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

PK/PD data demonstrates clear relationship between TBR-652 plasma concentrations and antiviral activity

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data for TBR-652, which is being developed by Tobira Therapeutics for the treatment of HIV infection, show a strong relationship between drug exposure and viral suppression with this next-generation CCR5 receptor antagonist. These data were presented here today at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).

18 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary to address on health disparities at NABJ conference

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will deliver the keynote address at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference on Health Disparities, March 4-6, 2010 at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center, Kaiser Family Foundation, 1330 G. Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

18 Feb 2010

UCSF receives $1.15M grant to integrate family planning into HIV treatment and care

UCSF has received a $1.15 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to determine if integrating family planning into HIV treatment and care will increase contraceptive use and decrease unintended pregnancy among HIV-positive women. UCSF will partner with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Ibis Reproductive Health to conduct the research.

18 Feb 2010

Gilead Sciences’ “Quad” regimen for HIV exhibits antiretroviral activity comparable to Atripla

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced Phase II clinical trial results today showing that its investigational fixed-dose single-tablet “Quad” regimen of elvitegravir, GS 9350 (cobicistat) and Truvada® (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of HIV infection exhibited antiretroviral activity comparable to that of Atripla® (efavirenz 600 mg/ emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg).

18 Feb 2010

Phase 3b ODIN study of once-daily PREZISTA in HIV-1 adults presented at CROI 2010

In a new study of treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected adults with no PREZISTA® (darunavir) resistance-associated mutations (RAMs), 72 percent of patients in the PREZISTA/ritonavir (r) (800/100 mg) once-daily arm achieved undetectable viral loads (<50 copies/mL) compared with 71 percent of patients in the PREZISTA/r (600/100 mg) twice-daily arm. The study met its primary objective of non-inferiority. These data from the Phase 3b ODIN study were presented today at CROI 2010, the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, in San Francisco.

18 Feb 2010

Asuragen announces agreement to develop and manufacture RNA Control Kits for Affymetrix

Asuragen Inc., a leading molecular biology diagnostic company and service provider, today announced an agreement to develop and manufacture RNA Control Kits for Affymetrix. The RNA Control Kit is intended for use with in vitro transcription (IVT) reagent kits for clinical molecular diagnostic applications that Asuragen has licensed and supplied to Affymetrix.

18 Feb 2010

Utah tries to improve state health insurance exhange; Mich. plans for doctor shortage

The Salt Lake Tribune: "State health reform got a boost Tuesday with House passage of a fix-it bill to improve the Utah Health Exchange, an online tool for purchasing health insurance. Pitched as a free-market approach to lowering costs for small businesses, the exchange has had limited success. Only 400 people are receiving health insurance in its experimental first stage. And some of its 66 plans are up to 130 percent more expensive than what some companies were already paying. That's because insurers are calculating premiums differently 'inside' and 'outside' the exchange, said House Speaker Dave Clark" (Stewart, 2/16).

17 Feb 2010

AHF to protest Merck’s Isentress pricing and policies at CROI

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a protest Wednesday morning, February 17 at 8:00am targeting Merck and Co. Pharmaceuticals over the pricing and policies for its key HIV/AIDS drug, Isentress, the most expensive first-line AIDS treatment in the US, during the 17th Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco.

17 Feb 2010

Low-income nations lack advanced e-health tools that can help them achieve better health outcomes

In an essay in the February 2010 issue of Health Affairs, a special issue of the journal devoted to global e-health, William Tierney, M.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, and colleagues, who like Dr. Tierney have significant experience in the development of workable health information technology systems in low-income countries, identify critical steps toward allowing developing countries to cross the "digital divide" to realize the full potential of e-health to improve the quality and efficiency of their health care systems.

17 Feb 2010

FDA approves risk management program on ESA's for treating anemia due to chemotherapy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a risk management program to inform healthcare providers and their patients about the risks of a class of drugs called Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs). For patients with cancer, the program is also designed to help ensure the appropriate administration of these drugs, which they receive to treat anemia that can occur as a result of chemotherapy.

17 Feb 2010

AP examines male circumcision efforts in Africa, including adult circumcision devices

The Associated Press examines efforts to prevent the spread of HIV by circumcising "about 50 million men across Africa - where 70 percent of the world's HIV-infected population lives."

17 Feb 2010

New program launched for HIV-positive men

The nation's largest surrogacy agency announced today that the number of babies born to HIV-positive clients is expected to more than double in 2010 as its program for HIV-positive men using their own sperm to create embryos continues to expand in the U.S. and abroad.

16 Feb 2010

Merck announces global sales of $27.4 billion for full-year 2009

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2009 which include the results of legacy Schering-Plough operations from the close of the merger on Nov. 3, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009.

16 Feb 2010

Study: sdNVP can lead to HIV treatment failure in women receiving drug to prevent infant infection

A new international study reported in PLoS Medicine confirms that a single dose of nevirapine (sdNVP) can lead to HIV treatment failure in women who receive the drug to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus to their infants. However, the increased risk of failure could only be detected in women who began full HIV treatment within about a year after receiving sdNVP.

16 Feb 2010

CNRS-Institut researchers identify 'virulence factor' that inhibits host immune response

Oncogenic retroviruses are a particular family of viruses that can cause some types of cancer. Thierry Heidmann and his colleagues in the CNRS-Institut Gustave Roussy-Université Paris Sud 11 "Rétrovirus endogènes et éléments rétroïdes des eucaryotes supérieurs" Laboratory have studied these viruses. They have identified a "virulence factor" that inhibits the host immune response and allows the virus to spread throughout the body.

16 Feb 2010

Viral Genetics: Company update

Our mission is to bring new drug compounds to the marketplace. And we've never been in a stronger position to deliver on that promise. We've built the solid foundation needed to take drug therapies from the laboratory to the marketplace. After years in development, we believe several of our most promising compounds are moving closer to clinical trials.

12 Feb 2010

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

A team of scientists, led by a virologist from the University of California, San Diego's Center for AID Research (CFAR), has discovered the origin of strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men. The study, which may be important in developing prevention strategies for HIV, will appear in Science Translational Medicine on February 10, 2010.

12 Feb 2010

getSTDtested.com launches "Kiss Chlamydia Goodbye" campaign

getSTDtested.com, a physician driven, STD testing and treatment online clinic today announced a campaign called "Kiss Chlamydia Goodbye" to encourage young women to take action to prevent chlamydia.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

Heavy rains hit tent camps in Haiti

Heavy rains hit earthquake survivors in tent camps in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, "bringing a warning of fresh misery to come for the 1 million people living on the streets," Reuters reports.

12 Feb 2010

HIV/AIDS News and Research

Further Reading

PK/PD data demonstrates clear relationship between TBR-652 plasma concentrations and antiviral activity

HHS Secretary to address on health disparities at NABJ conference

UCSF receives $1.15M grant to integrate family planning into HIV treatment and care

Gilead Sciences’ “Quad” regimen for HIV exhibits antiretroviral activity comparable to Atripla

Phase 3b ODIN study of once-daily PREZISTA in HIV-1 adults presented at CROI 2010

Asuragen announces agreement to develop and manufacture RNA Control Kits for Affymetrix

Utah tries to improve state health insurance exhange; Mich. plans for doctor shortage

AHF to protest Merck’s Isentress pricing and policies at CROI

Low-income nations lack advanced e-health tools that can help them achieve better health outcomes

FDA approves risk management program on ESA's for treating anemia due to chemotherapy

AP examines male circumcision efforts in Africa, including adult circumcision devices

New program launched for HIV-positive men

Merck announces global sales of $27.4 billion for full-year 2009

Study: sdNVP can lead to HIV treatment failure in women receiving drug to prevent infant infection

CNRS-Institut researchers identify 'virulence factor' that inhibits host immune response

Viral Genetics: Company update

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

getSTDtested.com launches "Kiss Chlamydia Goodbye" campaign

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

Heavy rains hit tent camps in Haiti

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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