Abstract
The advent of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) as means of HIV prevention raises issues of justice concerning how most fairly and equitably to apportion resources in support of the burgeoning variety of established HIV treatment and prevention measures and further HIV research, including HIV vaccine research. We apply contemporary approaches to social justice to assess the ethical justification for allocating resources in support of HIV vaccine research given competing priorities to support broad implementation of HIV treatment and prevention measures, including TasP and PrEP. We argue that there is prima facie reason to believe that a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine would offer a distinct set of ethically significant benefits not provided by current HIV treatment or prevention methods. It is thereby possible to justify continued support for HIV vaccine research despite tension with priorities for treatment, prevention, and other research. We then consider a counter-argument to such a justification based on the uncertainty of successfully developing a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine. Finally, we discuss how HIV vaccine research might now be ethically designed and conducted given the new preventive options of TasP and PrEP, focusing on the ethically appropriate standard of prevention for HIV vaccine trials.
Keywords: AIDS, ethics, HIV, justice, pre-exposure prophylaxis, prevention, treatment as prevention, vaccine research.
Current HIV Research
Title:Social Justice and HIV Vaccine Research in the Age of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Treatment as Prevention
Volume: 11 Issue: 6
Author(s): Theodore C. Bailey and Jeremy Sugarman
Affiliation:
Keywords: AIDS, ethics, HIV, justice, pre-exposure prophylaxis, prevention, treatment as prevention, vaccine research.
Abstract: The advent of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) as means of HIV prevention raises issues of justice concerning how most fairly and equitably to apportion resources in support of the burgeoning variety of established HIV treatment and prevention measures and further HIV research, including HIV vaccine research. We apply contemporary approaches to social justice to assess the ethical justification for allocating resources in support of HIV vaccine research given competing priorities to support broad implementation of HIV treatment and prevention measures, including TasP and PrEP. We argue that there is prima facie reason to believe that a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine would offer a distinct set of ethically significant benefits not provided by current HIV treatment or prevention methods. It is thereby possible to justify continued support for HIV vaccine research despite tension with priorities for treatment, prevention, and other research. We then consider a counter-argument to such a justification based on the uncertainty of successfully developing a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine. Finally, we discuss how HIV vaccine research might now be ethically designed and conducted given the new preventive options of TasP and PrEP, focusing on the ethically appropriate standard of prevention for HIV vaccine trials.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Bailey C. Theodore and Sugarman Jeremy, Social Justice and HIV Vaccine Research in the Age of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Treatment as Prevention, Current HIV Research 2013; 11 (6) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570162X113116660054
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570162X113116660054 |
Print ISSN 1570-162X |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4251 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Management of HIV: Management of HIV: old challenges and new needs
The aim of this thematic issue is to provide the most recent updates regarding the effective management of HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly decreased HIV-related mortality, leading to an enhancement in the quality of life and life expectancy for people living with HIV (PLWH). Despite the numerous advancements ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Clinical Drugs that Interact with St. Johns Wort and mplication in Drug Development
Current Pharmaceutical Design Substance P Regulation in Epilepsy
Current Neuropharmacology Contemporary Management of Hypertension - How to Optimize Therapy
Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders-Drug Targets A Lack of Association Between Blood Glutamate and Anxiety Levels in Pre- delivery Pregnant Women
Current Pharmaceutical Analysis Graphical Abstracts
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Some New N-(1H-benzimidazol-2- yl)-2-mercaptoacetamide Derivatives
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Editorial [Hot Topic: Calcium Metabolism and Treatment of Hypercalcemia]
Medicinal Chemistry Ischemic Tolerance Induced by Normobaric Hyperoxia and Evaluation of Group I and II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors
Current Neurovascular Research A Review on Sublingual Route is the Most Promising Choice in an Emergency
Applied Clinical Research, Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs The Neurobiological Mechanisms and Treatments of REM Sleep Disturbances in Depression
Current Neuropharmacology RNA-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles for Enhanced Growth, Immunostimulation and Disease Resistance in Fish
Current Nanoscience The New Compound GET73, N-[(4-trifluoromethyl)benzyl]4-methoxybutyramide, Regulates Hippocampal Aminoacidergic Transmission Possibly Via an Allosteric Modulation of mGlu5 Receptor. Behavioural Evidence of its “Anti-Alcohol” and Anxiolytic Properties
Current Medicinal Chemistry Recent Applications of Triazolopyrimidine-Based Bioactive Compounds in Medicinal and Agrochemical Chemistry
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Targeting Insulin Signaling for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Understanding the Pathogenesis Involved in Parkinson’s Disease and Potential Therapeutic Treatment Strategies
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Preconditioning of the Myocardium by Volatile Anesthetics
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents Autophagy to the Rescue
Current Neurovascular Research Drastic Effects on Fibril Formation of Amyloid-β Peptides by the Addition of Amino Acid Residue Units to the Termini
Protein & Peptide Letters Central Serotonin2C Receptor: From Physiology to Pathology
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Antioxidative Actions of Statins: Potential Mechanisms for Antiathersclerotic Effects
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry