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Multiple treatment failures occur less frequently but remain associated with high mortality rates in North American cohort

Kelly Safreed-Harmon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Multiple treatment failures declined sharply from 1996 to 2005 in a large cohort of North American adults taking antiretroviral therapy, according to a study published in the November 15^th edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. However, mortality rates remained high among cohort members with multiple treatment failures.

People with HIV providing high quality treatment support in community

Mara Kardas-Nelson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

A study conducted in rural Kenya demonstrates that task-shifting HIV treatment programmes from clinic staff to community health workers, specifically those living with HIV, is both feasible and acceptable, giving support for further exploration of this model and providing alternatives to the physician-centred approach.

International donors must not retreat from commitment to HIV treatment scale-up, MSF warns

Keith Alcorn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

A retreat from international funding commitments for AIDS threatens to undermine the dramatic gains made in reducing AIDS-related illness and death in recent years, according to a new report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Reassurance for HIV-positive women about short-term risk of bone loss

Michael Carter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Short-term rates of bone loss are similar in younger HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, US investigators report in a study published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

Circumcision protects gay men who have a 'preference' for insertive sex from HIV

Michael Carter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Circumcision may protect gay men who are exclusively insertive for anal sex from infection with HIV, an Australian study published in the November 13^th edition of AIDS suggests.

Certain manifestations of stigma especially hurtful for people with HIV

Michael Carter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Specific manifestations of HIV-related stigma best predict psychological distress in HIV-positive individuals, Dutch investigators report in the November edition of AIDS. These include difficulties with health care workers and lack of frankness within the family, but also exaggerated kindness from family members.

GSK and Pfizer launch joint HIV venture, ViiV Healthcare

Roger Pebody — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer announced today that the joint venture created by the merger of their HIV divisions is called ViiV Healthcare. The deal was first announced in April, and aims to improve the two companies’ position in the HIV market by cutting costs, sharing research and combining sales operations.

New hepatitis C protease inhibitors achieve 80% ‘cure’ rate in patients with genotype 1 infection

Gus Cairns — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

A course of hepatitis C (HCV) combination therapy including the experimental HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir (VX-950) has produced a sustained viral response (SVR) in over 80% of treatment-naïve, hepatitis C-mono-infected patients with HCV genotype 1.

President Obama announces US HIV travel ban will end in January 2010

Michael Carter — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

US President Barack Obama has announced that the ban on HIV-positive travellers entering the US will finally end early in the new year.

Darunavir/ritonavir, etravirine and raltegravir combination has 'remarkable' success in children with resistant virus

Michael Carter — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

A combination of darunavir/ritonavir, etravirine, and raltegravir is “remarkably” effective in HIV-positive adolescents with extensive prior experience of antiretroviral therapy, French investigators report in the November 13^th edition of AIDS. The study involved twelve adolescents, and all but one had a viral load below 400 copies/ml after a year of treatment with this combination. Impressive improvements in CD4 cell counts were observed and there were no serious side-effects.