Due to the complicated nature and evasiveness of the herpes virus, it’s been difficult to develop a vaccine to manage or cure it. And, if a company is able to create this vaccine, it would certainly be a lucrative venture for them.
The
herpes simplex virus is prevalent in two-thirds of the population
under 50. And, despite continued efforts by companies to come up with
a vaccine, none has been able to. In fact, three companies carrying
out clinical trials for a herpes vaccine actually quit researching
the virus.
As
it stands, there are no clinical trials going on for the STD.
There
is a vaccine for hepatitis B, measles, mumps, chicken pox and more,
but not for the herpes virus. According to experts, the herpes virus
is quite complex. It works like cancer in that the body’s immune
system may not detect it easily. It can also stay dormant in the
body for many years before it makes a person sick.
There
are two types of herpes viruses – HSV-1 and HSV-2.
And,
once a person is infected with the virus, it stays there for good.
People can have the herpes virus and never know they have it.
There
are several anti-viral medication s that can treat the symptoms of
herpes, but there is no cure and no vaccine or other preventative
treatment.
The
herpes virus has a unique structure and behavior, which is why coming
up with a vaccine is so hard. It doesn’t act or look like any other
virus. It can hibernate in the body and may reveal itself from time
to time.
With
complicated DNA the immune system may not even notice it, similar to
the way cancer cells go unnoticed for some time. Vaccines are
effective in stimulating the body’s immune system, and without the
body noticing it’s got the virus, it’s been tricky developing a
cure or vaccine for it. There’s no way to target the treatment.
Although
biomedical and pharmaceutical companies would love to make a vaccine
for the herpes virus, it’s just too complicated to pull off. The
amount of research it will take as well as money makes it less than
lucrative. There have been companies that have tried researching it,
but it’s abandoned not long afterward.
Genocea Biosciences was in a Phase II clinical trial last year for the GEN-003 herpes vaccine. While some results were positive, it didn’t persuade the company executives to continue the project. They cut the program and will license out the infectious disease programs to others.
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