Anti-HIV treatment

Side-effects and illness

HIV and hepatitis C virus

Many people with HIV are also infected with hepatitis C virus, and the liver disease caused by this virus is an important cause of illness and death in such patients.

Treatment for hepatitis C is available, and about two-thirds of people with HIV who receive this treatment soon after they are infected with hepatitis C manage to clear it, as do a third of patients who receive anti-hepatitis C therapy when they’ve had the infection for some time.

Researchers have found that the type of anti-HIV treatment a patient receives might affect their response to therapy for hepatitis C. Two studies presented to CROI found that patients who received tenofovir had a better response to anti-hepatitis C treatment.

Earlier research found that there might be a reaction between abacavir and ribavirin, a key anti-hepatitis C drug.

HIV prevention

Criminal HIV transmission

A prosecution for reckless HIV transmission has been dismissed by a judge in Manchester. The judge didn’t think that there was enough evidence for the case to go ahead. The complainant had had unprotected sex with a number of men other than the accused, and had only ever had one HIV test.

The defence solicitor had successfully defended two other people accused of reckless HIV transmission.