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The epidemic, then and now >> The discoverer of the HIV virus looks back by MATTHEW HAYS
Montagnier's credit for discovering HIV didn't come without a fight. An American doctor, Robert Gallo, claimed he and his researchers had discovered the virus first. This led to an international scientific rivalry and legal battle, which was finally laid to rest in 1987 when U.S. President Ronald Reagan and French President Jacques Chirac signed a compromise agreement which recognized Gallo and Montagnier as "co-discoverers" of HIV (this despite the fact that records indicate quite clearly that Montagnier made the discovery first). Meanwhile, in the midst of the legal wrangling, Montagnier's research team discovered a second strain of the virus in 1986, proving that HIV was mutating--at an unsettling pace--into new strains. On the phone from New York, Montagnier says declarations about the end of AIDS are gravely mistaken. "The crisis is not over. Protease inhibitors are not a cure. People are doing much better, but we have no idea how long that will last. More and more variations of the virus are showing up. Also, only 10 per cent of all AIDS patients in the world have access to this sort of treatment. It's very expensive and not available in developing nations." Ironically enough, he says the alleged success of the treatments has become an obstacle for those on the front lines of the war against AIDS. "The main problem now is in people's minds. They think they can be cured and that we don't need to spend as much money. For a vaccine and new treatments this is a real danger. People who are now being treated are carrying the virus and if they don't take precautions there's a possibility of a second wave of infection." Montagnier says the new treatments do prove one thing: HIV causes AIDS. Some dissenting doctors and scientists have argued it doesn't. "It's not a very convincing argument. On the contrary, there's more and more evidence that HIV does cause AIDS, because medications which have improved patients' conditions are those which act on HIV." The evolution of medical care itself has been altered by the AIDS crisis, something which Montagnier says is one of the most intriguing things about the illness. "I think the association between clinicians and patients has changed. Basically, the patients became active partners in the fight against the disease, rather than just passive patients, and that the doctor should also listen to his patients. "The pharmaceutical companies have been quite good in the development of new drugs, but haven't been so good with the development of a vaccine. They don't show much interest because it would be less rewarding in terms of money. That's why it's so important not to just leave the company alone like that but have public money involved as well." Montagnier concedes development of a vaccine will be tricky, given HIV's track record for mutation. "The virus has an unusual number of variants and as the virus progresses there will be more and more variants. We'll need a vaccine that will cover a broad range of infection. I certainly think it's a possibility. "It's like a race, but we have to continue the race. We're not finished with AIDS yet." Dr. Luc Montagnier will deliver his lecture, "15 years later: Looking Back on the Pandemic" on Thursday, November 12 at 6pm at Concordia's Hall Building, Room 110. The lecture will be preceded by a jazz performance by Danielle François at 5:30pm Admission is free. Info: 848-4234
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If anyone would understand the clinical history of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, it would be Dr. Luc Montagnier. The French physician, who now conducts research at Queen's University in New York, is credited with discovering HIV in 1983.