Latest news from aidsmap
Study describes monkeypox cases among cisgender and transgender women
While most people with monkeypox in the current outbreak have been gay men, some women are susceptible as well. A new study published in The Lancet describes 136 cases among cisgender and transgender women, and non-binary individuals in 15 countries.
NAM news & opinion: Stop telling people I was born with HIV
Two young adults born with HIV write an open letter to people in the HIV advocacy space on respecting the confidentiality of people with perinatally acquired HIV.
Almost as many healthy years for people with undetectable HIV as HIV-negative people in South Africa
A recent study has found that people with HIV who achieve viral suppression under antiretroviral therapy have a life expectancy and a disability-free life expectancy almost similar to those of HIV-negative people in South Africa. They also have a greater chance of living a longer and healthier life than people with HIV not reaching viral suppression while on treatment.
Second-line HIV treatment durable for eight years in Uganda
A 10-year study in Uganda has found that people who switch to second-line antiretroviral therapy regimens can stay on them for a median of eight years without having a viral rebound.
Do broadly neutralising antibodies really have a future in treating HIV?
Although much research is currently exploring how broadly neutralising antibodies may help prevent, treat, or cure HIV, some scientists suggest that without substantially improving their performance, the antibodies’ future role in treating HIV may be scant.
Re-audit of hepatitis care in European HIV services finds improvement in most areas despite challenges
A re-audit of hepatitis care for patients living with HIV in four European countries, conducted by the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) and presented at last month’s Standard of Care for HIV and Co-infections in Europe meeting in Brussels, has found improvements in standards of service in most of the clinics audited.
PrEP chaos: how central Europe is suffering from inconsistent guidelines, random access, and healthcare stigma
The number of people able to access HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in most countries in central Europe is still in the tens to hundreds rather than the thousands, and there are no signs of immediate improvements, the recent EACS Standard of Care meeting heard.
South Africa to begin piloting injectable PrEP in early 2023
South Africa is expected to begin piloting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2023, health financing mechanism Unitaid tells aidsmap. The demonstration study will be the first of many hoping to answer the single biggest challenge for a rollout there and beyond: how to take a surprisingly complicated injection out of clinics and hospitals and into communities.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a way of preventing HIV infection. PEP involves taking a four-week course of the drugs used to treat HIV very soon after possible exposure to the virus.
We have recently updated our information page on PEP and have also published a new video on PEP facts.
News from the HIV Glasgow 2022 conference
Who is at risk of injectable treatment failure?
Three factors present before starting the combination strongly predict virologic failure of injectable antiretroviral treatment with cabotegravir and rilpivirine, Professor Chloe Orkin of Queen Mary University of London reported at the International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection (HIV Glasgow) last month. These factors can be used to identify people with HIV at higher risk of experiencing the failure of this regimen.
Large proportion of gay and bisexual migrants with HIV acquire the virus after arrival in France
At least 38% of gay and bisexual male migrants living with HIV had acquired HIV after moving to France, according to data from clinics in the Paris region presented at the conference.
‘Real world’ injectable treatment halves patient dissatisfaction, with only two viral failures in first six months
Early German data from patients taking injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB/RPV – Vocabria/Rekambys in Europe, Cabenuva in North America and Australia) in a demonstration project, shows that patient dissatisfaction with taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) halved after six months’ experience (involving their first four injections). During this time, 89.5% of participants remained on the therapy and with a viral load below 50 copies.
Increasing number of pregnancies in women who grew up with HIV
As more women with vertically acquired HIV in the UK reach reproductive age, their experiences and outcomes of pregnancy and birth continue to improve. Access to treatment, CD4 count and rates of undetectable viral loads during pregnancy have all increased. However, there are still knowledge gaps about their outcomes in pregnancy.
Survival prospects for older people with HIV plotted accurately by simple scoring system
A scoring system that can identify which older people with HIV have a poorer prognosis is just as accurate in Swiss people with HIV as in the French population, according to results of a Swiss study presented at the conference.
After viral rebound, dolutegravir-based treatment more likely to suppress HIV
Dolutegravir-based treatment is significantly more likely to result in re-suppression of HIV after viral rebound than treatment containing efavirenz, a meta-analysis of four large clinical trials has reported.
CD4 and white blood cell declines caused by islatravir are dose-related and reversible, but rule out using it for prevention
At HIV Glasgow, the drug company MSD (Merck in the US) presented the first detailed data on the unexpected side effects of its first-in-kind anti-HIV drug, islatravir. MSD showed that it should be possible to take a smaller daily dose of the drug without it causing the falls in CD4 cell, B-cell and total lymphocyte (white cell) counts that halted its clinical development almost a year ago.
Rapid scale-up of PrEP in Ukraine this year, despite the war
More than half the people on PrEP in Ukraine started it this year, and the country is hoping to further develop its PrEP services, Anna Koval of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine told the conference.
People with HIV not getting medication to prevent heart disease, despite high risk
Almost half of a large European cohort of people with HIV were at very high risk of heart attack by 2019, but a substantial proportion were not receiving medication to lower blood pressure or lipid levels, investigators from the RESPOND study reported at the conference.
So far, Poland has seen fewer Ukrainian refugees with HIV than expected
The number of refugees with HIV coming from Ukraine to Poland has so far raised the number receiving care in Poland by 16%, Dr Miłosz Parczewski, President of the Polish AIDS Society, told the conference.
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Editors' picks from other sources
Monkeypox mutations cause virus to spread rapidly, evade drugs and vaccines, study finds | Medical Xpress
A team of researchers at the University of Missouri have identified the specific mutations in the monkeypox virus that contribute to its continued infectiousness.
Climate change and HIV: what do we know so far? | Be In The Know
Growing evidence suggests climate change is affecting HIV epidemics in Africa and elsewhere.
UK criticised for ‘concerning’ decision to cut donations to global health fund | Gay Times
The UK is facing criticism for its decision to reduce the amount of money it donates to the Global Fund, which exists to fight three of the world’s deadliest diseases: AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The UK’s donation is a reduction from the £1.4bn it gave in 2019 and falls short of the £1.82bn the Global Fund was hoping it would pledge.
TB treatment can be cut to two months for some, finds landmark study | Spotlight
Some cases of tuberculosis (TB) can be successfully treated in as little as two months – a third of the current standard of six months. This is according to early findings from the landmark TRUNCATE TB trial presented at the Union World Conference on Lung Health.
Delays in global, affordable access to long-acting, injectable HIV medicines would cost lives, say AIDS campaigners | UNAIDS
Advocates are calling on ViiV to transparently and rapidly share details of their planned pricing strategy and to allow an expansion of the number of countries for eligible generic production and supply of cabotegravir.
Lenacapavir shows continued promise for people with drug-resistant HIV | POZ
The long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor worked well for harder-to-treat groups, such as those with a low CD4 count.