How much is a cure gonna cost

A few years back, year 1999 to be exact, I was watching Chris Rock’s Bigger and Blacker, and in the stand-up comedy the comedian made a witty, but poignant comment about HIV/AIDS that I’m starting to find some truth. Rock, in so many words, boldly said America would never find a cure to AIDS because there is too much money to be made in the treatment of HIV. He further questioned why create a cure for something when you can make millions off selling medicine and treatment options. Rock went on to say scientist would most likely find a way for people to live longer and healthier with HIV before they even start on a cure.
Back then, I smiled, but secretly prayed there was no truth in his statements. I would hope that when it came to the treatment of an epidemic disease that effects millions everyday in the U.S. alone, this country would step up its resources and push aside the lab experiments for a better Viagra to spearhead the miracle cure that would make HIV/AIDS another disease epidemic of the past.
However I was wrong and apparently Rock was right.
According to a study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the average cost to treat HIV/AIDS patients can vary from $14,000 to $34,000 annually. Some medicines, like Viracept, can cost up to $700 a month for consumers who depend on them to maintain a healthy outlook on their lives.
It was during my research for this special edition I stumbled across these numbers, which caused Rock’s premonitory remarks to resurface in my thoughts. After studying the data I was left to wonder: Was Rock right? Has America become lackadaisical with finding a cure since the money with HIV/AIDS meds has become a million dollar market?
It’s no secret today HIV/AIDS is far from the “death sentence” it once was 10 years ago. Ervin “Magic” Johnson, for instance, can attribute his vibrant life to the advancement in HIV medication and he is not alone. The availability of antiretroviral therapy has reduced the AIDS mortality rate to 30,000 annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But with all the advancements in modern medicine, in hopes of reducing the load of strenuous medicine regiments for HIV-positive patients, shouldn’t a cure for this disease be just around the corner?
If you “google” world news pertaining to HIV treatment and prevention, you can pull up all kinds of stories chronicling the medical breakthroughs other countries are researching regarding the eradication of this menace. For instance, in Australia, scientists are now harvesting crocodile blood after finding that exposure of the HIV virus strand did little to no damage to the reptile’s immune system. What are the U.S. scientists doing, other than mass-producing more pills with high dollar price tags?
Granted, better medication has been an asset to many lives I’m sure. But with how money-hungry our country has proven time and time again to be, maybe Rock was right. Maybe we shouldn’t hold out hope for a cure when the HIV/AIDS medication market is becoming more and more lucrative with each new “positive” diagnosis. It’s no secret that money makes the world go around, but some truths become even harder to accept when lives are on the line.