Top Stories

Awareness, Testing Needed to Curb Hep C Infections Among HIV-Positive Gay Men
A new report by the National AIDS Trust (NAT), a leading HIV organization in the United Kingdom, concludes that much more needs to be done to address the burgeoning epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among gay men living with HIV.

January 30, 2012

Alcohol Treatment Boosts Hep C Cure Rates Among Drinkers
People who drink—even heavily—can successfully undergo treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) if they’re provided with individualized, multidisciplinary care that also addresses their alcohol use, according to a study published in the February 2012 issue of Journal of Hepatology.

Relationship Dynamics Key to Adherence in Partners PrEP
Harvard University researchers have found that heterosexual serodiscordant couples reported high adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) because they viewed PrEP as a way to preserve their relationship despite the pressures resulting from having different HIV statuses, according to an article in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and reported by aidsmap.

January 26, 2012

Kaiser Permanente Launches HIV Challenge
Nonprofit health care provider Kaiser Permanente (KP) has launched the "Kaiser Permanente HIV Challenge," an effort to push providers and clinics to improve access and results of care, according to a KP statement.

Rapid HIV Test Results From Blood Slightly Better Than Saliva
Test results from the Oraquick rapid HIV test are slightly more accurate when they use blood samples compared with saliva samples, according to a University Health Center of Montreal study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and reported by MedPage Today.

New Gilead GS 7340-Inclusive Fixed-Dose Combo Tablet Trial Announced
Gilead Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the start of a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate a modified version of its experimental “quad” fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet currently being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a company announcement.

January 25, 2012

Less than 1 in 2 HIV-Positive U.S. Residents Are in Regular Care
Less than half of people living with HIV in the United States are being retained in ongoing medical care, according to a new analysis by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators published online ahead of print by the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The sobering statistics, which include the finding that only two thirds of people testing positive for HIV are being successfully linked to medical care within a year of their diagnosis, help explain those of another recent CDC analysis indicating that only 28 percent of U.S. residents living with HIV have undetectable viral loads.

Activists Protest at FDA Against Approval of Truvada as PrEP
Activists from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) held a protest outside Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters because of their denied access to review Gilead Science’s application for Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), according to an AHF statement.

January 24, 2012

Many at Risk for Hep B in U.S. Aren't Getting Vaccinated
Missed opportunities to vaccinate people at the highest risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) explain why 80,000 people continue to be infected ever year in the United States, according to a new study published online ahead of print by the journal Infection.

Concerns on HIV Social Services Funds Going to Treatment
Some HIV/AIDS service providers are concerned that recent breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS treatment will have a negative impact on social services, New America Media reports.

January 20, 2012

Viread Approved for Children 2 and Up
Viread (tenofovir), Gilead Sciences’ nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor, has been approved for children living with HIV, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement. To facilitate correct pediatric use of the drug, the agency also approved a powder formulation for children between the ages of 2 and 5 and low-dose tablets to meet pediatric dosing needs.

CDC: Fewer Americans Having Unsafe Sex
The number of Americans who practice behaviors that put them at risk for HIV has declined significantly, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reported by HealthDay.

L.A. City Council Requires Porn Actors to Use Condoms
The Los Angeles City Council has given final approval to a city ordinance requiring porn actors to wear condoms while performing, the Los Angeles Times reports.

First PrEP Study for MSM in Europe to Launch
The first HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trial for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe is about to launch, according to a statement by ANRS (French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis).

January 19, 2012

Vitamin D May Protect Bone Health in Tenofovir Takers
Vitamin D supplementation may help prevent hormonal changes that can lead to bone loss among adolescents and young adults being treated for HIV with tenofovir—found in Viread, Truvada and Atripla—according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study published online ahead of print by Clinical Infectious Diseases.

An Aspirin a Day to Keep HIV-Related Cervical Cancer Away?
Might an aspirin a day help keep cervical cancer away? Though there aren’t yet any studies indicating it will, researchers have uncovered a biological connection between HIV-associated inflammation and cervical cancer that may be curtailed by the affordable and widely available drug.

January 18, 2012

Smoking, Not HIV Disease, Is Most Important Lung Cancer Risk
Cigarette smoking, not HIV disease-specific factors, is the most important risk factor for lung cancer in people living with HIV, according to a new paper in the British Journal of Cancer reported by aidsmap.

January 17, 2012

Many Young HIV-Positive Women May Benefit From Cervical Cancer Vaccine
Young women living with HIV may benefit from vaccinations that protect against cervical cancer, according to a new study showing that many HIV-positive women averaging 21 years of age are negative for the human papillomavirus (HPV) types typically associated with tumors, according to a new analysis. These encouraging findings were presented at the 2nd International Workshop on HIV and Women, held January 9 and 10 in Bethesda, Maryland, and were reported by the National AIDS Treatment Activist Project (NATAP).

AIDS Groups File Brief in Support of Health Care Reform
The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) and 15 other HIV advocacy organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief January 13 in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, according to a CHLP statement.

January 13, 2012

Study Confirms Viral Load Most Important Predictor of HIV Transmission
A new African study of heterosexual HIV-serodiscordant couples—in which one partner is positive and the other is negative—confirms that viral load is the most important factor influencing the risk of transmitting the virus, according to data published in the February 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The findings also stress the importance of other transmission variables, including condom use, age, male circumcision status and the presence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

January 12, 2012

Occasional Marijuana Smoking Does Not Impair Lung Function
Potential good news for marijuana users—occasionally smoking pot did not affect pulmonary function and may actually increase lung airflow rates and lung capacity, according to a new study published in the January 11 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Though the study does not speak to the pulmonary effects of marijuana smoking by people living with HIV, the results will likely help guide risk-versus-benefit analyses of marijuana use to alleviate a variety of disease-related symptoms.

Lower HIV Cases, AIDS Deaths in British Columbia
AIDS deaths and new HIV cases are decreasing in British Columbia, Canada, The New York Times reports.

January 11, 2012

Depression More Common Among HIV-Positive Women Than Men
Depression is more common among women living with HIV, compared with men living with HIV, according to an international study reported at the 2nd International Workshop on HIV and Women, held January 9 and 10 in Bethesda, Maryland, and highlighted by the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project (NATAP).

January 10, 2012

New Studies Under Way of Sangamo's Possible 'Functional Cure' Gene Therapy
Sangamo BioSciences has begun new clinical studies of its promising gene therapy SB-728-T, a potential “functional cure” for HIV infection, according to a January 9 announcement by the company.

January 09, 2012

Bonnie Goldman, Former Editorial Director of The Body, Dies
Bonnie Goldman, the former editorial director of The Body, died December 31 of breast cancer, The Body reports.

January 06, 2012

New Guidelines: Anti-Seizure Drug Selection for People Living With HIV
New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) have been published online ahead of print by the journal Neurology to help people living with HIV and their care providers choose seizure drugs that do not interact negatively with antiretrovirals (ARVs).

January 05, 2012

Effective Vaccine Against Virulent SIV Raises Hope for HIV
Researchers are reporting a high degree of success using a two-step vaccine strategy against a virulent, tough-to-neutralize form of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in monkeys, findings that could potentially spell success against HIV in humans, according to a paper published online by the journal Nature.

Walgreens Offers Enrollment Discount for Prescription Savings Club
The Walgreens drugstore chain is reducing by 75 percent the annual enrollment fee for its Prescription Savings Club—a discount program covering all generic medications and over 8,000 name brands—according to a Walgreens statement.

January 03, 2012

Experts Issue Early Guide for Hep C Protease Inhibitor Therapy in People Living with HIV
A small but influential group of hepatitis C virus (HCV) experts has published provisional guidelines on the use of HCV protease inhibitors (PIs) in people living with HIV. The guidelines, published ahead of print by Clinical Infectious Diseases, are based in part on recommendations made to the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to help guide the use of these drugs in people coinfected with both viruses in the absence of official approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and complete clinical trial results.

January 02, 2012

Lower HIV Makes NYC Life Expectancy Surpass National Rate
The life expectancy for babies born in New York City reached 80.6 years in 2009, the highest level recorded, which surpasses the national life expectancy rate of 78.2 years, The New York Times reports.