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U.S. HIV/AIDS policy and funding should be guided by science, policy statement recommends

The IDSA Center for Global Health Policy and the HIV Medicine Association recently released a policy statement responding to the results of the HPTN 052 study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH, which found that people with HIV who received immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) were more than 96 percent less likely to sexually transmit the infection to their uninfected partners.

16 Sep 2011

New study aims to reduce number of pediatric pharmaceutical poisoning

Pharmaceutical poisoning remains a common childhood injury, despite years of concerted prevention efforts, such as improved safe guards on packaging. Over half a million children are exposed to pharmaceuticals each year. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics attempts to understand this growing problem to aid in the progress of reducing the number of childhood injuries due to pharmaceutical poisoning.

16 Sep 2011

Viewing video affects preferences for treatment of low back pain

Viewing an evidence-based video provides support to patients with low back pain in making decisions about whether to undergo surgical versus non surgical treatment, reports a study in a recent issue of Spine.

16 Sep 2011

Integrated health, education and water/sanitation programs can defeat disease and poverty

As governments prepare to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 19 and 20, a new report published by a group of six influential aid agencies provides clear and compelling evidence that a combined approach to tackling poverty and disease-that brings together work on water and sanitation, health, education, and nutrition/food security-achieves better results for the world's poorest.

15 Sep 2011

New research aims to control transmission of infectious diseases

New research aimed at controlling the transmission of diseases among humans, other animals and the environment is being made possible by grants from a collaboration among U.S. and U.K. funding agencies.

15 Sep 2011

E.U. announces launch of 126M Euro program to fight AIDS, TB in South Africa

European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced during a visit to South Africa on Monday that the European Union (E.U.) "will contribute 126 million euros to South Africa's fight against AIDS and tuberculosis (TB)," money that "will be used to improve South Africa's primary health care system, increasing access for patients," Reuters reports.

15 Sep 2011

Gender disparities in developing countries relatively small at birth but grow in adolescence, UNICEF report says

A UNICEF report released on Tuesday suggests that gender disparities between boys and girls in developing countries are relatively small in children's early years, but as children approach adolescence, gaps widen in areas such as education, health, nutrition and protection, Xinhua reports.

15 Sep 2011

Eli Lilly announces $30M commitment to fight NCDs in developing nations

Eli Lilly and Company announced today a $30 million commitment over five years to fight the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in developing nations.

14 Sep 2011

Inovio achieves best-in-class immune responses in PENNVAX-B HIV vaccine Phase I study

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of synthetic immunogens against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has achieved best-in-class immune responses in a Phase I clinical study of PENNVAX-B, its product for the prevention of the HIV sub-type prevalent in the US and Europe.

14 Sep 2011

Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir avoids grim AIDS predictions

When the only community health care center providing medical and psychosocial care for people living with HIV/AIDS in India's northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir "closed down six months ago for lack of patients, it was a sure sign that the north Indian state had beaten back dire forecasts," Inter Press Service reports.

14 Sep 2011

Rwanda to treat HIV-positive people in discordant relationships as soon as they test positive

After a landmark study published in May "showed major reductions in HIV transmission among discordant couples due to early treatment," Rwanda has decided to begin treating people in discordant relationships with antiretroviral therapy as soon as they test HIV-positive "as part of a plan to boost national HIV prevention and treatment efforts," PlusNews reports.

14 Sep 2011

UN report on illicit drug use worldwide

According to a new United Nations report the use of stimulant drugs of abuse like amphetamine, ecstasy and meth is increasing worldwide. The report adds that the growing trade in these illegal drugs and the high profits they bring to criminals are posing an increasing threat to health and security.

14 Sep 2011

University of Antioquia and IBM partner for Leishmaniasis research

IBM and University of Antioquia's Tropical Disease Study and Control Program (PECET) today announced a joint research project, Drug Search for Leishmaniasis, using computer power from IBM's World Community Grid.

14 Sep 2011

Computer models that predict response to treatment

Details of computer models that can predict the chances of a patient responding to their HIV drugs with 80% accuracy are published today in the journal AIDS. The models were developed by the HIV Resistance Response Database Initiative (RDI) using almost half a million pieces of data from approximately 6,000 clinical cases from hundreds of clinics around the world. The models are now available online as part of an experimental treatment support tool, HIV-TRePS.

14 Sep 2011

George W. Bush Institute forms public-private partnership to combat cervical, breast cancers in developing world

The George W. Bush Institute is forming a public-private partnership to use PEPFAR's existing infrastructure of doctors, nurses and clinics to expand screening and treatment of women for cervical cancer and perform breast cancer education in the developing world, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Sep 2011

AHF rolls out new national television ad campaign to address national AIDS drug crisis

As part of its ongoing advocacy effort to spur President Obama and his administration to address the growing national AIDS drug crisis, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is rolling out a new national television ad campaign headlined 'President Obama: Whose Side Are You On?'

13 Sep 2011

Government funding crisis in Swaziland disrupts supply of HIV/AIDS supplies

"An acute government funding crisis in Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy, is disrupting supplies of HIV/AIDS drugs and hampering the fight against the virus in the country with the world's highest infection rate, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Friday," Reuters reports.

12 Sep 2011

Health Canada approves Merus Labs' advanced wound care product, Collexa

Merus Labs International Inc. is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved its advanced wound care product Collexa. Collexa is exclusively licensed to Merus Labs by Innocoll for sales and distribution in Canada.

12 Sep 2011

Genetically modified ‘glow cat’ for HIV/AIDS research

U.S. researcher Eric Poeschla has produced three glowing genetically modified cats by using a virus to carry a gene, called green fluorescent protein (GFP), into the eggs from which the animals eventually grew. This method of genetic modification is simpler and more efficient than traditional cloning techniques, and results in fewer animals being needed in the process.

12 Sep 2011

Mayo Clinic develops genome-based immunization strategy against feline AIDS

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a genome-based immunization strategy to fight feline AIDS and illuminate ways to combat human HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The goal is to create cats with intrinsic immunity to the feline AIDS virus. The findings -- called fascinating and landmark by one reviewer -- appear in the current online issue of Nature Methods.

12 Sep 2011