Reasons For Hope (RFH)
is Search For A Cure's national HIV treatment news series.
RFH covers the latest in developing therapies for treating HIV/AIDS.
RFH is published in over 90 community newspapers and found on many websites for people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. We encourage your comments and critiques. Email hope@sfac.org Feel free to copy and distribute any and all RFH articles.
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Why We Should All be in a Clinical Trial
It is hard to get people to join a study of new medicines nowadays. This is mostly because people think the therapies we have are good enough. It's not true. HIV medicines fail some people. And they are too expensive for most of the world to use.
The medicines we have are not a cure, are a lifelong financial burden and have lots of side effects. The only way to see if new therapies work is to test them on people with HIV. The only way to see if a vaccine will work is to test it on people without HIV. If we want the day to come that HIV is a thing of the past the most important thing we can all do is find a study that needs us and join it.
why we should be in a clinical trial
It is hard to get people to join a study of new medicines nowadays.
This is mostly because people think the therapies we have are good enough.
It's not true.
HIV medicines fail some people.
And they are too expensive for most of the world to use.
The medicines we have are not a cure, are a lifelong financial burden and have lots of side effects. The only way to see if new therapies work is to test them on people with HIV. The only way to see if a vaccine will work is to test it on people without HIV. If we want the day to come that HIV is a thing of the past, like smallpox, the most important thing we can all do is find a study that needs us and join it.
Why should I join a trial?
- Because you will do better if you are in a trial.
Studies of volunteers who joined a trial show in general people in a trial do better than people who are not in a trial. Partly this is because they get attention from experts and partly because they get the latest, best medicines right from the lab.
- Because millions are depending on us for help and this is the best way for you to help them.
Around the world over 40 million people have HIV and millions of these are children. Twenty five million people have already died from the disease. Most of these people live in places so poor and with so little medical facilities they don't have many clinical trials to join.
Every day thousands more get HIV. Until there is a cure and a vaccine that everyone can get, millions more will die, over three million every year. The ONLY way we will find a cure and a vaccine is for those of us in places like the USA and Europe to join the search for a cure by volunteering to be in a clinical trial.
Where can I find out about Clinical Trials?
Because information about trials changes often you need to either call or use the internet to find out about them. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service did a good job putting together detailed facts about all the clinical trials in the USA. You can look them up yourself on the internet at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/other/whatisct.asp
If you don't have a computer, most public libraries have them or you could ask a friend who uses the internet to help out. http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/other/whatisct.asp
Or you can call the US Government's services - they will look it up for you. http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/other/whatisct.asp
Call 1-800-HIV-0440 (1-800-448-0440)
TTY: 1-888-480-3739
E-mail: contact
Web site: AIDSinfo.nih.gov
In addition, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) offers online computer access to information on AIDS clinical trials (free of charge) through its MEDLINE subscriber service and through the NLM and AIDSinfo World Wide Web sites. For more information about NLM, call: 1-800-638-8480 or 1-301-519-0459 Web site: www.nlm.nih.gov
There is a Trial For You!
You DON'T have HIV.
Sign up for a vaccine trial-there are no studies more important than studies trying to find an AIDS vaccine, and they need people who are not infected to help! Or join a microbicide trial (microbicides are lubricating gels like KY that have medicine put in that might stop AIDS and lots of other diseases). These might help millions of people protect themselves from HIV!
You DON'T have HIV but sometimes you do risky stuff.
Well, sign up for the post exposure prophylactic studies (PEP trials) that are going on lots of places. In these studies people who did something risky are immediately given antiviral medicines for one month. Scientists think this might protect you from getting AIDS.
You need a new medicine the old ones don't work or give you bad side effects.
There are dozens of studies of new drugs that work when old ones fail, that have different side effects from old ones or much fewer side effects, that are a lot easier to take, that are fewer pills, that are taken once a day. These studies need you.
Take the time to find out if there is a study you can join. You will be helping the world put an end to AIDS. And you will be helping yourself stay healthier. And amazingly enough, its free!
