FDA Approves AIDS Prevention Drug By Donald H. Rumsfeld

Gilead's Truvada was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in preventing HIV infection in high risk groups. Gilead's former Chairman Donald H. Rumsfeld stepped down to become the Secretary of Defense for George W. Bush. In 2011, he made controversial statements regarding water-boarding and the capture of Osama Bin Laden. It remains to be seen if this "new milestone for treatment in the evolution of the worldwide AIDS epidemic," will be widely reported with details of Rumsfeld participation.

Reuters reported:

Studies showed Truvada to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing HIV infection among test subjects who took the drug as prescribed, but only 44 percent effective among test populations that included intermittent use.

The high cost of the drug, about $14,000 annually, may put it out of reach for many at-risk individuals. The pending ObamaCare / ObamaTax scheme could further prevent access to the drug due to a focus on cost cutting. Despite the common perception of President Obama's supporters, progressives have historically used "reproductive health" and "eugenics" to justify the removal of "undesirables" from society.

The Bell Curve argued that immigration from countries with low national IQ is undesirable. According to Raymond Cattell, "when a country is opening its doors to immigration from diverse countries, it is like a farmer who buys his seeds from different sources by the sack, with sacks of different average quality of contents".

The moral to this story is that our friends on the left need to think about the world in front of them.

We know that the "capitalist" system reduces price in the long run. Free markets reallocate resources in favor of innovation as a disruptive force against monopoly and power. The development of this new drug is an example of the free economic system providing something of value to society due to the opportunity for success. When it comes to the race against disease, this is the best know application of human ability.

Historically, reliance upon the promises of government progressives is dangerous business. Progressives are not innovators, they are self-interested propagandists. They have used false science and word play to mislead and justify their actions for hundreds of years. An example in health care is the RU-486 abortion pill developed in France with approval from politicians notorious for mistresses.

The idealism of collectivism eventually collapses into the tyranny of fascism. This fact is happening in real-time as President Obama says success is not a result of someone working hard or being smart and that if you started your own business, you didn't build it yourself. The private sector development of Truvada disputes this contention on its face. Americans should keep an eye open to the sidelining of this drug because the FDA approval timing points out that the emperor has no clothes.