Fact Sheet: HIV/AIDS Treatment
Fact Sheet: HIV/AIDS Treatment
“To extend lives and stem transmission, we need to make sure every HIV-positive American gets the medical care that they need.”
–President Obama, July 13, 2010
The Obama Administration is committed to further advancing the science of HIV/AIDS treatment and improving access to treatment both domestically and globally. Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is saving lives and recent studies have shown that ART is highly effective in preventing HIV transmission to partners.
Domestically, the Ryan White Program provides treatment and support services to over half a million people living with HIV, and the Affordable Care Act will increase health coverage for tens of thousands of Americans living with HIV. Globally, we are reaching nearly four and a half million people with lifesaving treatment, and we are on track to meet President Obama’s World AIDS Day commitment to reach six million people with treatment by the end of 2013.
American Leadership in Action
In the 1980s, scientists from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed and tested AZT, the first antiretroviral drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used as a treatment for HIV/AIDS. NIH researchers also identified the structure of HIV and key targets for drug development, including protease inhibitors. In 1995, the first protease inhibitor was approved by the FDA, ushering in a new era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. NIH supported the key studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of using combinations of these antiretroviral drugs. Since then, nearly 30 antiretroviral agents have been licensed. This has resulted in dramatic improvements in the quality of life and life expectancy of many HIV-infected individuals, and additional therapies are under development.
Creating an AIDS-free Generation
A core intervention in the fight to end AIDS is ensuring access to antiretroviral ART. Simply put, ART saves the lives of those who would otherwise die from AIDS-related illness. In addition, there is growing evidence that families and entire communities benefit from access to treatment due to the restoration of health of treated adults and the
You can read the rest of this article at:: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/21/fact-sheet-hivaids-treatment
Short URL: http://thepresidency.us/?p=18496
Posted by RobertButler
on Jul 21 2012. Filed under Barack Obama.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
