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GAA urges Obama to reflect on AIDS epidemic

On World AIDS Day 2009 the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) calls on President Obama and his advisors to reflect on two recent alarming reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that the AIDS pandemic continues to be of catastrophic proportion, affecting shockingly high numbers of people around the globe.

1 Dec 2009

Members of priority groups to receive H1N1 vaccines from Department of Health

The Department of Health reminded Pennsylvanians they can begin making appointments today to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus.

1 Dec 2009

Avioq receives premarket approval from FDA for Avioq HIV-1 Microelisa System

Avioq, Inc. announced it has received premarket approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Avioq HIV-1 Microelisa System.

1 Dec 2009

WHO issues new HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines

The WHO on Monday issued new recommendations that patients living with HIV/AIDS begin receiving antiretrovirals (ARVs) earlier than current HIV treatment advice suggests, the Associated Press reports

1 Dec 2009

News outlets examine global response to HIV/AIDS ahead of World AIDS Day

The Associated Press explores how PEPFAR funds are being used to help connect patients living with the disease to treatment, provide support for families and educate the public about the disease in Vietnam.

1 Dec 2009

Reductionist model provides new insights on HIV infection

A major obstacle to HIV research is the virus's exquisite specialisation for its human host - meaning that scientists' traditional tools, like the humble lab mouse, can deliver only limited information. Now, a team of researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Biology have made an ingenious assault on this problem by creating a mouse that has key features of HIV infection without being infected with HIV.

1 Dec 2009

News outlets examine cholera in Zimbabwe, Kenya

TIME examines growing concerns about increasing risks of a cholera outbreak among the people of Zimbabwe, after an outbreak last year claimed "close to 5,000 lives in the country of 12 million."

1 Dec 2009

World AIDS Day observance to be held at National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park

The 16th annual World AIDS Day observance will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. “Renewing Our Commitment” is the theme of this year’s commemoration. The observance will be held, rain or shine, under the tent in The Meadow of the National AIDS Memorial.

30 Nov 2009

Tripep completes phase I clinical study of its ChronVac-C hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that its partner Tripep AB of Sweden has completed its phase I clinical study of its ChronVac-C hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine delivered using Inovio’s electroporation technology.

30 Nov 2009

NOVAVAX completes patient enrollment in its trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine Phase II study

Novavax, Inc. announced today it has completed enrollment in the Phase II clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza (2008/2009 recommended strains) VLP vaccine candidate in healthy adults 60 years of age or older (older adults). This randomized, double-blind, active-controlled study is comparing the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two different doses (15 mcg and 60 mcg) of Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine to a commercially available trivalent inactivated vaccine, TIV (Fluzone®).

30 Nov 2009

Bavarian Nordic to file a NDS for IMVAMUNE with Health Canada

Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today that the company expects to file a New Drug Submission (NDS) for its third-generation smallpox vaccine, IMVAMUNE(R) with the Canadian Authorities, Health Canada in 2010. If successful, this would be the first marketing approval of IMVAMUNE(R).

30 Nov 2009

Free HIV testing marathon at Miami

To commemorate World AIDS Day 2009, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a 12-hour free HIV testing marathon at its newest “Out of the Closet” Thrift Store in Miami at 2900 N. Biscayne Blvd. Tuesday, December 1st, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

30 Nov 2009

WHITIA launches digital medical X-ray device for screening infectious diseases in developing countries

The World Health Imaging, Telemedicine and Informatics Alliance (WHITIA) today unveiled Remi-d, a new product concept that is intended to provide remote-operated X-ray capabilities for use in screening across areas of the developing world experiencing the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Tuberculosis (TB) co-epidemic, high incidences of Black Lung disease, or outbreaks of other infectious respiratory diseases.

30 Nov 2009

AIDS Healthcare Foundation to hold free rapid HIV testing to mark World AIDS Day

In observation of World AIDS Day this year, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS group and which currently provides more than 15,000 free HIV and STD tests annually in California via its community-based testing programs, is hosting an extended day—and evening—of free rapid HIV testing this Saturday, November 28th, starting at 10 am, going until 2 am Sunday at its ‘Out of the Closet’ Hollywood thrift store and testing location (6210 Sunset). The HIV testing marathon is being held as part of AHF’s ‘Testing Millions’ campaign, a worldwide initiative to test more than three million people in conjunction with the observance of this year’s World AIDS Day, Tuesday, December 1st. In an effort to raise awareness about the event and HIV testing, LA’s KIIS radio station (102.7 FM) will have its mobile van broadcasting live from the testing event from 8 pm to 10 pm Saturday.

28 Nov 2009

Scientists provide the first comprehensive picture of minimal cell

What are the bare essentials of life, the indispensable ingredients required to produce a cell that can survive on its own? Can we describe the molecular anatomy of a cell, and understand how an entire organism functions as a system? These are just some of the questions that scientists in a partnership between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Centre de Regulacio Genòmica (CRG) in Barcelona, Spain, set out to address.

28 Nov 2009

Agriflu approved to prevent diseases caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Agriflu for people ages 18 years and older to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B.

27 Nov 2009

Tripep completes clinical trial of ChronVac-C for Hepatitis C virus treatment

All samples from the 12 patients with chronic Hepatitis C genotype 1 treated with Tripep’s therapeutic vaccine ChronVac-C have now been collected. The treatment was found to be safe, immunogenic and had transient effects on the serum levels of hepatitis C virus.

27 Nov 2009

School closure during infectious disease pandemic reduces illness transmission

A survey carried out in eight European countries has shown that closing schools in the event of an infectious disease pandemic could have a significant role in reducing illness transmission.

27 Nov 2009

Research shows rare parasitic disease is transmitted by gay men

A rare parasitic disease, which normally only is transmitted by contaminated water, has been shown to be transmitted by gay sex between hiv-positive men. In the industrial world the disease is virtually absent, but from now on that could change.

27 Nov 2009

Free HIV testing service for Liverpool residents on World AIDS Day 2009

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is leading a partnership with NHS Liverpool Community Health, the Health Protection Agency, Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Liverpool John Moores University, to offer a free, while you wait HIV testing service to anyone in Liverpool on 1, 2 and 3 December, on a drop-in basis with a result in 20 minutes.

27 Nov 2009