The race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.  With an estimated 9 million cases and almost half a million deaths worldwide[1], the virus remains a potent threat and the global science community is consumed with stopping its spread.  Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech says it could have a vaccine ready by fall[2].  American biotech company Moderna is currently in a Phase III clinical trial for its vaccine[3].  And many experts speculate that the FDA could approve at least one vaccine by year’s end[4].

Those familiar with vaccine development know that these companies are up against formidable odds.  Realistically speaking, it can take 10-15 years to develop a vaccine, test its efficacy, gain approval, and distribute it widely[5].  Accomplishing all this is in just 5 years is optimistic[6]; crossing the finish line in less than a year is unheard of.  Yet still, scientists are collaborating across borders at a scale never seen before, and many typical protocols and regulations are being sidestepped or lifted to aid rapid discovery.

While this is a source of hope for many communities devastated by COVID-19, the vaccine development race has shifted attention away from one area in which we’ve already seen a major medical breakthrough – there’s finally a cure for the herpes simplex virus.

A holistic treatment that works

For decades, researchers and scientists have worked tirelessly to find a cure for herpes and only one company has succeeded.  Synergy Pharmaceuticals, a multinational organization with operations in Australia and Singapore, crafted its Combination Herpes Treatment from five organic ingredients – L-Lysine, Tribulus, Astragalus, Rhodiola, and a Unique Amino Formula.  These ingredients work in tandem to generate T cells and macrophages, which help break down herpes’ viral envelope.  This weakens the virus, prevents cell-to-cell infection, and eventually eradicates it. In Synergy’s clinical research trials, 80% of genital herpes subjects who took the Combination Herpes Treatment for 4-6 months had negative blood test results for herpes (both HSV-1 and HSV-2)[7].  These subjects had previously been infected for years and now had no outbreaks or other herpes-related symptoms.  Follow-up blood tests showed there was no reoccurrence of the virus.  In short, they’d been cured.

The Combination Herpes Treatment proved more effective than any antiviral medication currently on the market and accomplished what many vaccine developers had failed to do.  Synergy Pharmaceuticals had achieved the unthinkable – a truly holistic treatment for a virus with no other known cure.  This was exciting news for millions of herpes sufferers[8], but not for companies in the vaccine business.

The business of vaccines

Recent years have seen some high-profile yet unsuccessful attempts at herpes vaccines.  Genocea’s drug trial program was shuttered in 2017[9].  Vical Incorporated’s study failed in 2018[10].  And Rational Vaccines, founded by the late Southern Illinois University professor William Halford, has been mired in controversy and criminal investigations over its initial clinical trials[11].

So, Synergy’s breakthrough should have been hailed as an achievement, one that many patients had been waiting for.  But that wasn’t the case.

Vaccines are big business, with the global market valued at $59.2 billion[12].  Of course, they have tremendous medical importance, as they’ve helped suppress or eradicate infectious diseases like measles.  And when certain populations forgo vaccinations or don’t have access to them, we typically see a rise in new infections.  But vaccines are also coveted because they generate revenue, often for just a few key corporate giants.

Take measles, for instance.  In the U.S., Merck is the only company licensed to offer a vaccine for the disease.  As a result, sales for its three vaccines – ProdQuad, MMR II, and Varivax – top $1.4 billion annually[13].  Imagine if another company infringed upon their market share with a viable holistic option that worked more effectively.  Merck would likely do everything in its power to protect its profits, in lieu of providing patients with more options.

This is perhaps why Synergy’s cure for herpes hasn’t received widespread attention.  In addition to taking a backseat to COVID-19 coverage, the Combination Herpes Treatment threatens to eat into the profits of herpes antiviral drug manufacturers and of any companies with hopes of finding, and selling, a vaccine.

The competition is likely relieved that reports of Synergy’s groundbreaking work have been buried in the news.  Yet still, this major development must be celebrated and shared.  Ultimately, these kinds of medical discoveries aren’t about company revenue – they’re about the patients.  By suppressing this information, herpes patients all over the world are being denied their right to a happy, outbreak-free life.

Media Contact

Company Name: Synergy Pharmaceuticals

Contact Person: Media Relations

Email: info@synergy-pharmaceuticals.com

Phone: (0)38-397-2300

City: Sydney

Country: Australia

Website: www.synergy-pharmaceuticals.com