AIDSmeds - Top Stories

Topical Version of Protease Inhibitor May Treat HPV
British researchers at the University of Manchester have discovered a new use for an already approved HIV treatment.

Second Facial Filler for HIV Lipoatrophy Receives Approval Recommendation
BioForm Medical, Inc. announced on August 24th that an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended the approval of Radiesse? for use in the correction of lipoatrophy (loss of fat) of the face associated with HIV treatment.

August 24, 2006

T-Cell Protein May Be HIV Treatment Opportunity
Researchers have reported what they see as an important breakthrough in fighting HIV.

August 22, 2006

IAC: Is Kaletra Monotherapy Possible?
Ten years after combination HIV treatment was heralded as the one and only way to treat HIV, data are emerging to suggest that monotherapy—the use of just one HIV drug—may, in fact, be a possibility.

August 21, 2006

IAC: Sustiva vs. Kaletra? We Have a Likely Winner
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) currently recommends either Sustiva® (efavirenz) or Kaletra® (lopinavir plus ritonavir) — in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) — for HIV-positive people starting treatment for the first time.

August 18, 2006

IAC: Lead Researcher Discusses KLEAN
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Joe Eron from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and lead investigator of KLEAN.

IAC: Markowitz on MK-0518
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Martin Markowitz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and one of the investigators who announced very promising results about MK-0518.

August 17, 2006

IAC: Lexiva Measures Up to Kaletra
Final data from a 48-week study comparing Norvir® (ritonavir)-boosted Lexiva® (fosamprenavir) to Kaletra® (ritonavir-boosted lopinavir) reported today at the XVI International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Toronto indicate that these two protease inhibitor (PI) options have comparable safety and effectiveness.

IAC: Maraviroc Less Effective but Safe for Some
Results from a clinical trial presented at the XVI International AIDS Conference (IAC) indicate that maraviroc, Pfizer's experimental entry inhibitor, may be of limited benefit in HIV-positive people with a specific form of HIV.

IAC: Vicriviroc Shows Promise
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group has reported results from a clinical trial of vicriviroc, an experimental entry inhibitor being developed by Schering-Plough.

IAC: Data, Access for Integrase Inhibitor
Preliminary results from an ongoing clinical trial of MK-0518, Merck's experimental integrase inhibitor, suggest that it has comparable anti-HIV activity to Sustiva® (efavirenz) after 24 weeks of treatment.

IAC: Encouraging TNX-355 Data
Forty-eight week results from a phase II clinical trial of TNX-355, an HIV-entry inhibitor, were reported today at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

IAC: Growth Hormone for Lipo
Following on the heels of a published clinical trial showing that recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment is associated with reductions in unhealthy fat seen in HIV-positive people with lipodystrophy, encouraging results from a second study were reported today at the XVI International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Toronto.

IAC: Kotler Responds to Critics of FRAM
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Donald Kotler, Chief of Gastroenterology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and one of the investigators in the controversial FRAM study.

August 16, 2006

IAC: Tibotec VP Discusses Latest On Prezista
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Alan Tennenberg, Tibotec's VP of Clinical Affairs, regarding the latest clinical data on Prezista, the newly approved protease inhibitor.

IAC: Markowitz on the Supervirus Case
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Martin Markowitz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center for our first-ever podcast. Dr. Markowitz reported the case of a New York City gay man who, in early 2005, rapidly progressed to AIDS after becoming infected with a multiple-drug-resistant strain of HIV.

IAC: Nutritional Boost CD4 Counts
Longtime nutrition advocate Jon Kaiser, MD, and his colleagues presented data at the XVI International AIDS Conference regarding the effects of micronutrient supplementation on CD4 cell counts (T cell counts).

IAC: Meds Improve Growth and Body Composition
New data reported at the XVI International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Toronto indicates that HIV treatment dramatically improves growth and body composition in HIV-positive children.

IAC: Fauci Gets Grilled
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID at the NIH, and head of AIDS research for the U.S. government.

IAC: Activist Gonsalves Slams Gates & Clinton
AIDSmeds Founder Peter Staley interviewed Gregg Gonsalves, former Director of Treatment & Prevention Advocacy at GMHC, and recent Cape Town-based activist for the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa.

IAC: Challenges of Reaching Countries in Need
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million people in sub-Saharan Africa are currently receiving HIV treatment.

August 15, 2006

IAC: Encouraging Data on Etravirine (TMC-125)
Researchers at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto have reported 48-week results from a phase II clinical trial of etravirine (TMC-125), Tibotec's experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI).

IAC: 48-Week Prezista POWER Results Presented
Additional results from two ongoing clinical trials of Prezista (darunavir), Tibotec, Inc.’s protease inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June, suggest that the drug offers prolonged treatment effects for HIV-positive people with limited treatment options.

August 14, 2006

IAC: Serostim As Immune-Based Therapy?
Recombinant human growth hormone (Serostim®), best known as an approved anti-wasting treatment and an experimental anti-lipodystrophy agent, has entered an unexpected area of HIV treatment research: immune-based therapies.

IAC: Four Drugs Vs. Three
Is a four-drug regimen any more effective than the current three-drug standard? Not according to a recent study reviewed at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

August 09, 2006

Lipodystrophy in Women: More Data from FRAM
New data from a large study indicates that a loss of fat (lipoatrophy) is a common occurrence in HIV positive women.

August 08, 2006

Dosing Questions May Slow TNX-355 Development
Tanox, a Houston-based pharmaceutical company, has been instructed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to complete another round of preliminary clinical trials of its entry inhibitor TNX-355 before moving the drug into advanced studies.

August 01, 2006

New Genetic Test Ready for Prime Time?
Independent Forensics, an Illinois-based company specializing in paternity testing and DNA evidence used in criminal investigations, has begun marketing a genetic assay intended for HIV-positive people.

HIV Hides from Treatment in the Gut
A University of California research team has discovered that HIV is able to survive the antiviral effects of treatment by hiding out in the mucosal tissues of the intestine.