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 October 31, 2011
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HIV and Testosterone Therapy: Not Without Blood Cell Risk
Men living with HIV undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) should have their red blood cell count monitored regularly, according to a brief research letter published online ahead of print by the journal AIDS. The authors, from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and the University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical School in Chapel Hill, warn that TRT is associated with an increased risk of polycythemia—the over-production of red blood cells, which can lead to life-threatening blood clots.
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October 27, 2011
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TAG Finds No Growth in TB Investment
New data released by the Treatment Action Group (TAG) show that in 2010 the world spent less money in tuberculosis research and development than it did in 2009, the first time there has been no growth since TAG began tracing TB investments, according to a TAG statement.
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Cobicistat-Boosted Reyataz Pill in the Works
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Gilead Sciences are teaming up to bring another protease inhibitor-based fixed-dose combination pill to people living with HIV. The new formulation, according to an October 27 announcement by the companies, will contain BMS’s Reyataz (atazanavir) and Gilead’s still-experimental boosting agent cobicistat, which will allow for one-pill, once-daily dosing of both drugs.
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October 26, 2011
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An HIV Drug Delivery Patch in the Pipeline
ImQuest Biosciences, based in Frederick, Maryland, is developing a skin patch to deliver antiretroviral medications, according to a presentation at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition being held October 23 through 27 in Washington, DC. Though the patch is in very early stages of development—it has not yet been studied in animals, let alone humans—it holds great promise for people living with HIV, the researchers suggest.
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CDC Panel Recommends HPV Vaccine for Boys and Young Men
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on vaccines has recommended that boys and young men be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), The New York Times reports. The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that boys ages 11 and 12 should be vaccinated against HPV, the nation’s most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) and a known cause of cancer.
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October 25, 2011
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Policy Paper: Specialized HIV Care Must Be Maintained as Health Care Reform Begins
As access to health care expands under the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, it is critical that the effective components of HIV management already in place be recognized and continued as health care delivery systems evolve and expand in coming years. To ensure that all people living with HIV benefit, write members of the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition (RWMPC) in a new policy paper published by Clinical Infectious Diseases, innovative payment mechanisms and continued public health funding to support and expand specialized care will be necessary.
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October 24, 2011
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Victrelis Keeps Hep C Viral Load Undetectable for 24 Weeks in 7 of 10 Coinfected Patients
Seventy percent of people coinfected with HIV and genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) have undetectable HCV viral loads after 24 weeks of treatment with Merck’s HCV protease inhibitor Victrelis (boceprevir) combined with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, according to interim study results reported at the annual meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) on Saturday, October 22, in Boston.
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October 20, 2011
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Despite High CD4s, Unchecked Viral Load Linked to Higher AIDS Risk
Even when the CD4 cell count is above 350 there is an increased risk of AIDS-related illnesses—provided that viral replication remains unchecked—according to a new analysis from the EuroSIDA study published online ahead of print by the journal AIDS. The authors also suggest a slightly increased rate of non-AIDS-related illnesses when the CD4 cell count is above 500, notably when the viral load is very high, though it was not possible to entirely rule out confounders—health risks not accounted for in the study.
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October 19, 2011
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Death Rates Among People With HIV Vary Considerably From State to State, CDC Reports
Death rates among people with HIV are more than twice as great in many Southern states compared with other states, even after adjusting for racial and age differences, according to a sobering new analysis reported by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers. The findings, published online ahead of print by the journal AIDS, also suggest that death rates among people with HIV are high even in states where overall HIV-associated death rates are low in relation to those of the general population.
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October 18, 2011
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Life Expectancy at All-Time High in U.K. Cohort Study
ore good HIV survival news, this time from a cohort study conducted in the United Kingdom. Whereas a 35-year-old person living with HIV between 1996 and 1999 could expect to live an additional 20 years, revised estimates for 35-year-olds living with HIV between 2006 and 2008 suggest 31 additional years of life expectancy.
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October 17, 2011
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Complera Receives "Alternative" U.S. Treatment Guidelines Status
The once-daily fixed-dose combination tablet Complera (rilpivirine plus tenofovir and emtricitabine) has been added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s antiretroviral treatment guidelines as a second-tier “alternative” option for people living with HIV starting therapy for the first time, according to an update released Friday, October 14. Other changes include the removal of both Viramune (nevirapine) and Combivir (zidovudine plus lamivudine) as alternative treatment options—both are now considered third-tier “acceptable” options—by the DHHS guidelines committee.
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October 14, 2011
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HIV Integrase Inhibitors Isentress and Dolutegravir Continue to Show Well
Merck’s integrase inhibitor Isentress (raltegravir) continues to perform well, compared with Sustiva (efavirenz), after four years in people living with HIV starting therapy for the first time in the company’s STARTMRK clinical trial. For those who do develop HIV drug resistance to Isentress, the experimental integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (S/GSK-572) showed promise as a second-line treatment option in ViiV Healthcare’s VIKING study. Both sets of study conclusions were reported Thursday, October 13, at the 13th European AIDS Conference in Belgrade, Serbia.
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| October 13, 2011
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| October 12, 2011
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| October 11, 2011
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October 07, 2011
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HIV May Reproduce in Cells Other Than CD4s, Which Might Explain Brain-Related Problems
For the first time, researchers have shown that HIV can actively reproduce in a cell type other than CD4 cells, according to a new paper published October 6 by the online journal PLoS Pathogens. These findings, the authors explain, may help explain why antiretroviral therapy may not offer complete protection against HIV-associated neurological problems.
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New Hep C Treatment Guidelines Spell Out Incivek and Victrelis Use
Revised treatment guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) outline a significant change in the standard of care for people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Instead of 48 weeks of pegylated interferon and ribavirin, treatment should also include one of the two new protease inhibitors (PIs)—either Incivek (telaprevir) or Victrelis (boceprevir)—with the length of therapy based on the results of viral load testing at different time points, depending on which PI is used.
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October 06, 2011
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Vitamin D Supplements: Not Just for Bone Health
People living with cardiovascular disease or who are at risk for cardiovascular disease should seriously consider vitamin D supplementation, despite limits in supporting data, according to a review article published in the November 2011 issue of Clinical Endocrinology. Though the authors’ suggestions to head vitamin D supplementation recommendations from various medical groups don’t reference people living with HIV, advice designed to counter low vitamin D levels in various patient populations has long been considered applicable.
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October 04, 2011
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Isentress/Truvada Comparable to Sustiva/Truvada After Three Years
Isentress (raltegravir)based antiretroviral (ARV) therapy appears to work just as well as Sustiva (efavirenz)inclusive regimens (such as Atripla), with fewer blood lipid problems, for at least three years in first-time HIV treatment takers, according to long-term follow-up data from Merck’s STARTMRK study published in the October 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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