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FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., an emerging leader in infectious disease, announced today that it has received FDA clearance to commence a Phase II proof-of-concept trial for its lead compound IkT-001. IkT-001, a host-directed kinase inhibitor, is intended to clear JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection, the causative agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

17 Aug 2011

South Africa expands AIDS program to allow earlier ARV treatment

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) on Saturday endorsed a new National Health Council policy to expand the country's AIDS program "to allow people living with HIV to start antiretroviral [ARV] treatment earlier" by raising the CD4 count necessary to access treatment from 200 to 350, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Aug 2011

East African profiles new GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley

The East African profiles Seth Berkley, the new CEO of the GAVI Alliance and founder and former CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

16 Aug 2011

HIV prevention must include economic empowerment of women

"Transactional sex, sexual intercourse driven by material exchanges," occurs worldwide, but "[i]n poor regions with high HIV prevalence rates like sub-Saharan Africa … transactional sex poses an even higher threat to one's wellbeing and health because the chance of HIV infection is greater," Daniella Choi, staff member at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, writes in CSIS' Commission on Smart Global Health Policy blog.

12 Aug 2011

Thorne acquires global rights to Q-Cell, an advanced formulation Coenzyme Q10

Thorne Research, Inc., a leader in developing and manufacturing pure, high quality nutritional supplements marketed through licensed healthcare practitioners, has acquired exclusive global rights to market Q-Cell, an advanced formulation Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplement formerly marketed under the brand name Q-Best.

12 Aug 2011

NSAIDs like ibuprofen slow the spread of breast cancers

Published online on Aug. 7, 2011, the journal Nature Medicine reports that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen reduce the severity of postpartum breast cancers in animal models.

12 Aug 2011

Three approaches for HIV testing among African American MSM

The odds for effectively detecting HIV in African-American men vary by method, researchers have found. The study, which appears in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, suggests that HIV-prevention efforts must be multi-faceted, taking into account differences in within this demographic.

12 Aug 2011

Pakistan faces HIV/AIDS spreading from high-risk groups to general population

"For a long time, perceptions of Pakistan as a conservative Muslim country encouraged a belief that HIV/AIDS incidence would be non-existent or very low," but "with the number of HIV cases rising, the government finally included it in its 2009 national health policy," BBC News reports.

11 Aug 2011

CDC Director lauds India for TB and tobacco use control efforts, urges preparations to fight NCDs

CDC Director Thomas Frieden, who currently is visiting India and who previously worked with the Indian government assisting in tuberculosis (TB) control, praised the country's "progress in controlling tuberculosis and tobacco use" on Monday during a speech to health practitioners and policymakers, according to the Wall Street Journal's "India Real Time" blog.

11 Aug 2011

FDA approves Gilead's Complera for treatment of HIV-1 infection

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Complera, a complete single-tablet regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve adults.

11 Aug 2011

Aeras, OETC announce initiation of new TB vaccine Phase IIb trial in patients with HIV

Aeras and the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium (OETC) announce today the start of a Phase IIb proof-of-concept efficacy trial of a new investigational tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that involves people living with the human immunodeficiency virus.

11 Aug 2011

Once daily HIV ‘combo’ drug approved in U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval to a once daily HIV treatment that combines Gilead Sciences Inc.'s drug Truvada with Johnson & Johnson's drug Edurant, Gilead said Wednesday.

11 Aug 2011

U.S. delegation in South Africa to renew bilateral relationship, create sustainable partnerships in health

This post on the Center for Strategic and International Studies's Commission on Smart Global Health Policy blog examines tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa, "which has the highest tuberculosis infection rate per population and accounts for 5 percent of the global TB burden."

10 Aug 2011

The graying of HIV and AIDS

At 57, Bill Nissley he still leads an active life - traveling, teaching tennis to budding young players, conversing in five languages with whomever he can find. But Nissley is growing older, and that in itself is astounding. The Santa Monica resident has coexisted with human immunodeficiency virus since testing positive in 1987, which led to him contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1998.

10 Aug 2011

Proportion of new HIV cases increasing among older population in China

The case of a Chinese man nearly 80 years old who was recently diagnosed with HIV is "shedding light on a segment of the Chinese population said to be overlooked by the country's AIDS education efforts," according to "a recent report from state-run media Xinhua News Agency," the Wall Street Journal's "China Real Time" blog reports.

10 Aug 2011

Researchers clarify role of two proteins key to T-cell development

In the latest issue of Nature, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarify the role of two proteins key to T-cell development.

9 Aug 2011

Novel link between two receptors mediates fungal recognition in macrophages

Whitehead Institute researchers have uncovered a novel association between two fungal recognition receptors on the surface of certain immune cells, called macrophages.

9 Aug 2011

Roundup: Calif. adult day care plan?; R.I. shift to Medicare; Texas mental health coverage

State health officials are circulating a plan they say will help keep about 35,000 elderly and disabled Californians out of institutionalized care when Medi-Cal stops offering an adult day healthcare benefit in December.

9 Aug 2011

GE Healthcare receives FDA clearance for Optima CT660 system

GE Healthcare today announced FDA clearance of Optima CT660 - a powerful and compact Computed Tomography (CT) system offering improvements from its predecessors in diagnostic capabilities at low dose levels, and designed for sustainability and ease-of-use.

9 Aug 2011