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[ProfessorLobo]

LOL this is not unethical. This article is some ignorant bullshit. Its unethical for the FDA to keep blocking vaccines they know can cure or greatly alleviate a deadly disease for some.

This herpes vaccine is made by one of the single most well respected and knowledgeable person in the field, Dr. Halford.

Halford went around the FDA because they have been playing a game of only allowing HSV vaccines that will fail, dna vaccines. While, Halfords vaccine, a live attenuated version of HSV, has been proven to work in labs and on humans themselves. It's the difference between a vaccine that attacks 1% of a virus, or a one that attacks over 99% of it. You don't need to be an immunologist, to know which one will work, and which one won't.

Many other doctors and scientists have also made HSV vaccines work with live attenuated vaccines. If you've been reading about this and following it, you will know Halford knows what he is doing and this article is kinda reactionary bullshit. Halford even injected his vaccine into himself, his family, and other HSV sufferers. Its proved to be safe and effective.

This vaccine, funded by many people, not just Thiel, is here now, and it works. Or we can keep allowing FDA and scamming scientists to keep defrauding the people to keep testing dna vaccines everyone knows is not going to work.

They could've made this Halford vaccine decades ago. This vaccines is probably going to consign herpes to other STD diseases, where we don't think its a big idea anymore.

Thank you. This thread is an embarrassment.

 

[jts]

Don't really care if they're rich or not, people seem to be focusing on that and make it ad hominem. FDA and other overly bureaucratic organizations hinder and slow down innovation and progress. The ethics issue here is questionable. Those guys tested the vaccine themselves. As long as people are well aware of the consequences - the worst of all seems to be acquiring herpes, a very common, usually harmless pathology, I don't see the problem. Certainly doesn't seem worse than all the other drug trials run on test subjects.

I hope it can improve future lives.

 

[el jacko]

LOL this is not unethical. This article is some ignorant bullshit. Its unethical for the FDA to keep blocking vaccines they know can cure or greatly alleviate a deadly disease for some.

This herpes vaccine is made by one of the single most well respected and knowledgeable person in the field, Dr. Halford.

Halford went around the FDA because they have been playing a game of only allowing HSV vaccines that will fail, dna vaccines. While, Halfords vaccine, a live attenuated version of HSV, has been proven to work in labs and on humans themselves. It's the difference between a vaccine that attacks 1% of a virus, or a one that attacks over 99% of it. You don't need to be an immunologist, to know which one will work, and which one won't.

Many other doctors and scientists have also made HSV vaccines work with live attenuated vaccines. If you've been reading about this and following it, you will know Halford knows what he is doing and this article is kinda reactionary bullshit. Halford even injected his vaccine into himself, his family, and other HSV sufferers. Its proved to be safe and effective.

This vaccine, funded by many people, not just Thiel, is here now, and it works. Or we can keep allowing FDA and scamming scientists to keep defrauding the people to keep testing dna vaccines everyone knows is not going to work.

They could've made this Halford vaccine decades ago. This vaccines is probably going to consign herpes to other STD diseases, where we don't think its a big idea anymore.

Man, this thread is just chock full of opinions and crazy statements without any proof to back them up.

Like you! If you're gonna claim that "many other doctors" have made vaccines like this you better back it up. Got a link? Got any receipts?

 

[kyser73]

This sounds like a case of six of one, half a dozen of the other.

The FDA is not some impartial defender of the people. It's prey to lobbying from food & pharma industries and has a patchy approvals record.

BUT it also sounds like the trials themselves are badly designed & managed, which means bad results. Clinical trials are by nature expensive, but they are necessary.

Here's an interview with Halford:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/10/17/herpes-vaccines-interview-dr-william-halford-10313

 

[LookAtMeGo]

A vaccine wouldn't cure him if he did.

Well I have no interest in this "vaccine" then.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

I'm not reading the article but if these people are consenting what is the issue?

 

[chaobreaker]

Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow?

How about the lifeblood of young people?

 

[Blizzard]

LOL this is not unethical. This article is some ignorant bullshit. Its unethical for the FDA to keep blocking vaccines they know can cure or greatly alleviate a deadly disease for some.

This herpes vaccine is made by one of the single most well respected and knowledgeable person in the field, Dr. Halford.

Halford went around the FDA because they have been playing a game of only allowing HSV vaccines that will fail, dna vaccines. While, Halfords vaccine, a live attenuated version of HSV, has been proven to work in labs and on humans themselves. It's the difference between a vaccine that attacks 1% of a virus, or a one that attacks over 99% of it. You don't need to be an immunologist, to know which one will work, and which one won't.

Many other doctors and scientists have also made HSV vaccines work with live attenuated vaccines. If you've been reading about this and following it, you will know Halford knows what he is doing and this article is kinda reactionary bullshit. Halford even injected his vaccine into himself, his family, and other HSV sufferers. Its proved to be safe and effective.

This vaccine, funded by many people, not just Thiel, is here now, and it works. Or we can keep allowing FDA and scamming scientists to keep defrauding the people to keep testing dna vaccines everyone knows is not going to work.

They could've made this Halford vaccine decades ago. This vaccines is probably going to consign herpes to other STD diseases, where we don't think its a big idea anymore.

What would the financial and/or power motivation of the FDA and (certain) scientists be in "scamming" / "defrauding" people into testing vaccines that everyone (even non-scientists) knows won't work?

Although if they succeed in scamming or defrauding someone into testing a vaccine, that means not everyone actually knows they won't work.

Do you have some citations?

 

[Dazza]

LOL this is not unethical. This article is some ignorant bullshit. Its unethical for the FDA to keep blocking vaccines they know can cure or greatly alleviate a deadly disease for some.

This herpes vaccine is made by one of the single most well respected and knowledgeable person in the field, Dr. Halford.

Halford went around the FDA because they have been playing a game of only allowing HSV vaccines that will fail, dna vaccines. While, Halfords vaccine, a live attenuated version of HSV, has been proven to work in labs and on humans themselves. It's the difference between a vaccine that attacks 1% of a virus, or a one that attacks over 99% of it. You don't need to be an immunologist, to know which one will work, and which one won't.

Many other doctors and scientists have also made HSV vaccines work with live attenuated vaccines. If you've been reading about this and following it, you will know Halford knows what he is doing and this article is kinda reactionary bullshit. Halford even injected his vaccine into himself, his family, and other HSV sufferers. Its proved to be safe and effective.

This vaccine, funded by many people, not just Thiel, is here now, and it works. Or we can keep allowing FDA and scamming scientists to keep defrauding the people to keep testing dna vaccines everyone knows is not going to work.

They could've made this Halford vaccine decades ago. This vaccines is probably going to consign herpes to other STD diseases, where we don't think its a big idea anymore.

Yep, I gotta go against the grain of the common sentiment in this thread too. I'm perfectly fine with what they are doing on these trials.

Wait, what? I thought vaccines only prevented you from catching a disease that you didn't already have. This one apparently reduces the symptoms of those already infected?

For example another herpes vaccine(Zostavax, the herpes zoster vaccine), for shingles which is the same virus as Chicken Pox helps elderly patients to lower the incidence and severity of shingles. It even works to some degree on Simplex 1 and 2 since the viruses are similar

 

[boiled goose]

The FDA is known to cater to applicants who throw some fetty their way.

He may have a point, I don't know much about this guy but I know the FDA has a history of pay for play and isnt the shining beacon of standards one would hope....

Citation needed

 

[Shadowhelper]

Man, this thread is just chock full of opinions and crazy statements without any proof to back them up.

Like you! If you're gonna claim that "many other doctors" have made vaccines like this you better back it up. Got a link? Got any receipts?

Yes, I have links. I found them on google in less than a minute.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4352706/

Subunit vaccines comprised of glycoprotein D (gD-2) failed to prevent HSV-2 highlighting need for novel strategies. To test the hypothesis that deletion of gD-2 unmasks protective antigens, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of an HSV-2 virus deleted in gD-2 and complemented allowing a single round of replication on cells expressing HSV-1 gD (ΔgD−/+gD−1).

Live attenuated vaccines are commonly used to prevent diseases such as measles mumps and chicken pox or shingles. These vaccines contain a harmless or weakened version of the disease-causing virus. Petro, González et al. have now developed a new potential vaccine that contains live attenuated HSV-2, which completely lacks glycoprotein D and thus cannot spread from cell-to-cell. When this weakened virus was administered to mice that have a poor immune system, the mice remained healthy. On the other hand, when Petro, González et al. treated similar mice with the wild-type HSV-2 virus instead, many mice died within a few days.

Petro, González et al. then went on to show that mice that had been treated with the weakened virus as a vaccine were completely protected from a later infection with wild-type HSV-2 and did not develop any symptoms of the disease. Furthermore, no virus was detected in the nerve cells of these mice—which is where the virus would normally persist in its dormant state. Finally, Petro, González et al. showed that blood serum from immunized mice could be used to completely protect other mice from exposure to wild-type virus. These results demonstrate that a live attenuated HSV-2 virus that lacks glycoprotein D (the main component of other failed vaccines) elicits a different type of immune response and is a safe and effective vaccine in mouse models of virus infection. With further work, these findings may eventually lead to a preventative treatment to combat HSV-2 infections in humans.

http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/rel...pends-traditional-approach-and-shows-promise/

The Einstein team took a completely different approach in designing their "live" HSV-2 vaccine.

When the vaccine, dubbed "delta-gD-2" ("delta" is shorthand for a gene deletion) was given to mice, it provided complete protection against subsequent infection with normal (wildtype) HSV-2, whether animals were challenged intravaginally or through the skin. No virus was detected in vaginal or skin tissue of vaccinated mice or in neural tissue, where HSV-2 often hides in a latent form only to emerge later to cause disease. When unvaccinated mice were challenged with wildtype HSV-2, all showed evidence of the virus in the three tissue sites, and all succumbed to the disease.

and another study
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01915212?term=herpes&rank=5


The lead is being buried. Halford has finally, after decades and billions of dollars wasted, created a therapeutic and preventative vaccine for herpes even while the FDA has only wanted to obstruct him. In a few years, we should be able to get a shot, and be immune from getting herpes.

People are asking why would the FDA intentionally only allow decades of failed subunit vaccines that most immunologists knew would never work? Well they already have anti viral HSV drugs, that are incredibly profitable and safe. You can't sue for something you don't try. Failed studies, or unpromising ones proceed for funding, is the main reason. When you take something to clinical trials, a lot of funding is generated and its incredibly expensive. Lots of people get rich. And subunit vaccines, are weak as hell, but also safe, so they like doing them. But they've been making failed HSV subunit vaccines for decades, and would continue doing so if it weren't for Halford.

There are other potential reasons too. It's a fact the FDA delays or outright denies better therapies or drugs to protect profit lines. They've also allowed less safe and less effective drugs to market. Done this for HIV and heart medication. But there are a shit load of failed subunit vaccine for HSV that few people had faith in. They've know how to make an effective herpes vaccine for years. It's close. Hate Thiel all you want, but don't let it be blind hate.

 

[Kentuchi]

It's a bit unfortunate how this is being received, the tone has been set from the article which is quite biased and the outrage is pouring in as was intended, most are just attacking the personality of Peter Thiel but I think it would be more constructive to do some independent reading on the effect the FDA is having on innovation (both positive and negative) instead of all this.

 

[I H8 Memes]

LOL this is not unethical. This article is some ignorant bullshit. Its unethical for the FDA to keep blocking vaccines they know can cure or greatly alleviate a deadly disease for some.

This herpes vaccine is made by one of the single most well respected and knowledgeable person in the field, Dr. Halford.

Halford went around the FDA because they have been playing a game of only allowing HSV vaccines that will fail, dna vaccines. While, Halfords vaccine, a live attenuated version of HSV, has been proven to work in labs and on humans themselves. It's the difference between a vaccine that attacks 1% of a virus, or a one that attacks over 99% of it. You don't need to be an immunologist, to know which one will work, and which one won't.

Many other doctors and scientists have also made HSV vaccines work with live attenuated vaccines. If you've been reading about this and following it, you will know Halford knows what he is doing and this article is kinda reactionary bullshit. Halford even injected his vaccine into himself, his family, and other HSV sufferers. Its proved to be safe and effective.

This vaccine, funded by many people, not just Thiel, is here now, and it works. Or we can keep allowing FDA and scamming scientists to keep defrauding the people to keep testing dna vaccines everyone knows is not going to work.

They could've made this Halford vaccine decades ago. This vaccines is probably going to consign herpes to other STD diseases, where we don't think its a big idea anymore.

I really dont care what the goal of this vaccine is or what the chances are it will be successful. I dont. I dont care because this is all just a vehicle for Peter Thiel to be able to fund unethical research. If you know the sociopath then you know his motivations. It's to live forever. And he wants to be able to fund any kind of research that will make that happen and a man like him doesnt care what happens along the way as long as he somehow doesnt have to die at the end.

 

[Silvard]

I really dont care what the goal of this vaccine is or what the chances are it will be successful. I dont. I dont care because this is all just a vehicle for Peter Thiel to be able to fund unethical research. If you know the sociopath then you know his motivations. It's to live forever. And he wants to be able to fund any kind of research that will make that happen and a man like him doesnt care what happens along the way as long as he somehow doesnt have to die at the end.

? That sounds great, I hope he succeeds in that. I don't agree with most of his views but we all stand to benefit from said research.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

For a chance to advance science or be held down by regulations. Hmmmm

 

[Frozenprince]

So he's got herpes then.

Immediate first thought.

fuck

Oh so more "fuck it lets just use black people nobody will care" part... I've lost count.

 

[Mistake]

So this doesn't cure it, only protects against it right? At least something is happening. I have mixed feelings. I mean, maybe he's crazy, but he injected himself and his family

 

[Shadowhelper]

I really dont care what the goal of this vaccine is or what the chances are it will be successful. I dont. I dont care because this is all just a vehicle for Peter Thiel to be able to fund unethical research. If you know the sociopath then you know his motivations. It's to live forever. And he wants to be able to fund any kind of research that will make that happen and a man like him doesnt care what happens along the way as long as he somehow doesnt have to die at the end.

Well, I don't see what this has to do with his immortality ambitions. This is about a common disease that still kills people. Its pretty common for babies to die when they kiss a family member with herpes, just one common method it kills. Immunocompromised people are regularly killed or blinded by HSV. HSV is also linked to Alzhiemers.

This article has gotten it wrong. Some people are jumping to the conclusion that this is some crazy libertarian free for all vaccine trial that is skirting the regulations, because this is Thiel and its outside of the FDA. Thats not what this is.

These clinical tests are the culmination of decades of research and testing on mouse models. Not only that, Halford tested this on himself, his family and HSV carriers. He put his own money on the line. Herpes is considered benign, and the FDA as a long history of obstructing herpes medication. They've had the same meds since the 70s. And a decade ago the FDA almost approved a much better anti viral, only not to. Only now they are once again fastracking that same medication, the reason is up for speculation. This is a renowned and dedicated immunologist along with a team of doctors testing a vaccine in the exact same 3 stage protocol that the FDA requires.

Peter Thiel was not there are the inception of this. Halford was planning on going outside of the FDA for a really really long time. Decades, literally. People are jumping to conclusions due to Thiel being a funder, and this being tested outside of the FDA. All sorts of drugs that FDA declines tested in America are tested in places like Japan or Australia. Not being under FDA is not automatically unethical.

 

[captive]

And that's why saying "everyone has herpes" is such bullshit. When people worry about getting herpes, they do not worry about a cold sore. Everyone does not have genital herpes. It honestly sounds like something people with genital herpes like to say to feel better about it.

It's not bullshit. Herpes is herpes. If you have cold sores you can give genital herpes to someone.

If you watch the Adam ruins everything video I linked to, or search any thread on gaf about it people act like having it is almost as bad as having aids. Having herpes is literally a non issue. And yes a vast majority of people have some variation of herpes.

 

[I H8 Memes]

Well, I don't see what the motivation of Thiel has to do with anything. This has nothing to do with his immortality ambitions. This has to do with a common disease that still kills people. Its pretty common for babies to die when they kiss a family member with herpes, just one common method it kills.

No. No. No. This has to do with the deconstruction of the FDA and ethical controls so a man can do whatever he feels he needs to do to live forever without pesky ethical standards slowing down the research. Without oversight. Because he feels he cant get what he wants unless he can do whatever he needs to do to get it. And soon, because he is already 50.

Dont be naive. Peter Thiel has as much interest in curing herpes as he did in helping Hulk Hogan. It's a means to an end.

 

[-COOLIO-]

OP, are you familiar with the specific FDA rules and regulations that Thiel is calling into question or are you assuming that the FDA is reasonable in their level of stringency without further research?

I'm not the biggest fan of Thiel, but it seems like we're just assuming that the FDA is in the right because airing on the side of safety and caution is usually prudent. But like with everything, things caaaan go to far.

I do not claim to know at this point.

And that's why saying "everyone has herpes" is such bullshit. When people worry about getting herpes, they do not worry about a cold sore. Everyone does not have genital herpes. It honestly sounds like something people with genital herpes like to say to feel better about it.

well, if you've ever had a cold sore you can give people genital herpes via oral sex if that makes it a bigger deal to you ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[NewFresh]

Well, I don't see what this has to do with his immortality ambitions. This is about a common disease that still kills people. Its pretty common for babies to die when they kiss a family member with herpes, just one common method it kills. Immunocompromised people are regularly killed or blinded by HSV. HSV is also linked to Alzhiemers.

This article has gotten it wrong. Some people are jumping to the conclusion that this is some crazy libertarian free for all vaccine trial that is skirting the regulations, because this is Thiel and its outside of the FDA. Thats not what this is.

These clinical tests are the culmination of decades of research and testing on mouse models. Not only that, Halford tested this on himself, his family and HSV carriers. He put his own money on the line. Herpes is considered benign, and the FDA as a long history of obstructing herpes medication. They've had the same meds since the 70s. And a decade ago the FDA almost approved a much better anti viral, only not to. Only now they are once again fastracking that same medication, the reason is up for speculation. This is a renowned and dedicated immunologist along with a team of doctors testing a vaccine in the exact same 3 stage protocol that the FDA requires.

Peter Thiel was not there are the inception of this. Halford was planning on going outside of the FDA for a really really long time. Decades, literally. People are jumping to conclusions due to Thiel being a funder, and this being tested outside of the FDA. All sorts of drugs that FDA declines tested in America are tested in places like Japan or Australia. Not being under FDA is not automatically unethical.

This is true. But I feel people jump on this as some kind of validation that the FDA is an evil organization out there keeping good drugs from good people, without knowing the requirements to get through FDA trials and requirements.

 

[zelas]

The lead is being buried. Halford has finally, after decades and billions of dollars wasted, created a therapeutic and preventative vaccine for herpes even while the FDA has only wanted to obstruct him. In a few years, we should be able to get a shot, and be immune from getting herpes.

People are asking why would the FDA intentionally only allow decades of failed subunit vaccines that most immunologists knew would never work? Well they already have anti viral HSV drugs, that are incredibly profitable and safe. You can't sue for something you don't try. Failed studies, or unpromising ones proceed for funding, is the main reason. When you take something to clinical trials, a lot of funding is generated and its incredibly expensive. Lots of people get rich. And subunit vaccines, are weak as hell, but also safe, so they like doing them. But they've been making failed HSV subunit vaccines for decades, and would continue doing so if it weren't for Halford.

There are other potential reasons too. It's a fact the FDA delays or outright denies better therapies or drugs to protect profit lines. They've also allowed less safe and less effective drugs to market. Done this for HIV and heart medication. But there are a shit load of failed subunit vaccine for HSV that few people had faith in. They've know how to make an effective herpes vaccine for years. It's close. Hate Thiel all you want, but don't let it be blind hate.

Yes, I think the lead is being buried by you.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Rational Vaccines, and its libertarian and anti-government investors, were already turned away once before this specific trail because they failed to adhere to FDA guidelines. Rational Vaccines, a company founded by William Halford, who is now dead (leaving co-founder and MOVIE PRODUCER Agustín Fernández III in charge) decided to completely side step them so they could go straight to human trials without any oversight or regulations that any first world government would require. They then hoped the their offshore human trials would show the same efficacy results or that they could massage their manuscript in a way to gain approval from more independent reviewers. It didn't. Some excerpts:

1. There are numerous exaggerations throughout the manuscript; e.g., the manuscript states ”... vaccines are safe and elicit complete protection against genital herpes..". However, neither safety nor efficacy has been demonstrated by the data presented.

4. The author presents results of 2 experiments on humans, the first one a safety study that he conducted on himself. While self‐experiments are generally permitted, these still require IRB review. Please provide assurance that this protocol was IRB reviewed and that the participant signed an informed consent. Unfortunately, data on 1 person does not prove safety of a product.

5. The subsequent Phase 1 study was conducted on a Caribbean island nation. Again, no information about IRB for this study is provided, and the trial does not seem to be listed on clinicaltrials.gov. The data for efficacy are based on self-report on participants who were questioned by the author and other staff before and after. As the author states ”self‐reported cessation of genital herpes... should be viewed with skepticism." Agreed.

6. On Figure 8, there is an impressively small p value. However, how it was derived is not shown. Given that there were only 17 persons in this study, it is unlikely that an appropriate statistical test for performed to obtain this result.

2. Criticism of the herpes vaccine field. This author has written similar critiques of the herpes vaccine before, including the claim that previous work has focused on glycoprotein subunit vaccines. The author is not the only one to propose virus‐based vaccines, contrary to the way the manuscript reads. There have been tests of live‐attenuated viruses and there are current tests of replication‐defective vaccines. The author dismisses the safety issues of live attenuated HSV as vaccines. To say that the previous trials violate the Hippocratic Oath (p. 11, line 37) because there has not been more rapid testing is unwarranted criticism. To say that ”the world has little to lose" (p. 19, line 35) by more rapid testing of live HSV viruses is reckless.

6. Flying U.S. trial subjects to St. Kitt for the immunizations and then flying them back to the US is ethically questionable. Who is giving the immunizations in St. Kitt and who is following them medically when they return to the US? Where is the clinical protocol based? Is this an end run around the FDA?

2. The author claims that he was the first to suggest the use of live mutant vaccines in 2007. Unfortunately, this is not true. Live attenuated vaccines were already described in the late 90s (reviewed in Aurelian, 2004)

So the one publication that was willing to give them a look ended up seeing this whole operation as the joke others already knew it was. Making claims with no data or insufficient data, committing surefire ethics violations had this been conducted in the US, failing to provide answers to basic questions necessary to even consider approval, pretending other live-attenuated vaccine work doesn't exist outside of his work, and arguably worst of all, using the "what do we have to lose" argument.


The issue here is libertarians are doing what they always do. Trying to minimize government institutions as nothing but road blocks that offer no benefit to society. The regulations and oversight are in place because experimental trials using humans and live viruses are risky ventures that could lead to serious consequences for those being tested and the population at large. IRB boards are also needed to keep watch just in case anything unforeseen goes wrong or to prevent straight up abuse of human subjects. We can keep mutated lab mice caged up, or even destroy them, but we cannot do the same thing with humans.

You'd hope that corporations are more than capable of following their own strict guidelines that wouldn't present ethical ror more tangible risks for the public without needing government regulation. But it has already been proven that any industry controlled by investors, whose top motivation is profit above all, sometimes (often) throw those concerns to the wayside. Volkswagen and their emission scandal, Massey Energy and Upper Big Branch, BP/Transocean/Halliburton and Deepwater Horizon are just a few recent examples.

The FDA isn't perfect, but they're on the ball when it comes to this study and its highly suspect results. Rational Vaccines is free to conduct clinical trials offshore and come back to the FDA, they just have to present the proper evidence when they're done. Except Rational Vaccines and its investors failed to even setup an IRB outside the US on top of failing across the board to fool their colleagues. So now they're resorting to politicizing the issue to get know nothing voters to neuter the FDA:

The push behind the vaccine is as much political as medical. President Trump has vowed to speed up the FDA's approval of some medicines. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who had deep financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, slammed the FDA before his confirmation for over-prioritizing consumer protection to the detriment of medical innovations.

”This is a test case," said Bartley Madden, a retired Credit Suisse banker and policy adviser to the conservative Heartland Institute, who is another investor in the vaccine. ”The FDA is standing in the way, and Americans are going to hear about this and demand action."

Fernández said he hoped the trials would put political pressure on the FDA to give the vaccine a closer look. He said his vaccine would be initially aimed at helping patients who experience the ”worst of the worst" symptoms. He believed the vaccine eventually would be shown to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease. According to the CDC, about 1 in 6 people ages 14 to 49 have genital herpes.

”I will not stop," said Fernández, who described the trials as his personal mission. ”Too many people are suffering." Before the trial, Halford tested the vaccine on himself and Fernández. After he failed to secure federal funding and an IRB, Halford moved ahead with the trial offshore.

They couldn't/refused to prove they had an effective vaccine so now the investors and special interests are using a dead man's INCOMPLETE research to whine about money. I encourage others to read the Kaiser Health News article about this situation. They do a more thorough job of explaining the true motivation behind Rational Vaccines and its financial backers, their specific issue with the FDA, and why the FDA and others aren't falling for this nonsense and aren't dropping protections designed to prevent abuse.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I thought we agreed as a species that the ends do not, in fact, justify the means when it comes to unethical human testing? I'm sure Thiel and his cronies would love to go back to the days of Tuskegee or exploiting homeless people, but the FDA exists so we can be better than that.

 

[Omegasquash]

I thought we agreed as a species that the ends do not, in fact, justify the means when it comes to unethical human testing? I'm sure Thiel and his cronies would love to go back to the days of Tuskegee or exploiting homeless people, but the FDA exists so we can be better than that.

Hopefully it stays that way, but with a shitshow spectacle president that put a corporate backed FDA director in place, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Politicizing issues has a way of breaking understandings. Guess there really isn't anything that we can take for granted anymore.

 

[uncredited male]

Oh so more "fuck it lets just use black people nobody will care" part... I've lost count.

Per the article they flew the people out there. Not saying they were or were not from certain groups however.

They flew 17 patients with pre-existing genital herpes cases there to get three shots of the vaccine.

 

[Vicetrailia]

So he tested this on black people?

Oh pre-existing, gotcha.

 

[shawnbuddy]

It's not bullshit. Herpes is herpes. If you have cold sores you can give genital herpes to someone.

If you watch the Adam ruins everything video I linked to, or search any thread on gaf about it people act like having it is almost as bad as having aids. Having herpes is literally a non issue. And yes a vast majority of people have some variation of herpes.

And only 20 percent of people have the variation that is genital herpes, so the bottom line is it IS bullshit to pretend that it's that common. This is like saying "everyone" has a staph infection.

As far as how this is being politicized, I'm sure Peter Thiel would love to weaken the FDA by portraying it as standing in the way of important research for no good reason. Some of the reasons that the FDA would supposedly block this type of research that have been thrown around in this thread sound similar to climate change denialists trying to justify why research that disproves climate change isn't taken more seriously.

 

[Elegant Weapon]

And only 20 percent of people have the variation that is genital herpes, so the bottom line is it IS bullshit to pretend that it's that common. This is like saying "everyone" has a staph infection.

As far as how this is being politicized, I'm sure Peter Thiel would love to weaken the FDA by portraying it as standing in the way of important research for no good reason. Some of the reasons that the FDA would supposedly block this type of research that have been thrown around in this thread sound similar to climate change denialists trying to justify why research that disproves climate change isn't taken more seriously.

ok, and how many have cold sores which is also herpes and is the usual cause of most cases of genital herpes?

herpes is common and most people don't even know they have it, there's no refuting that

 

[TwoDurans]

So we're assuming he's got herpes, right?