Truvada for PrEP - perhaps not in as severe a way as AZT; but all of this is still evolving. It is because of this; and other maladies that aren't well understood, that I am confounded by the thinking of chasers. Sure, preggers is a hot concept. And being part of someone else is definitely appealing. But, we already are part of each other. And frankly, as terrific as HIV/AIDS treatment (and other STI treatment) is compared to a dozen years ago; I bet it will be better a dozen years from now. And I would not be surprised to be reading about Stribild survivors once something with a better side effect profile comes along.

[orlandoneg]

Agreed.

[fagxave]

My first obstacle when hearing any conspiracy theory is that I can't believe any government - let alone mine (Australia) or even less likely the USA - is competent enough to organise and implement any of these intricate and specific schemes. I mean the US can barely afford itself and Aus can't decide who the leader is in the first place. Ridiculous.

[wood]

It's easier to provide drugs to millions of patients every year and continuing earning profits than to invest billions of dollars in potential cures. That's not to say that pharmaceutical employees and other healthcare workers are evil people. It's that the problem is systemic and most people do the best they can within the limited confines of choices afforded to them. In short: our own benign willful ignorance undermines our collective efforts at times.

I agree and disagree, and heres why. There is often boatloads of cash in cures too, look at gaurdisil as a vaccine, or solvaldi, which is Gileads new blockbuster Hep C drug. Its 90% effective at curing Hep C, but guess what? The price of Solvaldi is quoted in various media sources as $84,000 to $168,000 for a course of treatment in the U.S.

HIV is another GREAT example. If someone could CURE HIV today, great. Make it cost 100k, and get those people off their meds, but it wont stop the people that dont know they are infected from infecting other people, and so they still have a revolving business model.

Put it bluntly there is big money in drugs, but its not these kind of drugs that make the most money, its stuff like viagra... That made billions.

[rawTOP]

Put it bluntly there is big money in drugs, but its not these kind of drugs that make the most money, its stuff like viagra... That made billions.

Yes and no. The pharma industry hasn't been doing enough R&D lately. They don't innovate because they're afraid of failure (it can be incredibly expensive to fail). So they sit around and wait for some startup to show signs of success, then they buy the startup (growth through acquisition). But if they're outbid or too late discovering the startups they're sorta screwed.

For example Pfizer is moving their headquarters out of Manhattan - which is a big deal - it's been here for decades. But a number of their most profitable drugs have gone off patent and they don't really have anything as good as those drugs in the pipeline - so they're tightening their belt financially. For that to happen to one of the pharma giants like Pfizer is a big deal.

Even when it comes to ARVs - some of them are getting close to going off patent - and they're decent drugs that have proven safety records. Doctors will have the choice of a cheap drug with a solid track record, or an expensive one that might be a bigger risk to the patient and to her/him (in terms of malpractice if things go wrong with the drug). Sure there are patients who have exhausted all the treatment options and will need the newest and latest drug - but people like that are rare (I only know of one guy like that - a friend of a friend).

Does anyone know if Gilead got their patent extended for Truvada because of PrEP?

[wood]

Yes and no. The pharma industry hasn't been doing enough R&D lately. They don't innovate because they're afraid of failure (it can be incredibly expensive to fail). So they sit around and wait for some startup to show signs of success, then they buy the startup (growth through acquisition). But if they're outbid or too late discovering the startups they're sorta screwed.

Does anyone know if Gilead got their patent extended for Truvada because of PrEP?

This is also very true, Gilead is doing so well partially because of all its acquisitions.

IM getting conflicting reports but I am seeing 2021 patent expiration for truvada, which means it would have been extended from the original 2017 date.

[PlayfulPup]

On 5/19/2014 at 6:47 AM, dickluva said:

I also don't believe you have read anything by any author who criticizes current HIV/AIDS system or listened to any lectures, like Dr Peter Duesberg, or Dr Nelson Vergel. I have read the criticisms of Dr Duesberg, they never debate him on medical evidence they just call him names like "AIDS denier." Dr Nelson Vergel's "Built to Survive" changed my life, & I believe I am still here today because I follow Dr. Vergel's protocols. I think I would be dead if I stayed on HIV meds.

It's worth noting that Nelson Vergel has a BS in Chemical Engineering & an MBA.  He's neither a Ph.D nor a medical doctor.  That said, his promotion of lean muscle mass, adjunctive use of steroids, and integrative & holistic treatment were (and are!) way ahead of their time.

Nelson strongly believes in ART medications.  He advocates for med-resistant patients to join investigational trials of new HIV therapies.  You can read more at:

http://www.salvagetherapies.org/

[PupLucca]

On 4/30/2014 at 3:31 PM, poptronic said:

Oh yeah I heard that too. Apparently he lives in a subterranean lair hundreds of feet below Graceland and still vacations in Vegas, blending in with all the Elvis impersonators. He's alive along with Tupac Shakur, Keith Richards, Michael Jackson, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hoffa and plenty of others.

What scares me aren't the whackjob people who sit at their computers formulating these crazy stories and pushing them out on the internet, but rather, the millions of seemingly normal people who actually believe them.

Ummm Elvis lives in Kalamazoo Michigan.  Lol. Get it right

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, PupLucca said:

Ummm Elvis lives in Kalamazoo Michigan.  Lol. Get it right

Socrates "He then says that justice is whatever is in the interest of the stronger party in a given state"

[EricX]

So the “I did my own research” nuts long predate Coved!

[YourNoLimitsBottom]

To paraphrase Futurama (All hail The Hypnotoad!):

"Elvis is alive?!? I knew it! The Loch Ness Monster's book was right!"

[Guest WelshBBCigarFuck]

Unfortunately in every country and in virtually every socio-economic demographic you get the conspiracy theorists, the gullible, the tinfoil hat brigade and the absolute nut jobs.

To say HIV doesn’t really exist and it’s the drugs to treat it that cause the advancement from HIV positive to AIDS is of same ilk as those claiming 5G radio waves cause COVID and that the injections are secret tracking devices (I’m not getting into any discussions around COVID here, as that is one fight that is really not appropriate here).

Basically I believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs and opinions EXCEPT where they take those beliefs and opinions and present them as fact and attempt to influence or coerce others to those beliefs. Medical information should be disseminated by trusted medical sources and not conspiracy theorists, nut jobs and those who have agendas of their own that they are playing to.

To make light of or erode the seriousness of any condition belittles those with the condition and insults those who have lost friends or family through that condition.

Apologies if my tone was a little harsh or terse but most of us probably know someone with HIV or have lost people over the years and there are probably a lot of people on here living with HIV who would be insulted having it compared to a harmless cold.

[pussyboy82]

I think a good theory to discuss is, did HIV treatment help discover vaccines for covid?

[versasslover]

Three years ago I was in this Uber in LA, black guy, gay as fuck, southern drawl and pretty hot for a short chubby guy. So I chatted him up a bit, small talk about what he liked to do, trying to steer it into more gay things. But he shut it down soon by saying he hated LA, how he was gay but not a fag, wanted to move back home, too many fags in LA. And out of the blue states that cancer and AIDS were a fabrication of the government, as in artificially created. And big pharma was in on it. And the only cures were bee stings. He continues to rant for a while  I shut up and after an awkward 10 last minutes exited the car silently.