Sydney Morning Herald: "The findings showed that Ritonavir, an older, commonly used drug, which was formerly linked to heart risk, had more adverse effects on people's metabolisms than the newer drug, Raltegravir.
"Ritonavir looks like it's increasing blood fat levels, not only when people are fasting but also after (eating) meals," one of the researchers, Associate Professor Katherine Samaras, told AAP. ...
"The key message, she says, is that each individual's heart risk profile should be assessed before prescriptions are decided.
"'When we weigh up the risks and the benefits of HIV treatment, we have to consider the best drug to stop the virus,' she said.
"'If there are other drugs available that do the job equally well then it looks like (some) people should be considered for (a drug) that does not increase heart risk.'"
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July 27, 2010
Ohio to cut HIV drug program to trim spending
Dayton Daily News: "The state plans to drop another 500 Ohioans from a program that pays for their HIV medications, in order to save Ohio nearly $3 million per year.
"Officials are working on a plan to help only the sickest Ohioans with HIV pay for their medicine, said Jay Carey, a management analyst for the HIV drug program.
"The plan, which Carey said will likely start next month, comes after 250 people were dropped from the program earlier this month."
Comment: It doesn't make sense to require people to get sick first, before getting essential treatment.
Nor to have patients die instead of having corporations supply more drugs to the state program for the same total price -- at very little marginal cost to produce them.
Nor that Congress today appropriated more that 10,000 times the $3 million, for yet another installment on the wars.
Clearly the social compact isn't working. But so far there isn't much attention on how to change it so that it does.
"Officials are working on a plan to help only the sickest Ohioans with HIV pay for their medicine, said Jay Carey, a management analyst for the HIV drug program.
"The plan, which Carey said will likely start next month, comes after 250 people were dropped from the program earlier this month."
Comment: It doesn't make sense to require people to get sick first, before getting essential treatment.
Nor to have patients die instead of having corporations supply more drugs to the state program for the same total price -- at very little marginal cost to produce them.
Nor that Congress today appropriated more that 10,000 times the $3 million, for yet another installment on the wars.
Clearly the social compact isn't working. But so far there isn't much attention on how to change it so that it does.
The Cure Blog: A lab, a plant, a compound ten times more powerful than prostratin?
The Cure Blog: "It's exciting--the compound works using two different mechanisms. When cells are latent, it reactivates the virus. Also, it protects uninfected cells around any infected cells.
"So it activates HIV but decreases HIV infection in culture [in the Petri dish or test tube]. The idea would be to use pulsing treatments—on again, off again.
"Next step: To test the compound in mice.
"Obstacles: There is not much money for basic science research in Europe."
"So it activates HIV but decreases HIV infection in culture [in the Petri dish or test tube]. The idea would be to use pulsing treatments—on again, off again.
"Next step: To test the compound in mice.
"Obstacles: There is not much money for basic science research in Europe."
Tibotec Submits Approval Application for HIV Non-Nuke Rilpivirine
AIDSmeds.com: "Tibotec Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced on Monday, July 26, that it has filed a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for rilpivirine (TMC278), its experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Tibotec is seeking approval of rilpivirine as a once-a-day option for patients starting HIV treatment for the first time.
"The company’s NDA is based on the 48-week results of two Phase III clinical trials, known as ECHO and THRIVE. Preliminary results from these two studies were reported Thursday, July 22, at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna."
"The company’s NDA is based on the 48-week results of two Phase III clinical trials, known as ECHO and THRIVE. Preliminary results from these two studies were reported Thursday, July 22, at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna."
The Cure Blog: An AIDS Patient Quits his Drugs
The Cure Blog: "This patient with an incredibly tiny viral load stopped taking his AIDS drugs. And stayed near HIV-free for 50 days. And then the HIV-infected cells, which still existed in small numbers somewhere in his body, started to divide. The amount of HIV in his body started to increase. He had to start his AIDS drugs again. ...
"Yet this will be the acid test that will determine whether any patient is cured. This was the test that the Berlin Patient passed (see a previous post; we will also discuss the case of the Berlin Patient again in the future). Either the patient must be taken off his or her drugs, or researchers must develop a clinical marker that shows whether or not the patient's body is HIV-free or is controlling the virus without actually having to risk stopping the drugs."
"Yet this will be the acid test that will determine whether any patient is cured. This was the test that the Berlin Patient passed (see a previous post; we will also discuss the case of the Berlin Patient again in the future). Either the patient must be taken off his or her drugs, or researchers must develop a clinical marker that shows whether or not the patient's body is HIV-free or is controlling the virus without actually having to risk stopping the drugs."
July 25, 2010
Talk's cheap; treating HIV isn't
cleveland.com: "The blueprint earns points for being the first presidential master plan to decrease AIDS and HIV, an important step in a nation where 1.1 million people are infected already and health experts believe that thousands more are unaware that they have the disease and could infect others.
"But national strategies require national funding. On that score, Obama's plan falls short.
"If it succeeds, it will add more patients to an overcrowded, underfunded pool. The $19 billion a year that the United States already spends on HIV and AIDS won't cover them."
"But national strategies require national funding. On that score, Obama's plan falls short.
"If it succeeds, it will add more patients to an overcrowded, underfunded pool. The $19 billion a year that the United States already spends on HIV and AIDS won't cover them."
July 24, 2010
AIDS 2010 Conference blog
AIDS 2010: "Here are the final numbers for AIDS 2010:
• 19,300 participants, including:
- 16,012 delegates
- 845 participants from Austria*
- 1,218 participants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- 848 scholarship recipients
- 1,276 media delegates
• 770 volunteers
• 197 countries represented
• 10,831 abstracts submitted, 6,238 abstracts accepted
• 248 sessions (59 non-abstract driven sessions, 79 workshops, 110 abstract-driven sessions)
• 19 plenary speeches
• 18 special sessions
• 279 Global Village activities, including 55 sessions, 95 NGO booths and 27 Networking Zones
• 151 exhibits
• 127 satellite meetings
• 10 scientific prizes and awards
• 12,324 Facebook fans, 8,420 #AIDS2010 tweets and 48 blog posts
• 71,043 visits to www.aids2010.org (since Sunday, 18 July)
• 12,725+ Vienna Declaration signatures (as of Friday, 22 July)
* Does not include general public participation in the Global Village, which is difficult to estimate."
• 19,300 participants, including:
- 16,012 delegates
- 845 participants from Austria*
- 1,218 participants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- 848 scholarship recipients
- 1,276 media delegates
• 770 volunteers
• 197 countries represented
• 10,831 abstracts submitted, 6,238 abstracts accepted
• 248 sessions (59 non-abstract driven sessions, 79 workshops, 110 abstract-driven sessions)
• 19 plenary speeches
• 18 special sessions
• 279 Global Village activities, including 55 sessions, 95 NGO booths and 27 Networking Zones
• 151 exhibits
• 127 satellite meetings
• 10 scientific prizes and awards
• 12,324 Facebook fans, 8,420 #AIDS2010 tweets and 48 blog posts
• 71,043 visits to www.aids2010.org (since Sunday, 18 July)
• 12,725+ Vienna Declaration signatures (as of Friday, 22 July)
* Does not include general public participation in the Global Village, which is difficult to estimate."
HealthNewsDigest.com
HealthNewsDigest.com: "The intersection of aging and HIV infection appears to have a destructive impact on bone health. Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown in an animal model that the presence of HIV proteins, even without a replicating virus, leads to alterations in cells that break down bone.
"The team’s results were published this week online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found that HIV proteins, by themselves, can alter the output of hormones that affect the balance between bone formation and bone breakdown leading to bone loss,” says senior author M. Neale Weitzmann, MD, assistant professor of endocrinology at Emory University School of Medicine. “This information could help doctors decide the best way to stave off osteoporosis and bone fractures, which are becoming increasingly common in individuals living with HIV infection.”
"The team’s results were published this week online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found that HIV proteins, by themselves, can alter the output of hormones that affect the balance between bone formation and bone breakdown leading to bone loss,” says senior author M. Neale Weitzmann, MD, assistant professor of endocrinology at Emory University School of Medicine. “This information could help doctors decide the best way to stave off osteoporosis and bone fractures, which are becoming increasingly common in individuals living with HIV infection.”
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