News from aidsmap
HIV infection may become rare in UK gay men by 2030, researchers say
An analysis of HIV diagnoses and incidence in English gay and bisexual men has found that new HIV infections fell by more than two-thirds between 2013 and 2018. If this trend continues, new HIV infections could become a rare event in the gay population, and there is a 40% chance that England could hit the World Health Organization/UNAIDS target of only one HIV infection in 10,000 gay men per year by 2030. Given that the estimated HIV-negative gay male population of England is about 475,000, this would imply only 80 new cases of HIV per year.
The prevalence of HIV-related cognitive impairment is massively overestimated, experts say
The way researchers assess and identify HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders is not fit for purpose, a viewpoint article in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests. Studies typically find that around half of people with HIV meet the criteria for a disorder, which does not fit with the modern clinical experience that relatively few people living with HIV have cognitive impairment affecting their daily lives.
Liver transplant outcomes improve in people with HIV and hepatitis C
Survival after a liver transplant has improved significantly in people with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection since the introduction of direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C, US researchers report in the journal Transplantation Direct.
PrEP decreases HIV incidence by nearly 80% in west African men, despite suboptimal adherence
HIV incidence among west African men taking PrEP fell by 79%, when compared to an earlier cohort of men who did not have access to PrEP, a study has found. This is despite adherence not being optimal for most men, especially among those taking event-driven PrEP.
Spanish studies highlight scale of late presentation and its consequences for treatment
Just under half (44.6%) of participants in a cohort of people living with HIV between 2004 and 2018 were late presenters, Spanish researchers report. They also found that HIV treatment is less effective at improving immune response but equally as effective at suppressing viral load when people start treatment after their immune system is already weakened by HIV.
Countries that criminalise same-sex relationships, sex work and drug use have poorer HIV outcomes
Countries that criminalise same-sex relationships, sex work and drug use have significantly more people with undiagnosed HIV and lower rates of viral suppression than countries that do not criminalise, or criminalise these areas to a lesser extent. Countries with human rights protections in place fared much better than those without on these HIV-related indicators, according to an analysis.
High rates of adolescents living with undiagnosed HIV in five high-burden countries
High rates of undiagnosed HIV were found amongst adolescents (aged between 10-19) across five high-burden countries in southern Africa, while the low rates of undetectable viral loads in those accessing treatment raises concerns around treatment effectiveness. This is the first study to estimate the number of adolescents living with HIV across Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini and Lesotho.
People who use drugs who are homeless good candidates for PrEP with appropriate support
The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program more than doubled the number of PrEP prescriptions among people who use drugs who are experiencing homelessness compared to the previous year after adopting an innovative, low-threshold model of care.
HIV treatment choice affects improvement in liver after hepatitis C cure
People with HIV who were cured of hepatitis C experienced greater reductions in liver stiffness if they were taking an antiretroviral regimen that contained a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), Spanish researchers report in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
Diabetes often underdiagnosed or undertreated in people living with HIV
The rate of missed diagnosis of diabetes among people living with HIV and engaged in HIV care may be significant, according to a French study published in PLOS ONE. The study has also found that rates of undertreated diabetes in this population were surprisingly high. Additionally, participants with diabetes were at elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.
Blog: Forty years a survivor
Gus Cairns, Editor at NAM aidsmap: I wrote this post originally for a Facebook group for long-term survivors of HIV, partly in response to comments that implied that calling yourself a long-term survivor was to claim a kind of special status.
Injectable HIV therapy should only be given after a check for innate resistance, French study suggests
A French study of pre-existing mutations in different subtypes of HIV – both alterations due to drug resistance and naturally-occurring ones – has found that a significant proportion of people starting HIV treatment had mutations in their HIV which, while not necessarily affecting the performance of either drug in themselves, could predispose them to virological failure when other factors such as poor adherence or lower absorption are present.
aidsmapCHAT: Pride special
Tonight, we are broadcasting an aidsmapCHAT Pride special. Joining Matthew Hodson and Susan Cole are LGBT rights campaigner, Lisa Power; trans writer and campaigner, Juno Roche; National Advisor for LGBT Health at NHS England, Dr Michael Brady; and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell. Join us at 6pm (UK time) on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
You can catch up with the first three episodes of this series of aidsmapCHAT on aidsmap.com.
Could you write for aidsmap?
We’re looking to recruit people to write for aidsmap as part of our Emerging Voices programme. Emerging Voices gives new writers the opportunity to gain experience and develop their skills and in a professional and supportive environment. Applications close on 5 July (9am UK time).
Editors' picks from other sources
GSK's ViiV, under threat from Gilead-Merck collab, eyes 'ultra-long-acting' HIV drugs with Halozyme deal | FiercePharma
Halozyme’s Enhanze technology allows drugs that are otherwise given in high doses by intravenous injections to be converted into subcutaneous injectables, offering convenience for patients.
Listening to the voices of migrants living with HIV in the Russian Federation | UNAIDS
Lack of information, legal uncertainty, language barriers, stigma and discrimination, gender inequality and inability to return to their country of origin prevent migrants in the Russian Federation from accessing HIV prevention and testing services and information on HIV.
Intentionally delayed pharmaceutical innovation under perverse incentives: Gilead's HIV pipeline as a case study | Health Affairs
Gilead’s development, pricing, and marketing of tenofovir disoproxil fumurate (TDF) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) offer a lens into how current incentives to innovate new pharmaceuticals may perversely delay patient access to clinically superior products while simultaneously increasing prescription drug costs.
A UN message on HIV, what advocates say | AVAC
On the face of it, the Political Declaration at the fifth High-Level Meeting on AIDS, passed with overwhelming support, includes much to applaud. But the vote was not unanimous; various member states undercut the basic commitments to human rights and political divisions could well threaten the targets and the ultimate achievement of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Open letter to the CDC: networks of people living with HIV demand a moratorium on molecular HIV surveillance | US PLHIV Caucus
We demand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issue an immediate moratorium on the use of molecular HIV surveillance as a pillar of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America until adequate safeguards protecting the privacy and autonomy of people living with HIV are implemented.
PrEP in Europe webinar
Last Tuesday, PrEP in Europe held the first part of its webinar on PrEP for women in Europe.
The webinar included presentations by Dr Sylvain Chawki, infectious disease physician and researcher in Paris; Dr Ana Silva-Klug, STI clinician and PrEP programme co-ordinator at the University Hospital of Bellvitge in Barcelona; and Irene Ogeta, Associate Program Officer at ATHENA Network, Nairobi.
The second part of the webinar will be on Tuesday 13 July.