Medical Breakthroughs

Thanks to continuous innovation in medical sciences and biotechnology we have seen amazing breakthroughs in medical technology and pharmaceuticals in the past two decades. These breakthroughs would not have been possible without incentives for inventors and investors.

We can still only cure or treat 5% of all known diseases. Reducing incentives for innovation and intellectual property rights would risk finding cures for the remaining 95%.

Immunotherapy, also called biologic therapy, is a type of cancer treatment that boosts the body's natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function.

Hepatitis C infection is treated with antiviral medications intended to clear the virus from your body. The goal of treatment is to have no hepatitis C virus detected in your body at least 12 weeks after you complete treatment. Researchers have recently made significant advances in treatment for hepatitis C using new, "direct-acting" antiviral medications, sometimes in combination with existing ones.

HIV is treated with antiretroviral medications, which work by stopping the virus replicating in the body. This allows the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage. A combination of HIV drugs is used because HIV can quickly adapt and become resistant.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is a method to track glucose levels throughout the day and night. CGM systems take glucose measurements at regular intervals, 24 hours a day, and translate the readings into dynamic data, generating glucose direction and rate of change. Having this context helps CGM users proactively manage glucose highs and lows, plus gives added insight into impacts that meals, exercise and illness may have on an individual’s glucose levels.

Repairing and modifying genes has never been more precise than with this method. CRISPR-Cas9 is a unique technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding or altering sections of the DNA sequence using bacteria. It is currently the simplest, most versatile and precise method of genetic manipulation and is therefore causing a buzz in the science world.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve (nerve for hearing). It may help someone with hearing loss restore or improve the ability to hear and understand speech. A cochlear implant is different from a hearing aid. A hearing aid makes sounds louder but may not significantly improve speech understanding. There are now over 250,000 patients benefiting from such an implant.

Sources:

https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/immunotherapy-and-vaccines/understanding-immunotherapy
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/treatment/
https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-crispr-cas9
https://www.dexcom.com/continuous-glucose-monitoring
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-c/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354284
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/cochlear-implant-surgery

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Medical Breakthroughs

We can still only cure or treat 5% of all known diseases. Reducing incentives for innovation and intellectual property rights would risk finding cures for the remaining 95%.

Sources:

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