Antiretroviral News and Research

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HHS and PEPFAR approve the 100th HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drug

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today marked 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.

7 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: U.S. aid to Somalia; Nigerian health workers strike; male circumcision in Swaziland; PEPFAR in Uganda

The U.S. State and Treasury departments together with USAID have reached an agreement that will allow several aid agencies in Somalia to receive humanitarian grants upon meeting several conditions, "unlock[ing] millions of dollars in relief resources that had been on hold due to US anti-terrorism rules," IRIN reports.

7 Oct 2009

News outlets continue to examine findings of recent U.N. report

News outlets continue to mine through the findings of the U.N.'s 2009 progress report on HIV and AIDS.

3 Oct 2009

HIV/Aids five times more prevalent in American prisons than in general population: Study

HIV/Aids is up to five times more prevalent in American prisons than in the general population. Adherence to treatment programs can be strictly monitored in prison. However, once prisoners are released, medical monitoring becomes problematic.

1 Oct 2009

Over 4M people living in low- and middle-income countries have access to ART, U.N. report says

More than 4 million people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries had access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) by the end of 2008, according to a report released Wednesday by the WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, the Associated Press reports.

1 Oct 2009

Investigational vaccine regimen 31% effective in preventing HIV infection

In an encouraging development, an investigational vaccine regimen has been shown to be well-tolerated and to have a modest effect in preventing HIV infection in a clinical trial involving more than 16,000 adult participants in Thailand. Following a final analysis of the trial data, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the trial sponsor, announced today that the prime-boost investigational vaccine regimen was safe and 31 percent effective in preventing HIV infection.

27 Sep 2009

Phase III clinical trial of investigational HIV vaccine regimen complete

Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (“GSID”) announced today that a Phase III clinical trial of an investigational HIV vaccine regimen has been shown to be safe and modestly effective in preventing HIV infection. The double-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted in Thailand among more than 16,000 volunteers.

25 Sep 2009

NTMs: Rising cause of severe lung diseases

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental organisms found in both water and soil that can cause severe pulmonary (lung) disease in humans. Pulmonary NTM is on the rise in the United States, according to a large study of people hospitalized with the condition.

25 Sep 2009

It is possible to reduce the risk of HIV infection with a vaccine: AVAC

"Today marks an historic milestone in the search for an AIDS vaccine; we now have evidence that it is possible to reduce the risk of HIV infection with a vaccine," said AVAC executive director Mitchell Warren, reacting to the results of the first AIDS vaccine trial to ever show efficacy at preventing HIV. "It will take time and resources to fully analyze, understand and validate the data, but there is little doubt that this finding will energize and redirect the AIDS vaccine field as all of us begin the hard work to translate this landmark result into true public health benefit."

24 Sep 2009

Funding, health professional shortage could prevent South Africa from reaching 2011 ARV target, Health Minister says

South Africa's shortage of health professionals combined with a budget shortfall of over $130 million for the government's HIV programs could keep the country from reaching its goal of providing 80 percent of the people living with HIV/AIDS in need of treatment with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by 2011.

17 Sep 2009

Study: Antiretroviral drugs may prevent HIV infection in women

Hopeful that some of the same antiretroviral (ARV) drugs used to treat HIV infection can also prevent it, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network have enrolled the first participants into a new, large-scale clinical trial testing two approaches of the strategy in women.

17 Sep 2009

VOICE clinical study for testing the efficacy of two HIV prevention strategies

A new, large-scale clinical trial is examining whether antiretroviral medications normally used to treat HIV infection can also prevent HIV infection in women when applied as a vaginal gel or taken as oral tablets once daily.

16 Sep 2009

Matrix Laboratories receives tentative FDA approval for its NDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its privately held Indian subsidiary, Matrix Laboratories Limited, has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Efavirenz, Lamivudine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Tablets, 600 mg/300 mg/300 mg.

16 Sep 2009

MSD's ISENTRESS approved by the EU Commission for treating HIV-1 infection in adult patients

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) announced today that ISENTRESS® (raltegravir) has been granted an expanded licence from the European Union Commission (Commission) for use in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) medicinal products for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adult patients, including adult patients starting HIV-1 therapy for the first time (treatment-naïve), as well as treatment-experienced adult patients.

15 Sep 2009

Phase II VICTOR-E1 clinical study results reported

Schering-Plough Corporation today reported long-term data with vicriviroc, its investigational CCR5 receptor antagonist, from an ongoing, open-label extension of the Phase II VICTOR-E1 study in treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients.

15 Sep 2009

Limited health literacy linked with poorer access to health information

People who struggle with poor reading and math skills experience problems understanding instructions from health care providers and adhering to treatment, according to a new research review.

15 Sep 2009

Phase III STARTMRK clinical study on ISENTRESS in comparison to efavirenz

ISENTRESS , an integrase inhibitor from Merck & Co., Inc., was studied in comparison to efavirenz in maintaining viral load suppression to undetectable levels (less than 50 copies/mL) and at improving CD4 cell counts in previously untreated (treatment-naïve) HIV-1-infected patients through 96 weeks in a Phase III study called STARTMRK.

14 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: PEPFAR in Swaziland; GSK HIV patent pool; Pediatric ARVs in Uganda; PNG declares health emergency; Israeli, ECOWAS agreement; Somali children

PEPFAR on Wednesday donated eight computers to Swaziland's Ministry of Health to aid in the country's ability to track the progress of the nation's HIV/AIDS programs, the Swazi Observer reports. According to the newspaper, the computers will be distributed to regional clinics across the country (Masilela, 9/10).

10 Sep 2009

Non-invasive CR-2000 Research System to be used in START clinical trial

Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc., today announced that its non-invasive HDI/PulseWave CR-2000 Research System (CR-2000) has been selected for use in the Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment (START) substudy on Arterial Elasticity that will examine blood vessel function and cardiovascular risk during HIV infection.

10 Sep 2009

INSPIRE Phase I/IIa study data to be presented at ICAAC

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced that data from an interim analysis of its INSPIRE Phase I/IIa study of HIV-infected patients with low CD4 T cell counts treated with a three injection cycle of the Company’s investigative immune-modulator, recombinant human Interleukin-7 (CYT107), will be presented during an oral late breaker session at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), to be held September 12-15, 2009, in San Francisco, CA.

9 Sep 2009