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 November 30, 2009
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WHO Guidelines: Treat Earlier, Treat Breast-Feeding Women, Avoid Zerit
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its international HIV treatment recommendations, urging providers to prescribe antiretroviral (ARV) treatment earlier; to use less toxic and more patient-friendly drugs; and, for the first time, to treat HIV-positive breast-feeding women with ARVs to reduce the chance that they’ll pass HIV to their babies through breast milk. The new recommendations were announced today on the WHO website.
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November 25, 2009
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HIV Heart Disease Risk Might Be Underestimated
Current tools for evaluating an HIV-positive person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) could be underestimating the actual risk, according to a study presented at the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) conference in Cologne, and reported by aidsmap.
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Intelence Receives Full FDA Approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) Intelence (etravirine).
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November 24, 2009
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Low Bone Density in HIV-Positive Men
HIV-positive men had a very high rate of decreased bone mineral density (BMD) for their age, according to a study published December 1 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Protease inhibitors increased the likelihood of low bone density, while high testosterone levels had a protective effect.
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November 23, 2009
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FDA Approves Selzentry for Treatment First-Timers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the entry
inhibitor Selzentry (maraviroc) for people just starting antiretroviral (ARV)
therapy for the first time, according to an announcement by the drug’s maker,
ViiV Healthcare.
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November 20, 2009
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PI Resistance Reduces Bevirimat Potency
Some disturbing news for treatment-experienced patients holding out for Myriad Genetics’ maturation inhibitor bevirimat: According to a study published online November 18 in AIDS, resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs) reduces the effectiveness of bevirimat in up to 45 percent of cases.
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| November 19, 2009
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November 18, 2009
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Hep C Therapeutic Vaccine Shows Hints of Efficacy
A hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutic vaccine—designed to boost immune control of the virus in people already infected with HCV—has demonstrated that such an approach might work, according to a study presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) Conference in Boston, and reported by aidsmap.
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November 17, 2009
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Early Treatment, Non-AIDS Disease Management Stressed in New European Guidelines
Antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is now recommended for certain people living with HIV with CD4 counts between 350 and 500 cells, according to new HIV treatment guidelines released this week by the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS). The revised recommendations, which hint at similar changes to U.S. HIV treatment guidelines expected this winter, also review the screening, prevention and management of many non-AIDS-related diseases that are more likely to be documented in people living with HIV.
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November 16, 2009
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Low Vitamin D Levels in Alpine HIV Study
A new study adds to the evidence that vitamin D deficiency is common in people living with HIV. The new data, from an Italian study reported last week at the 12th European AIDS Conference in Cologne, Germany, and summarized by the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project (NATAP), underscore the potential importance of testing for and treating low vitamin D levels to thwart the increased risk of bone deterioration and immune system dysfunction in those infected with the virus.
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CDC: Sexually Transmitted Infections Remain High in U.S.
Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis remain at high levels in the United States—particularly among teens—according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported on by Reuters. All three of these sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase the risk of HIV transmission.
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November 13, 2009
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HPV Therapeutic Vaccine Works in an Early Trial
A therapeutic vaccine designed to help the immune system better control human papillomavirus (HPV) was nearly 50 percent effective in eliminating precancerous genital lesions, according to a study published November 5 in The New England Journal of Medicine. These encouraging data raise hopes for treating other HPV-related cancers, notably of the cervix and anus.
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November 12, 2009
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Higher Viral Loads Associated With Metabolic Syndrome
People with higher HIV levels are more likely to have a cluster of symptoms—called metabolic syndrome—associated with cardiovascular disease than people with lower viral loads, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
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November 11, 2009
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New Retrovir Dosing for Kids
Dosing for the antiretroviral drug Retrovir (zidovudine) for children has been expanded and revised, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Whereas the drug had formally been recommended for children six weeks and older, it can now be used in newborns who are only 4 weeks old.
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November 10, 2009
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Topical Treatment Works Well for Anal Lesions
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), a topical liquid sometimes used to treat genital warts, may also be useful as a therapy for anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
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November 09, 2009
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Crystal Meth Accelerates HIV Reproduction
Crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth) speeds up HIV replication in both test tube studies and in specially bred HIV-infected mice, according to a study published in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.
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November 06, 2009
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Rochester Researchers Explore Possible HIV-Associated Hearing Loss
Specialists in HIV and in hearing at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York State and are gearing up to conduct what they believe is the first large study to examine potential connections between HIV infection and hearing loss. The study, announced in a November 5 press release, is being supported by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
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November 05, 2009
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No Heart Rhythm Problem With 25 mg of Rilpivirine
People taking a 25 mg once-daily dose of rilpivirine (TMC278) had no signs of trouble with their heart rhythm, according to a study presented November 1 at the Infectious Disease Society of America conference in Philadelphia and reported by the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project (NATAP). These study results are encouraging, as this is the dose being explored for use in people starting HIV treatment for the first time.
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November 04, 2009
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Many HIV-Positive Swiss MSM Have Chlamydia—and Don’t Know It
More than 10 percent of Swiss HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) were infected with rectal Chlamydia trachomatis—many without knowing it—according to a study published November 15 in Clinical Infectious Diseases and reported by aidsmap.com.
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November 03, 2009
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GSK and Pfizer Launch HIV-Specific Drug Company
GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer announced November 3 the launch of ViiV Healthcare, a collaboration between both pharmaceutical companies’ HIV drug divisions. The new company, based in London and the United States, aims to address needs specific to those living with HIV worldwide through investing in innovative research and by offering improved patient access to treatment.
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November 02, 2009
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Coffee Lowers Risk of Hep C Progression
People with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had a 53 percent lower risk of liver disease progression than those who didn’t drink coffee, according to a study published in the November issue of Hepatology and reported by ScienceDaily. The people in the study were infected only with HCV and not with both HIV and HCV.
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