HIV News at ICAAC/IDSA - Part 1
At the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), Tim Horn speaks with Roy M. Gulick, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at the Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University and the director of the Cornell Clinical Trials Unit in New York. In this first of a two-part interview, Dr. Gulick reviews some of the noteworthy HIV presentation at ICAAC/IDSA, including new data suggesting that antiretroviral therapy is most effective when started when the CD4 count falls below 500.

HIV News at ICAAC/IDSA - Part 2
At the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), Tim Horn speaks with Roy M. Gulick, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at the Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University and the director of the Cornell Clinical Trials Unit in New York. In this second of a two-part interview, Dr. Gulick reviews some of the noteworthy HIV presentation at ICAAC/IDSA, including new data from studies of antiretrovirals for first-time treatment takers and treatment veterans.

Truvada vs. Epzicom: The Debate Goes On
A handful of presentations at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) did little to settle the debate regarding the effectiveness of Epzicom (abacavir/lamivudine) compared with Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine). One presentation indicated that Epzicom may be the better bet for patients starting treatment with viral loads below 100,000 copies, and another indicated that Truvada is more likely to keep viral loads undetectable for 48 weeks when used with Norvir-boosted protease inhibitors.

Long-Term Benefits and Risks of Kaletra Monotherapy Explored in Two Studies
More than 10 years after combination HIV treatment was heralded as the one and only way to treat HIV, data continue to emerge suggesting that monotherapy—the use of just one HIV drug—may be a possibility. Long-term results from two Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) studies, reported at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), continue to show that there may be potential for two monotherapy approaches.

Greater HIV Response to Prezista vs. Kaletra for First-Timers Over 96 Weeks
Once-daily Norvir (ritonavir)-boosted Prezista (darunavir) is more likely to keep viral loads undetectable in HIV-positive people starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for the first time, compared with Kaletra (lopinavir plus ritonavir), according to new long-term study results.

Higher Response Rate with Norvir-Boosted Reyataz vs. Kaletra as First-Line Therapy
Long-term follow-up data from a study indicate higher response rates with Norvir (ritonavir)-boosted Reyataz (atazanavir) compared with Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) in HIV-positive patients starting therapy for the first time.

Isentress Comparable to Sustiva for First-Time Treatment
Isentress (raltegravir) appears to work just as well as Sustiva (efavirenz), with fewer drug-related side effects, in HIV-positive patients starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for the first time, according to a 48-week Phase III study analysis reported yesterday at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Selzentry Reanalysis Shows Potential as First-Line Treatment
Selzentry (Celsentri; maraviroc) is comparable to Sustiva (efavirenz) in HIV-positive patients starting antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for the first time, according to a new analysis of a study that originally suggested that Selzentry was less effective than the standard-of-care non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI).

Should ARV Treatment Be Started When CD4s Fall Below 500?
New research from a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers suggests that HIV-positive people have less risk of dying if they start antiretroviral (ARV) therapy sooner than is currently recommended, according to a presentation on Sunday, October 26, at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA).

PRO 140 Has Long-Lasting Activity Against HIV
Positive early results from a Phase II clinical trial of intravenous (IV) PRO 140, an experimental HIV entry inhibitor, were reported October 26 at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA). Separately, Progenics Pharmaceuticals announced this week encouraging results from a study evaluating a much more user-friendly subcutaneous (SC) formulation of PRO 140.

New NNRTI Called RDEA806 Shows Promise
Once-daily RDEA806, an experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) being developed by Ardea Biosciences, appears highly active against HIV, is unlikely to have significant interactions with other meds and may have a useful side effect—reducing uric acid levels.

Has HIV Evolved to Become More Dangerous?
Twenty-five years into the HIV epidemic, has the virus evolved to become more dangerous? This was the question asked by a research team headed by Nancy Crum-Cianflone, MD, of the TriService AIDS Clinical Consortium at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) in Washington, DC.

Drug-Resistant Staph: Growing Concern Among People With HIV
Skin infections caused by drug-resistant staph are more common and more likely to recur in people living with HIV, according to three new studies reported at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) last week in Washington, DC. The new data also suggest that the number of new infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased in recent years and that it is most likely to involve the buttocks and genital area in HIV-positive people.

High Number of Pulmonary Hypertension Cases in Naval HIV Cohort Study
The incidence of pulmonary hypertension—high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs—is significantly higher in HIV-positive people compared with the general population, according to a National Naval Medical Center cohort study reported at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) last week in Washington, DC.

Drug-Resistant Staph and HIV - Part 1
At the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), Tim Horn speaks with Nancy Crum-Cianflone, MD, MPH, a researcher and physician at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially serious drug-resistant bacterial infection that is becoming increasingly more common among people living with HIV. In part one of this two-part interview, Dr. Crum-Cianflone discusses the dangers of MRSA and the higher risk of the infection in people living with HIV.

Drug-Resistant Staph and HIV - Part 2
At the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), Tim Horn speaks with Nancy Crum-Cianflone, MD, MPH, a researcher and physician at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially serious drug-resistant bacterial infection that is becoming increasingly more common among people living with HIV.  In part two of this two-part interview, Dr. Crum-Cianflone discusses treatments for MRSA and some of the treatment challenges in HIV-positive people, as well as ways to prevent the infection.