Four-month TB treatment matches six-month standard of care

Tuberculosis treatment for people without drug resistance can be shortened from six months to four months by replacing two drugs in the standard regimen with newer agents (high-dose rifapentine and moxifloxacin), results from a large international trial show. The results were presented at the virtual Union World Conference on Lung Health.

Could a multiple sclerosis medication be used against the HIV reservoir?

Researchers from the US and Canada believe that fingolimod represents “an exciting novel therapy for HIV infection”. In the scientific review PLOS Pathogens, they demonstrate through extensive test tube experiments that without affecting the viability of human cells, the drug can hinder several key steps of the HIV lifecycle.

Monoclonal antibody ibalizumab maintains HIV suppression for nearly a decade

Ibalizumab (Trogarzo), a long-acting monoclonal antibody that prevents HIV from entering cells, kept HIV suppressed for up to ten years in people with highly resistant virus, researchers reported at the virtual IDWeek conference.

Who benefits when men attend antenatal care with their partners?

Albert Dube and his colleagues wanted to know if policies designed to attract male partners of women patients in HIV and antenatal care had any effect. If so, was the effect beneficial or was it something more complicated? In order to find out, they interviewed people in three rural locations in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa.

Men living with HIV have an approximately 25% lower risk of prostate cancer, says meta-analysis

Rates of prostate cancer are approximately 25% lower among men living with HIV compared to men in the general population, a research team led by Dr Dianqin Sun of the National Cancer Center, Beijing report in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.

Test and treat reduces hepatitis C by 83% in Melbourne gay men with HIV

Testing and treatment for hepatitis C in gay and bisexual men with HIV in Melbourne reduced the prevalence of the infection by 83% between 2012 and 2019, Australian researchers report in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The findings are an example of hepatitis C micro-elimination.

Similar benefits and barriers to injectables for HIV prevention and treatment reported by US women

Injectable medications – either for HIV prevention and treatment – would be an attractive option for women living in the US, due to their perceived effectiveness, convenience, ease and greater confidentiality. However, barriers cited include potential side effects, increased clinic visits and fears regarding safety, according to two recent studies.

Taking isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) during pregnancy not associated with adverse birth outcomes

Pregnant women with HIV who took isoniazid to prevent tuberculosis were more likely to have a live birth and less likely to experience a miscarriage, South African researchers reported at the Union World Conference On Lung Health.

Study finds diabetes is associated with a 25% reduction in concentration of tenofovir in blood spot samples, but what are the causes and consequences?

Diabetes is associated with a 25% reduction in concentrations of the key anti-HIV drug tenofovir, investigators from the United States reported in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. They examined tenofovir diphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots obtained from 523 people living with HIV.

People are still having sex. So why are STD rates dropping? | New York Times

Public health officials believe many cases are going undetected as clinics close during the pandemic and testing supplies are diverted to coronavirus screening.

South Africa’s pioneer AIDS activists: Every citizen of South Africa should know their names | Daily Maverick

Dr Hermann Reuter of Médecins Sans Frontières recounts a recent journey back to Khayelitsha, Cape Town to track down some of the pioneers of AIDS treatment.

More research points to weight increases on TAF-containing HIV treatment | TheBodyPro

Although the mechanism and long-term implications remain unclear, these studies affirm that the effect is occurring – and that a person’s prior HIV treatment regimen may play a role.

A new strawberry-flavoured HIV treatment for children could improve adherence | Health-e

A new paediatric antiretroviral uses a fixed-dose treatment and child-friendly flavours to help parents administering HIV treatment to their children. The drug is a fixed-dose four-in-one combination of abacavir, lamivudine, lopinavir, ritonavir for infants and children under the age of three.

Could certain COVID-19 vaccines leave people more vulnerable to the AIDS virus? | Science

Certain COVID-19 vaccine candidates could increase susceptibility to HIV, warns a group of researchers who in 2007 learned that an experimental HIV vaccine had raised in some people the risk for infection with the virus.

COVID-19’s impact on HIV treatment less severe than feared | UNAIDS

While recent data collection has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on HIV testing services, the impact on HIV treatment is less than originally feared.