title: The social value of candidate HIV cures: actualism versus possibilism.
abstract: A sterilising or functional cure for HIV is a serious scientific challenge but presents a viable pathway to the eradication of HIV. Such an event would be extremely valuable in terms of relieving the burden of a terrible disease; however, a coordinated commitment to implement healthcare interventions, particularly in regions that bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic, is lacking. In this paper, we examine two strategies for evaluating candidate HIV cures, based on our beliefs about the likelihood of global implementation. We reject possibilist interpretations of social value that do not account for the likelihood that a plan to cure HIV will be followed through. We argue, instead, for an actualist ranking of options for action, which accounts for the likelihood that a cure will be low cost, scalable and easy to administer worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas Greig
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics; D060740:Disease Eradication / Q000379:methods*; D028663:Ethical Theory; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics; D010684:Philosophy; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: HIV Infection and AIDS; Research Ethics