HIV/AIDS News and Research

RSS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

NIH announces it will share IP rights to some AIDS drugs in UNITAID Patent Pool

The NIH announced Thursday it will share intellectual property rights on some AIDS drugs in a patent pool designed to make treatments more widely available to the poor, Reuters reports.

4 Oct 2010

Research on immune system paves way to combat mother-to-infant HIV transmission

Researchers at Oregon Health &Science University may have uncovered a new weapon for combating HIV as it is passed from mother to newborn child. The research, which was led by researchers at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center, will be published in the October 3rd online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

4 Oct 2010

Media outlets look ahead to next week's Global Fund replenishment meeting

Ahead of next week's replenishment meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in New York, IRIN/PlusNews examines the challenges associated with trying to ramp up programs worldwide to meet global health targets.

4 Oct 2010

UTHealth receives funds for teen pregnancy prevention program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $15 million of its $155-million total package to a team led by Susan Tortolero, Ph.D., director of the UTHealth Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research.

3 Oct 2010

GSA urges treatment of sepsis as a medical emergency

The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. "Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care," said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of the Friedrich Schiller, University of Jena, Germany.

1 Oct 2010

Herpevac Trial for Women finds experimental vaccine ineffective in prevention of genital herpes disease

An experimental vaccine intended to prevent genital herpes disease in women, although generally safe and well-tolerated, proved ineffective when tested in the recently concluded clinical study known as the Herpevac Trial for Women.

1 Oct 2010

GHI won't compromise PEPFAR, Global AIDS Coordinator says at House Foreign Affairs' Committee hearing

During a House Committee on Foreign Affairs' hearing on the future of PEPFAR Wednesday, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby assured lawmakers that the decision by President Barack Obama to make PEPFAR part of the president's Global Health Initiative (GHI) would not compromise "the widely praised plan," CQ HealthBeat reports.

1 Oct 2010

Antiretroviral therapy does not reduce risk of HIV transmission

For married couples in which one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to the uninfected partner, according to a study from China in the October issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

1 Oct 2010

HIV/AIDS researchers, government officials track progress, forecast challenges for HIV vaccine development

More than 1,000 researchers, government officials and advocates are gathering in Atlanta this week to discuss the progress and future challenges in the development of a vaccine that protects against HIV, FierceVaccines reports (Carroll, 9/29). The AIDS Vaccine 2010 meeting, which kicked off Tuesday, will run through Friday, according to the website for the meeting (undated).

1 Oct 2010

NIH grants for UNC investigators to study HIV/AIDS prevention methods

Investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comprise one of 12 scientific teams in more than a dozen states that will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the criminal justice system.

30 Sep 2010

Prix Galien USA committee honors life saving innovations

The Prix Galien USA committee honored innovations that are saving lives last night during the Prix Galien Awards Gala. The Pro Bono Humanum Award, the Prix Galien USA 2010 and the Prix Galien International were presented and related accomplishments celebrated.

30 Sep 2010

UN Secretary announces global strategy for women and children's health at MDG summit

At the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) summit in New York this week, world leaders gathered to review progress on the eight goals agreed in 2000 on alleviating world poverty and ill-health by 2015. As the summit came to a close, governments, businesses and aid organisations made commitments totaling $40bn to reach the goals, with particular emphasis on improving maternal and child health.

30 Sep 2010

Discovery suggest a new direction for designing vaccines for rare HIV infection

New discoveries about the immune defenses of rare HIV patients who produce antibodies that prevent infection suggest a novel direction for designing new vaccines. Researchers at Rockefeller University and colleagues have now made two fundamental discoveries about the so called broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies, which effectively keep the virus at bay.

30 Sep 2010

Tobira completes $31 million Series B financing

Tobira Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative antiviral compounds to treat HIV disease, today announced the completion of a $31 million Series B financing. New investor Novo A/S is leading the round, joined by original investors, Domain Associates, L.L.C., Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Montreux Equity Partners and Canaan Partners.

30 Sep 2010

U.N. agencies' report examines global progress in fight against HIV/AIDS

"A record 1.2 million people in low- and middle-income countries started antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS in 2009" - a 30 percent increase from the previous year and a 13-fold increase in six years, according to a joint report released Tuesday by the WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, Reuters reports. In total, the report found that 5.25 million people received antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2009, three-quarters of them living in Africa (Migiro, 9/28).

30 Sep 2010

Researchers develop genetic screening method to identify drug-resistant HCV strains

In recent human trials for a promising new class of drug designed to target the hepatitis C virus (HCV) without shutting down the immune system, some of the HCV strains being treated exhibited signs of drug resistance.

30 Sep 2010

Opinions: U.S. aid to Pakistan; MDGS; GHI and Global Fund

The U.S. military has been working hard to provide flood assistance, but most of that is invisible to Pakistanis, David Ignatius writes in a Washington Post opinion piece. The article examines the views of Pakistani flood victims, including criticism of their own government's response.

30 Sep 2010

HIV AIDS drugs’ universal access dream remains improbable: Report

In a disappointing new report jointly commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN's AIDS programme and UNICEF it was revealed that only one third of people worldwide who need life-saving HIV drugs are actually getting treated. Universal access to these medicines has been the theme of effort but it was seen that that targets would not be met. The report urges the poorer countries must “substantially ramp up” the funds for HIV/AIDS.

29 Sep 2010

Swine flu no longer a threat to Americans: Report

According to the latest research most Americans are immune to the swine flu virus. Results of the study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, published in the journal mBio show that around 59 percent of the 310 million U.S. population has developed immunity to H1N1 either from exposure to similar viruses, vaccination, or natural H1N1 infection.

29 Sep 2010

School blood test breached guidelines: Investigation report

According to a report by an Education Department, a Tasmanian teacher who conducted blood tests on 19 high school students breached guidelines. The incident happened last month when a teacher at the Dover District High School took blood samples from the students using just two lancets for a science class experiment. These lancets were cleaned between pricks using methylated spirits. These spirits are inadequate when preventing blood borne viral disease like HIV and Hepatitis say experts.

29 Sep 2010