AIDS isn't unbeatable. The world has the technological capacity to find a cure. However, a solution will require using these resources intelligently. Looking for corporate villains to blame won't solve the problem. Thus far, the only type of treatment with even moderate success in slowing the spread of HIV in infected patients relies on a class of drugs called protease inhibitors.
Protease inhibitors are far from a cure-all, however.
In order to work effectively, they must be taken in large quantities, since even a small quantity of HIV protein unbound by the drug can easily spread the virus. Consequently, the new AIDS drugs slow the spread of the disease only when taken under an intense, closely supervised program. Because the virus develops drug resistance so easily, patients must take a combination of different inhibitors to knock out the virus, changing the regimen frequently. Every year or so the regimen changes. I have more than ten prescriptions to keep track of.