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CD4 Initiative selects Zyomyx's CD4 POC technology as best for measuring CD4 T-cell count in HIV/AIDS patients

Zyomyx, Inc., a leader in chip-based bioanalysis technologies, today announced that its readerless CD4 point-of-care (POC) technology was selected by Imperial College London's CD4 Initiative as the best-performing POC test method for measuring CD4 T-cell count in HIV/AIDS patients. Zyomyx's CD4 assay is now the only remaining POC product being supported by the CD4 Initiative.

17 Nov 2009

World's poorest countries fail to address HIV despite low cost and effective preventive health efforts

A proven and cost-effective strategy for turning the tide on global AIDS still remains significantly underutilized, World Vision warned in advance of World AIDS Day. Efforts to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of HIV must be urgently scaled up in high-prevalence countries to avoid needless infection of children, the Christian humanitarian organization said.

11 Nov 2009

Concert Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1b clinical study of its CTP-518 HIV protease inhibitor

Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1b clinical study with CTP-518, its investigational oral HIV protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV infection. In connection with the start of this multiple ascending dose arm of the Phase 1 study, Concert will receive a $12 million milestone payment under the company’s strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline.

9 Nov 2009

ART as part of HIV prevention strategy supported by WHO

"AIDS drugs should be given to all who need them to reduce new infections, the World Health Organization said," following a three-day meeting on the topic of using antiretroviral therapy (ART) to help prevent the spread of HIV, Bloomberg reports. "Providing more antiretroviral drugs 'will achieve a significant transmission benefit,' Teguest Guerma, interim director of the WHO's AIDS department, said … 'In the past, there has been a false dichotomy between prevention and treatment. …'That is really what has been corrected. Prevention and treatment are two faces of the same coin'" (Bennett, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

UCSF HIV researchers receive two NIH grants to improve health of HIV positive patients

UCSF HIV researchers have received two NIH grants of $1 million each to study the use of web-based, patient controlled personal health records to improve health and HIV prevention outcomes for HIV positive patients.

6 Nov 2009

MSF calls for sustained commitment to global HIV/AIDS funding

During a press conference on Thursday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned that the "global economic crisis and calls to commit funds to other health crises" threatened to undermine recent gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports. MSF "says money for other health issues should be given in addition to money for [HIV/]AIDS" (11/5).

5 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: Undernutrition in Afghanistan; Namibia's HIV clinics, outreach programs

A Lancet World Report examines the deadly toll undernutrition is having on the people of Afghanistan, where the "issues of poverty and undernutrition have received curiously little attention: about a third of the population, more than 7 million people, are food insecure, according the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP).

2 Nov 2009

AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival

As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar.

2 Nov 2009

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced 48-week data from an ongoing study (ETV-048) of chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated cirrhosis, in which BARACLUDE demonstrated greater viral suppression compared to adefovir. The new BARACLUDE data were presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

2 Nov 2009

Gilead Sciences to present Viread Phase III clinical trial data

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced the presentation of three-year (144-week) open label data from two pivotal Phase III clinical trials, Studies 102 and 103, evaluating the safety and efficacy of once-daily Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) among adult patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

2 Nov 2009

GAA welcomes Obama's announcement to lift HIV travel ban

The Global AIDS Alliance welcomes President Obama's announcement today to lift the 22 year-old U.S. travel and immigration ban on those living with HIV/AIDS. GAA Executive Director Paul Zeitz said "We congratulate President Obama on his decision to end this unfounded and discriminatory policy. This is an important sign of U.S. leadership and commitment."

31 Oct 2009

Replenish+ delays the progression of AIDS in HIV-infected patients not receiving ART

Data presented today from a 310 patient, 52 week, double-blind, controlled clinical trial demonstrates that a micronutrient supplement, Replenish+™ delays the progression of AIDS in HIV-infected patients not receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART).

31 Oct 2009

Grenadian Prime Minister calls for continued investment in Caribbean HIV/AIDS programs

During the 9th annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) - which kicked off this week in St. George's, Grenada - Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas called on leaders in the Caribbean to maintain their commitment to HIV/AIDS in the face of the global recession, CMC/Jamaica Observer reports.

31 Oct 2009

FDA approves the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with PEPFAR

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today marked the recent approval of the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aimed at the prevention, treatment, and care of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.

28 Oct 2009

Innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Saint-Petersburg Government Healthcare Institution’s Center for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases; AIDS, Statistics, Health, a respected regional non-governmental organization (NGO); and Saint-Petersburg Government Healthcare Institution’s Policlinic N109 are honored to announce that they are forming an innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and prevention services and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.

28 Oct 2009

Additional CFTR inhibitor technology licensed to Napo Pharmaceuticals

Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has in-licensed from the University of California Regents additional small-molecule cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) inhibitor technology including gastrointestinal (GI) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) indications.

26 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"The spread of dengue virus throughout the tropics represents a major, rapidly growing public health problem with an estimated 2.5 billion people at risk of dengue fever and the life-threatening disease, severe dengue," write the authors of a Lancet Infectious Diseases review that examines what is known about the virus and progress in the development of a dengue vaccine (Webster et. al, 11/09).

24 Oct 2009

Strict adherence in taking HIV medication; extremely difficult for many individuals

Highly active antiretroviral therapy has increased the longevity and quality of life for people living with human immunodeficiency virus. But it requires strict adherence in taking the medicine, something that is extremely difficult for many individuals to do.

23 Oct 2009

Merck's sales increases by 2% in third quarter 2009

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2009. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter of $0.90, which excludes a $1.7 billion after-tax gain from the sale of the company's interest in Merial Limited as well as restructuring charges and pre-closing merger-related expenses. Third-quarter GAAP EPS was $1.61.

22 Oct 2009

HIV stigma: a barrier for proper care

The feeling of stigmatization that people living with HIV often experience doesn't only exact a psychological toll -new UCLA research suggests it can also lead to quantifiably negative health outcomes.

22 Oct 2009

Antiretroviral News and Research

CD4 Initiative selects Zyomyx's CD4 POC technology as best for measuring CD4 T-cell count in HIV/AIDS patients

World's poorest countries fail to address HIV despite low cost and effective preventive health efforts

Concert Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1b clinical study of its CTP-518 HIV protease inhibitor

ART as part of HIV prevention strategy supported by WHO

UCSF HIV researchers receive two NIH grants to improve health of HIV positive patients

MSF calls for sustained commitment to global HIV/AIDS funding

Also in Global Health News: Undernutrition in Afghanistan; Namibia's HIV clinics, outreach programs

AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Gilead Sciences to present Viread Phase III clinical trial data

GAA welcomes Obama's announcement to lift HIV travel ban

Replenish+ delays the progression of AIDS in HIV-infected patients not receiving ART

Grenadian Prime Minister calls for continued investment in Caribbean HIV/AIDS programs

FDA approves the 100th antiretroviral drug in association with PEPFAR

Innovative new partnership to provide free HIV testing and HIV/AIDS medical care in Saint-Petersburg

Additional CFTR inhibitor technology licensed to Napo Pharmaceuticals

Recent releases in Global Health

Strict adherence in taking HIV medication; extremely difficult for many individuals

Merck's sales increases by 2% in third quarter 2009

HIV stigma: a barrier for proper care

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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