2003

Trinity shares soar as HIV test gets U.S. approval: Reuters NewMedia - December 29, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Trinity Biotech plc rose as much as 51 percent on Monday after it said it received U.S. regulatory approval to market its HIV test in the United States . The Ireland-based company said the product, Uni-Gold Recombigen, is approved for the detection of antibodies to HIV, the virus that cau
Gen-Probe diagnostic test approved, shares soar: Reuters NewMedia - December 29, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gen-Probe Inc. on Monday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its automated system for diagnostic testing for sexually transmitted diseases, sending its stock up 12 percent to an all-time high. Gen-Probe said the FDA approved running its Aptima Combo assay, an already approved nuclei
Uganda Looks to Children to Help Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday December 26, 2003; Paul Busharizi; NKUMBA, Uganda (Reuters) - The words Stay Safe emblazoned across his bright yellow T-shirt, 10-year-old Joseph is wise beyond his years. An AIDS orphan catapulted into maturity by loss and illness, he shared some of his knowledge with a U.S. delegation, led by Health Secretary Tommy Thompson, when it recently toured hi
Mandela Throws Open Doors for Giant Kids' Party: Reuters NewMedia - December 25, 2003; Hannington Osodo; QUNU, South Africa (Reuters) - Thousands of young South Africans flocked to see the grandfather of the nation on Thursday as former president Nelson Mandela hosted his annual children s Christmas party. The Nobel laureate hugged and chatted to dozens of awe-struck children -- many of them catching their first glimpse o
Report links women's health, civil conflict risk: Reuters NewMedia - December 24, 2003; Laura MacInnis, Reuters; WASHINGTON -- Governments should keep in focus the status of women in the developing world as they seek to prevent international insurgency, a report released last week suggested. High birth rates, rapid urban growth and HIV/AIDS often set the stage for violence, but the Washington-based advocacy group Population Actio
Brazil eyes India AIDS drug over Roche's: Reuters NewMedia - December 23, 2003; BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil may import a copy of an AIDS drug produced by Roche Holding AG in what could be its first step toward breaking the patent on the Swiss company s product, a top Brazilian health official said on Tuesday. Brazil is considering importing an Indian company s copy of Roche s Nelfinavir dr
China Says to Punish Any AIDS Coverup: Reuters NewMedia - December 23, 2003; BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned against any new AIDS cover up Wednesday, a day after telling health workers they will be punished if they fail to report new SARS cases. The official China Daily highlighted a meeting between Vice-Premier Wu Yi with HIV/AIDS patients in Henan province, where blood-selling schemes led to
AIDS activist's killing blamed on stigma of HIV in S. Africa: Reuters NewMedia - December 23, 2003; CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Activists marched on a tavern Monday where a 21-year-old AIDS educator was raped and murdered last week, demanding action from police. Lorna Mlosana, a trainee educator with the Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa s largest HIV/AIDS activist group, was gang-raped in the rest room of a bar
Enraged S.Africa Rapists Kill HIV-Positive Victim: Reuters NewMedia - December 21, 2003; Paul Busharizi; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police have arrested two men on charges they gang-raped an AIDS activist and then kicked her to death in fury when she told them she was infected with the disease, officials said Sunday. Inspector Lunga Ntsinde said police were hunting for at least one other suspect in last week s
Uganda Looks to Children to Help Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - December 20, 2003; Paul Busharizi; NKUMBA, Uganda (Reuters) - The words Stay Safe emblazoned across his bright yellow T-shirt, 10-year-old Joseph is wise beyond his years. An AIDS orphan catapulted into maturity by loss and illness, he shared some of his knowledge with a U.S. delegation, led by Health Secretary Tommy Thompson, when it recently toured hi
Swiss Co. Gives Drugs to 500,000 Patients: Reuters NewMedia - December 19, 2003; GENEVA (Reuters) - Swiss drugs firm Novartis signed an accord with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday to treat 100,000 tuberculosis patients a year free of charge for five years. The agreement was the first such pact between the United Nations agency and the private sector to fight the disease, which kills s
Iraq Crowds AIDS, Hunger Out of Spotlight -Annan: Reuters NewMedia - December 18, 2003; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Lamenting that Iraq has monopolized the headlines in 2003, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged world leaders on Thursday to worry more about AIDS, hunger and other crises in the new year. Yes Iraq is important, but the world is much bigger than Iraq, Annan said.
Lengthy AIDS Treatment Ups Heart Attack Risk: Reuters - December 18, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The longer men infected with HIV are treated with anti-AIDS drugs, the more likely they are to have a heart attack, according to an analysis of French hospital database records. The risk appears to relate specifically to protease inhibitor drugs, such as Crixivan
Report Links Women's Health to Civil Conflict Risk: Reuters NewMedia - December 17, 2003; Laura MacInnis; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Governments should keep in focus the status of women in the developing world as they seek to prevent international insurgency, a report released on Wednesday suggested. High birth rates, rapid urban growth and HIV/AIDS often set the stage for violence, but the Washington-based advocacy group Popu
India May Begin AIDS Vaccine Trials in Mid-2004: Reuters NewMedia - December 17, 2003; NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is likely to begin the first phase of clinical trials of an indigenously developed AIDS vaccine by the middle of next year, the president of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) said on Wednesday. India has 4.58 million people infected with the HIV/AIDS virus and experts say the
Calpers votes not to send drugmaker AIDS letter: Reuters NewMedia - December 15, 2003; SACRAMENTO, (Reuters) - Calpers, the largest U.S. pension fund, voted on Monday not to send a stern letter to drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) strongly requesting a report from the company of its licensing of anti-AIDS drugs. The investment committee of the California Public Employees Re
Glaxo, Boehringer Allow More Copying of AIDS Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday December 10, 2003; Jodie Ginsberg; PRETORIA, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa moved closer to bringing AIDS treatment to millions of its poor Wednesday after two drug giants said they would allow more cheap generic versions of patented drugs to be made. In an out-of-court settlement with AIDS activists, British-based G
U.S. Study Finds 'Best' AIDS Cocktail: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday December 10, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. researchers said on Wednesday they had established the best cocktail of AIDS drugs to start patients on -- one that keeps the virus at bay for the longest time with the fewest side effects. The cocktail includes the oldest HIV drug, GlaxoSmithKline s AZT , also
China's Wen Warns Taiwan Not to Misuse Democracy: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, December 7, 2003; Evelyn Leopold; NEW YORK (Reuters) - China s Premier Wen Jiabao, at the start of a four-day visit to the United States , said Beijing would never allow rival Taiwan to use aspirations for democracy as a cover for separatism. Wen, who visited U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in snow-swept New York before go
WHO Chief Presses Rich Nations for More AIDS Cash: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, December 7, 2003; BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday urged rich nations to provide more money to fight AIDS, which is devastating African nations. WHO Director General Jong-Wook Lee called on Britain, Japan and Scandinavian nations in particular to donate more money to
US Sees Quick Response to Africa's AIDS War: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, December 7, 2003; Paul Busharizi; ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) - Health secretary Tommy Thompson ended an African tour to promote AIDS awareness at the weekend, saying he was optimistic that resources to fight the disease would pour in from big business in the next couple of years. Thompson visited Botswana ,
Kenyan Prostitutes Offer Hope for AIDS Vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - Friday December 5, 2003; Helen Nyambura; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Agnes Munyiva has been a prostitute for 31 years in Kenya s Majengo red light district and like many in the trade has had her share of unprotected sex. Despite long exposure to HIV-positive men she is HIV negative. So are some other women working the seedy Majengo haunts. That fact draws a very diff
AIDS Orphans 'Greatest Moral Issue' -Oprah Winfrey: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 4, 2003; LUSAKA, Zambia (Reuters) - Television talk show queen Oprah Winfrey highlighted the plight of AIDS orphans during a trip to Zambia Thursday calling it the greatest moral issue of our present time. One in five Zambians has HIV or AIDS and government figures show the country has more than 700,000 children whose parents h
Partner testing key weapon in AIDS battle: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, December 4, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - Comprehensive efforts to test the partners of those newly diagnosed with the HIV infection could uncover thousands of infections and help contain the spread of the disease, according to a new study released on Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one quarter of the
Africa Says Lacks Cash for Battle Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 4, 2003; Manoah Esipisu; ABUJA (Reuters) - African governments have finally woken up to the HIV /AIDS nightmare on the continent, but a critical lack of cash means they cannot do as much as they want to fight the disease, two presidents said on Thursday. Presidents Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone and Sam Nujoma of
AIDS Threatens Strong Economy of Worst-Hit Botswana: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 3, 2003; GABORONE (Reuters) - Rampant HIV/AIDS in the world s worst-affected country, Botswana , shows little signs of abating and threatens to destroy its strong economy, U.N. AIDS chief Peter Piot said on Monday. The sparsely populated, landlocked country in southern Africa is one of the continent s richest nations head for
Nine Big Firms Pledge to Help Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 3, 2003; NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Tommy Thompson urged big business Wednesday to join the fight against HIV/AIDS as nine big firms announced that they would play a role in the poor countries where they operate. Thompson stopped in Nairobi, the third leg of his African tour to promote AIDS awareness, to launch a
Bono Says Angry AIDS Funds Stalled in Congress: Reuters - Wednesday, December 3, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Irish rock star Bono said on Wednesday he was infuriated to discover the U.S. Congress has not yet passed a spending bill that includes money for a global fund to fight HIV (news - web sites)/AIDS (news - web sites), tuberculosis and Malaria. The lead singer of U2, who has founded an advocacy gro
S.Africa AIDS Activist Gets Nobel Peace Nomination: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, December 2, 2003; Alistair Thomson; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African AIDS activist who refused life-prolonging drugs to back demands for free treatment for all has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a U.S. Quaker organization. The Philadelphia-based American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) said in a statement late on Monday -- World AID
U.S. Health Chief Says World Losing AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Monday December 1, 2003; Shapi Shacinda; LIVINGSTONE, Zambia (Reuters) - The world is losing the war on HIV /AIDS and must do more to halt the pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Tommy Thompson said on Monday, marking World AIDS day in Zambia, one of the worst-hit nations. We appear to be losing the fight against AIDS at the moment. We need to redouble our effor
Vatican defends anti-condom stand on AIDS Day: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, December 1, 2003; Philip Pullella; VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Monday issued a strong defence of its controversial position against condoms, saying fidelity, chastity and abstinence were the best ways to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in a pan-sexualist society. A top cardinal issued a five-page statement on World AIDS Day to hammer home the Va
Hopes Pinned on New Drug Plan on World AIDS Day: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, December 1, 2003; Shapi Shacinda; LIVINGSTONE, Zambia (Reuters) - A global plan to rush life-saving drugs to millions of people with AIDS was launched on Monday amid warnings on World AIDS Day that the war against the disease was being lost. As world leaders called for urgent action to fight the scourge that has devastated many of the globe s poorest
Businesses Failing to Address AIDS -WEF: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, November 30, 2003; GENEVA (Reuters) - Business leaders around the globe fail to recognize the threat to their companies future posed by the AIDS epidemic, the Swiss-based World Economic Forum (WEF) said on Monday. Citing results of an opinion survey among executives, the WEF said it showed business was not yet playing a significant role
AIDS Fight Is Our 'Moral Duty' - British PM Blair: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, November 30, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - The world has a moral duty to unite to fight AIDS, British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote in a newspaper article to mark World AIDS Day on Monday. Blair said the disease had already infected 60 million people, killed 20 million and would spread poverty and instability around the world if left unchec
Drug Plan in the Spotlight on World AIDS Day: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, November 30, 2003; William Maclean; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Ambitious plans to rush life-saving AIDS drugs to millions will be unveiled on Monday as experts warn that the worst is yet to come from a disease that has so far defeated all efforts to check its advance. Marches, candlelight vigils and exhibitions marking World AIDS Day will serve reminders that d
S.Africa Turns on AIDS -- But Some Fear Too Late: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, November 30, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - After years of debate, delay and millions of deaths, South Africa heads into World AIDS Day on Monday with a plan in place to battle an epidemic which has left the country facing an economic and social breakdown. But some wonder if it is already too late. The disaster is already here, sai
World Pop Stars Perform at Mandela's AIDS Concert: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, November 29, 2003; Gordon Bell; CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Bono, The Corrs, Beyonce Knowles and other international stars answered Nelson Mandela s call to help fight the scourge of AIDS Saturday, putting on a musical extravaganza broadcast across the world on the Internet. Mandela, 85, one of the world s leading AIDS campaigners, joined 40,000 fans of a
Thailand May Become Victim of Own AIDS Success: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, November 28, 2003; Chawadee Nualkhair; BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) - Nat used to be terrified of AIDS. Convinced she was sick, she took tests and flooded her doctor with calls. Five years later, she laughs off her panic. It seems the people who have it are getting fewer and the people I hang out with are not the kind who would get it, the 27-year-old cloth
Africa Has More Than 11 Million AIDS Orphans -UNICEF: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 26, 2003; Zandile Nkuta; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The world s hardest AIDS-hit continent is unable to cope with 11 million children who are orphaned across Africa and the worst is yet to come as more parents succumb to the epidemic, UNICEF said Wednesday. United Nations Children s Fund Executive Director Carol Bellamy told a media briefing tha
Italy Launches New AIDS Vaccine Trials: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday November 25, 2003; James Crawford; ROME (Reuters) - Italy launched tests of an experimental new AIDS vaccine Tuesday after the United Nations estimated worldwide deaths and new cases of the disease hit record highs this year. More than three million people died from AIDS in 2003, and plans for the new tests followed large-scale trials in
Zambian MPs propose castrating child rapists: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 25, 2003; LUSAKA (Reuters) - Legislators have recommended castrating men who rape children in Zambia where incidences of the crime rose by 68 percent in the first half of this year. Members of parliament had given initial approval to the measure, allowing it to go for cabinet consideration, a parliamentary official said on Tues
Bogus Drugs Threaten Global Fight Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 25, 2003; Ben Hirschler; LONDON (Reuters) - Bogus medicines could undermine a drive to get AIDS treatments to millions of people in the developing world, according to the head of the UN-sponsored body set up finance the fight against the disease. Figures released Tuesday showed a record number of people were infected by HIV in 2003, although m
Fear and intolerance cripple AIDS fight in Asia: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 25, 2003; Darren Schuettler; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Ignorance, fear and intolerance are fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS in Asia where several countries face major epidemics unless effective action is taken, health experts said on Tuesday. With the global AIDS crisis showing no signs of abating, the Asia-Pacific region -- home to 60 percent of the wor
World AIDS Deaths, Infections at New Highs: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 25, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Deaths and new cases of HIV/AIDS reached unprecedented highs in 2003 and are set to rise still further as the epidemic keeps a stranglehold on sub-Saharan Africa and advances across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. New global estimates released Tuesday based on improved data show about 40 million peo
World Losing Battle to Defeat Hunger-FAO: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 25, 2003; David Brough; ROME (Reuters) - The world is losing the battle to defeat global hunger as AIDS, poverty and population growth mean more and more people go hungry, the U.N. food body said on Tuesday. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said one in every seven people is now malnourished and the goal of halving world
TB Makes Comeback in British Capital - Report: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 24, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - After decades of decline, tuberculosis is making a comeback in the British capital where nearly half of all new cases of the respiratory disease in the country are reported, according to a report released on Monday. London has the highest incidence of the illness of any region in England and Wales. I
Nearly 50,000 Living with HIV in Britain: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 24, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - New infections of HIV, which causes AIDS, have risen in Britain by 20 percent since 2001, bringing the number of people living with the virus to nearly 50,000, health experts said Monday. High-risk sex among gay and bisexual men and an increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have contribut
Syphilis Rate Climbs for Second Year -CDC: Reuters NewMedia - November 20, 2003; ATLANTA (Reuters) - The rate of syphilis in the United States rose in 2002 for the second straight year, largely because of outbreaks among gay and bisexual men, federal health officials said on Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the syphilis rate rose 9 percent between 2001 and 2002, the sec
South Africa Sees Huge Challenge in AIDS Drug Plan: Reuters NewMedia - November 20, 2003; Andrew Quinn; PRETORIA, South Africa (Reuters) - South African officials Thursday unveiled details of a new plan to provide AIDS drugs to hundreds of thousands of infected people, a challenge that will require a major overhaul of the country s frail health system. Thousands of doctors and nurses must be trained, hundreds of millions
AIDS Virus Treatments Up Heart Attack Risk -Study: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 19, 2003; BOSTON (Reuters) - The powerful drugs that beat back the AIDS virus may have a deadly drawback -- they may increase the risk of heart attack, according to a study in Thursday s New England Journal of Medicine. However the findings may not be the final answer on whether the AIDS virus, HIV, or the drugs used to treat it
South Africa Approves Mass HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 19, 2003; Gordon Bell; CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa approved a national drug treatment program on Wednesday to tackle the world s highest AIDS caseload, bowing to pressure to act against an epidemic killing an estimated 600 South Africans each day. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang told reporters that within a year there would
Sweden Appoints World's First HIV/AIDS Ambassador: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 19, 2003; STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden has appointed a career diplomat as its special ambassador for HIV/AIDS, making it the world s first country to appoint such an envoy, the ministry for foreign affairs said on Wednesday. Since the HIV/AIDS virus was detected 20 years ago, more than 60 million people worldwide have been infe
Adults-Only Science Center Opens Doors in London: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday November 18, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Britain opened a new, adults-only science center on Tuesday where the public will be encouraged to debate the most controversial issues of the day. Be it the implications of genetically modified foods, face transplants, sex over 60, male pregnancy, death or AIDS, the Dana Center plans to tackle topic
TV Series Save Lives in Third World, Producers Say: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday November 18, 2003; Jill Serjeant; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If you thought soap operas were just about sultry sex and incredible plot twists, then think again. In parts of the Third World, television soap operas are saving lives, promoting social change and leading the fight against AIDS -- and mostly without even peeping into the bedroom. In
Brazil Plays Hardball on AIDS Drug Discounts: Reuters newMedia - Tuesday November 18, 2003; Andrew Hay; BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil said on Tuesday it had won a deep discount from Merck & Co. Inc. on a drug for its anti-AIDS cocktail and threatened to break other firm s patents unless they sold medications at third world prices. Merck agreed to cut the cost of its
Angola: Next on Africa's AIDS Hit List?: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday November 18, 2003; Zoe Eisenstein; VIANA, Angola (Reuters) - Almost three decades of brutal civil war has left Angola a smoldering ruin, but health experts say the conflict may have kept a lid on the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has ravaged much of Africa. Now the advent of peace may fan the spread of the disease. And like a patient whose immune system has b
Group to Sue Glaxo S.Africa Over AIDS Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday November 13, 2003; Wambui Chege; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A U.S. AIDS group said on Thursday it planned to file a class action suit against GlaxoSmithKline in South Africa seeking damages on behalf of people it says died because they could not afford AIDS drugs. But the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which said it hoped to file the suit against th
AIDS Discrimination in U.S. Is Widespread-Report: Reuters NewMedia - November 13, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Civil rights violations against people with HIV and AIDS continue to be widespread throughout the United States , an American Civil Liberties Union survey said on Thursday. People are fired, have their rental agreements torn up, and receive inadequate care when it is revealed they have HIV/AIDS, ac
S.Africa Set to Boost AIDS Spending: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 12, 2003; Gordon Bell; CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa is set to almost quadruple its spending on HIV/AIDS, a move analysts said signaled a major shift in political will to fight a pandemic ravaging the country. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said the government would spend more than $1.7 billion over the next three years,
VaxGen HIV Vaccine Fails Clinical Trial: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 12, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - VaxGen Inc. said Wednesday preliminary results from a late-stage clinical trial in Thailand show its experimental HIV vaccine failed a late-stage clinical trial. The vaccine candidate, Aidsvax, did not meet either its main goal of preventing HIV infection, or its secondary goal of slowing the prog
Tea May Offer Treatment to Fight HIV - Japan Study: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 10, 2003; Christopher Doering; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese researchers said on Monday they had discovered a molecule in tea that could block the spread of the AIDS virus. The lab findings could offer a novel way to combat the HIV infection by preventing the virus from spreading throughout the body, scientists said. Current treatments that target
One in Three Injections in Poor Nations Is Unsafe: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday November 6, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - People in developing countries receive too many injections, often with unsterilized needles and syringes that can transmit illnesses such as hepatitis and HIV, researchers said on Friday. Dr Yvan Hutin and his colleagues at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva said one in three injections gi
UN to Seek $9 Billion to Fight AIDS in Third World: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday November 6, 2003; GENEVA (Reuters) - A major anti-AIDS drive needs up to $9 billion to ensure that half of the six million people in developing countries needing treatment for HIV can get it by 2005, a senior U.N. health official said Thursday. The World Health Organization is spearheading a campaign aimed at bringing treatment to thre
African Yacht Mission Sails for Environment, AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 5, 2003; Karen Iley; LUANDA (Reuters) - It wasn t long ago that 21-year-old Eric Bafo, bored and struggling with poverty, was hanging out in a South African slum, mugging passers-by for cash to feed his drug habit. Raised in a poor, single-parent family in Cape Town s Khayelitsha township, his mother out of work and his older brother in ja
Brazil's Lula Vows to Help Mozambique AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 5, 2003; Marta Odallah; MAPUTO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Wednesday vowed to help Mozambique fight its killer AIDS epidemic by starting production of anti-retroviral drugs in the southern African country. Lula, on the third leg of an African tour, said Brazil s technical and policy know-how could be a big help
CBS Cancels Reagan Mini-Series Amid Controversy: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 4, 2003; Steve Gorman; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Irking both Democrats and Republicans, CBS on Tuesday dropped plans to air The Reagans and sold the controversial mini-series to pay-cable network Showtime in moves it insisted had nothing to do with conservative complaints that the film was unfair. The network, which earlier this year sparked a
Clinton Says AIDS Fuels Security Threats: Reuters NewMedia - November 4, 2003; OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday AIDS should be considered a security issue, with the disease affecting more people in the world than terrorism. We should continue to fight terror, but we have to realize that the AIDS issue is also a security issue, Clinton told reporters after
Canada Moves to Make Cheaper AIDS Drugs for Africa: Reuters NewMedia - November 4, 2003; David Ljunggren; OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said on Tuesday it would introduce legislation this week in a bid to quickly change patent laws so that low-cost generic versions of brand-name AIDS drugs could be shipped to Africa. Activists say only a fraction of the 4.1 million people eligible for HIV /AIDS treatment in Africa can get the
UK Man Jailed for Infecting Lovers with HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 3, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - A Somali refugee who deliberately infected two women with HIV was jailed for eight years on Monday in the first conviction in England in 137 years for passing on a sexually transmitted disease. Mohammed Dica, 38, was sentenced at the Inner London Crown Court after a jury took less than three hours la
Hip-Hop Star 'P. Diddy' Finishes New York Marathon: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday November 2, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hip-hop music and fashion entrepreneur Sean P. Diddy Combs on Sunday completed the New York marathon, despite suffering leg cramps for about half the distance, as part of an effort to raise millions of dollars for needy city children. Combs, who performs as P. Diddy after becoming one of hip-hop s
U.S. NGOs Attacks Bush Foreign Assistance Policy: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, October 31, 2003; Sue Pleming; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The biggest alliance of U.S.-based international aid groups called Friday for a drastic overhaul of the Bush administration s foreign assistance policy, which they said was incoherent, politicized and lacking coordination. InterAction, which represents 160 groups doing overseas relief work, was
Senate Votes to Boost Funding for AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, October 30, 2003; Andrew Clark; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate agreed on Thursday to boost spending on the fight against global AIDS by $289 million, bringing the U.S. commitment to combating the epidemic and related diseases to $2.4 billion next year. The Senate voted 89-1 to add the extra funds to an $18.4 billion bill funding U.S. foreign
Brazil to Offer Massive, Free AIDS Testing: Reuters NewMedia - October 30, 2003; BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil will launch a massive, free HIV testing program to find and hopefully help hundreds of thousands of people unaware they have the virus, the health minister said on Thursday, in the latest big step by an AIDS program that is a model for the developing world. The tests are meant t
AIDS Cure Beliefs Fuel Child Rape in Zambia: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, October 29, 2003; Shapi Shacinda; LUSAKA, Zambia (Reuters) - A myth is fueling a heinous crime across southern Africa. It goes like this: If you want to succeed at work or cure yourself of AIDS, you need to have sex with a minor or one of your own children. The result has been a surge in reported cases of child rape, particularly in Zambia, a scourge
Nigerian States Halt Polio Campaign Over AIDS Fears: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 27, 2003; ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Three states in northern Nigeria have suspended a polio immunization program led by the World Health Organization (WHO) because they feared it spread AIDS and caused infertility, Nigerian officials said Monday. In Geneva, the WHO said there was no question about the purity or safety of the v
Key West's 25th Fantasy Fest Celebrates Revelry: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday October 26, 2003; Laura Myers; KEY WEST, Fla. (Reuters) - Key West s annual bawdy Fantasy Fest, a 10-day Mardi Gras-style festival on the southern tip of Florida, celebrated its 25th year of debauchery bringing a silver lining for the local economy. Jimmy Weekley, a native Key Wester and mayor of this storied island city 160 miles south of Miami, wa
Paper: WHO to Endorse Triple-Dose AIDS Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday October 25, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization will endorse controversial generic triple-dose AIDS drugs next week, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. WHO will support distributing the pills, which could violate drug company patents, as part of a plan to get the lifesaving drugs to poor people, the newspa
Cambodian Monk Leads Fight for AIDS Orphans: Reuters NewMedia - Friday October 24, 2003; Thomas White; BATTAMBANG (Reuters) - Abandoned by his parents at birth and fighting to shake off a disease that could be tuberculosis, 4-year-old Kakakda clings fiercely to the orange robes of his father, the Cambodian monk Muny Vansaveth. He is just one of the many charges at the Wat Norea Peaceful Children s Home in Battambang, st
EU Warns on Triple-Drug HIV Treatment: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 23, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - The European Medicines Evaluation Agency on Wednesday advised doctors against starting HIV patients on a particular once-daily combination of three anti-AIDS drugs. The drug cocktail combines Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. s Videx , GlaxoSmithKline Plc
Africa, Caribbean to Get Cheaper AIDS, HIV Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 23, 2003; Bernard Orr; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four generic drug companies on Thursday promised to make drugs available to millions of people in African and Caribbean nations suffering with HIV and AIDS at about half the current price. Former President Bill Clinton, whose foundation has been pressing for cheaper treatments, said the more afford
EU Expansion Could Fan Drugs Problem, Report Says: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday October 22, 2003; Martin Roberts; LISBON (Reuters) - The expansion of the EU next year to include 10 new countries could fan the flames of an already complex EU drugs problem but it also offers an opportunity for closer cooperation to tackle drugs, the EU said on Wednesday. The European Union s drug monitoring agency said in a report that the accession
Laura Bush Meets Young Thai AIDS Victims: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday October 21, 2003; Chawadee Nualkhair; BANGKOK (Reuters) - HIV-positive child dancers, rouge painted on their faces, greeted U.S. First Lady Laura Bush with garlands Tuesday as she toured a children s hospital in Thailand to focus attention on the nation s fight against AIDS. In Bangkok with her husband President Bush for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperati
Study: South Africa AIDS Epidemic Peaked in 2002: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 20, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa , with about 11 percent of its population HIV positive, may finally be winning the battle to bring the killer AIDS disease under control, a study released Monday indicated. The research, published in the African Journal of AIDS Research, delivered what it described as a more posi
US Clears GlaxoSmithKline, Vertex AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - October 20, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators approved a new HIV -fighting drug developed by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc and biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday. The companies will sell the drug under the brand name Lexiva,
U.N. AIDS Fund Gives China $21 Million, Maybe More: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday October 19, 2003; BEIJING (Reuters) - A U.N. fund has awarded China $21 million over two years to treat peasants infected by HIV through blood-selling schemes, the U.S. health chief said on Sunday. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who also chairs the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, added the fund
British Bishops Attack BBC Over Programs: Reuters NewMedia - Friday October 17, 2003; Philip Pullella; VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - English and Welsh Catholic bishops attacked the BBC Friday, saying its recent religious affairs programs were biased, hostile and offensive to the Church. A statement issued by the bishops, who are currently in Rome, was made even more forceful because it was issued through the Vatican press o
Study: AIDS Drugs Slash Death Rates by 80 Percent: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 16, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Cocktails of AIDS medicines have slashed death rates by more than 80 percent and now most patients taking the drugs can expect to survive more than a decade and perhaps much longer, scientists said on Friday. The introduction of life-saving drug combinations known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Ther
S.Africa Panel Says Foreign Firms Block AIDS Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 16, 2003; Wambui Chege and Jodie Ginsberg; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s competition watchdog found Thursday that drug giants GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Boehringer Ingelheim were keeping key AIDS drugs out of the reach of millions of the country s poor and should be fined. In a ruling hailed by activists, the Competition Commission said it would reco
Cardinal at Odds with Vatican Over Condoms: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday October 15, 2003; Bart Crols; MECHELEN (Reuters) - A Belgian cardinal favored by liberal Catholics to succeed ailing Pope John Paul criticized a fellow cardinal Wednesday for saying the use of condoms does not prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Vatican s Pontifical Council for the Family, told a
South African Protest Songs Find Different Themes: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, October 14, 2003; Mariam Jooma; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South African music, long associated with the anti-apartheid struggle, is changing tempo to target social issues like crime and the impact of AIDS in the fledgling democracy. With about 10 percent of the country s population infected with HIV, a 30 percent unemployment level and
U.N. Official: Leaders Must Educate Asians on AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 13, 2003; Chawadee Nualkhair; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Leaders of the Asia-Pacific region must brush aside cultural taboos and step up efforts to educate their people about HIV /AIDS if a serious epidemic is to be averted, a United Nations official said Monday. One of the illusions in Asia is to think that this is just a disease of the poor, the junkies
Pushing Safe Sex with 'Miss Condom' Pageant: Reuters NewMedia - Friday October 10, 2003; Chawadee Nualkhair; BANGKOK (Reuters) - A bevy of Thai bar girls, health officials and a transvestite blew up condoms and paraded for a different kind of honor -- the title of Miss Condom Asia-Pacific. Featuring 20 contestants from four different nations, the contest aims to promote safe sex in Thailand -- a country on the frontline
Tanox's HIV drug gets FDA "fast track" status: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 09, 2003; NEW YORK, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Tanox Inc. TNOX.O said on Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will review its experimental HIV drug on an accelerated basis. The company s shares jumped nearly 9 percent. Tanox, said its new drug is designed to treat HIV that has become resistant to standard antiretroviral th
Study: AIDS Drugs After Birth Block Infection: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 9, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - AIDS drugs given to babies soon after birth can protect them from being infected with HIV by their mothers, researchers said on Friday. Doctors at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland found that giving two drugs, nevirapine and
Uncircumcised Men Have Higher HIV Risk - Study: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 9, 2003; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Uncircumcised men are eight times as likely to become infected with HIV than circumcised men, according to a study of nearly 2,300 men in India released on Thursday. A researcher at Baltimore s Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine suggested that the inner surface of the foreskin does not
Catholic Churches Say Condoms Don't Stop AIDS - BBC: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday October 9, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - The lives of Roman Catholics in some of the countries worst hit by HIV/AIDS are being put at even greater risk by advice from their churches that the use of condoms does not prevent transmission of the disease, according to a British television program. If condoms cannot be absolutely guaranteed to b
World's Billion Young People Key to Stability -UN: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday October 8, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - The world s 1.2 billion adolescents are the key to growth and international stability but poverty and disease are threatening their future, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday. There are now more adolescents in the world than ever before. Eighty-seven percent of them are in developing
U.S., Mexico Support Canada on Generic Drug Aid: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday October 7, 2003; Patrick White; MONTREAL (Reuters) - The United States and Mexico said on Tuesday they supported Canada s plan to export cheap generic drugs to fight AIDS in Africa. Canada said late last month it hoped to quickly pass legislation that would allow the manufacture and export of low-cost generic versions of brand-name drugs to help imp
Games start with race for condoms: Reuters NewMedia - Monday October 6, 2003; Manoah Esipisu; ABUJA (Reuters) - It wasn t listed on the official programme, but there was a race for condoms at the All African Games in Nigeria which kicked off on Saturday. Some 40,000 condoms distributed free by organisers were snapped up by 6,000 athletes, 1,200 officials and 1,500 journalists within 48 hours of the Games open
S.Africa Gov't AIDS Critic Gets Mandela Award: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, October 6, 2003; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Calling AIDS activists the heirs to South Africa s anti-apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela s wife on Monday bestowed an award on the country s most outspoken AIDS pressure group, a fierce government critic. Graca Machel said that the former president had personally approved the selection of the
Gunmen Kill Italian Aid Worker in Somaliland: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, October 6, 2003; HARGEISA, Somalia (Reuters) - An award-winning aid worker has been shot dead in the breakaway northern enclave of Somaliland, officials said on Monday. Annalena Tonelli, 60, who came from Italy , was visiting a ward for tuberculosis patients in Borama General Hospital late on Sunday when two men walked in and one shot
Senate Confirms Tobias to Head AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, October 3, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed President Bush s selection of Randall Tobias, a retired chairman and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Co., to head the administration s global battle against AIDS. With the rank of ambassador, Tobias will oversee a $15 billion plan that Bush signed int
Canada Urged to Act Fast on AIDS Drugs for Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, October 01, 2003; Rajiv Sekhri; TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada was urged on Wednesday to set an example for other rich nations and change its patent law fast so that low-cost generic versions of patented brand-name drugs can be rushed to Africa to treat millions of AIDS victims on the world s poorest continent. About 5,000 people die daily in sub-Sahar
Vaccine Works Against More Strains of Pneumonia Bug: Reuters NewMedia - October 1, 2003; BOSTON (Reuters) - An experimental vaccine protects children from a microbe that causes pneumonia, ear infection, and brain inflammation, even when the immune system is crippled by the AIDS virus, researchers said on Wednesday. The vaccine protects against the nine strains of pneumococcus bacterium, according to doctor
Aid Agency Warns Russia of Untreatable TB Epidemic: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 30, 2003; Sonia Oxley; MOSCOW (Reuters) - A leading medical aid agency warned Russia Tuesday that it might face an epidemic of a new strain of untreatable tuberculosis if it did not change its methods of fighting the disease. Highly contagious TB, which attacks the lungs, is widespread in Russia s cramped prisons and is rapidly becoming imm
P. Diddy Plans to Raise $1 Million in NY Marathon Run: Reuters NewMedia - September 30, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rapper Sean P. Diddy Combs on Tuesday announced he will run the New York marathon and unveiled plans to raise $1 million for health-care and education charities that benefit the city s children. Every child needs quality education and health care to train for the marathon of life, Combs said, sport
Poverty Condemns Africa to Ill-Health - Report: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 30,.2003; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Even without AIDS and HIV, Africa s 800 million people are the world s unhealthiest, experts said Tuesday. The African Health Sciences Congress, an annual meeting of experts, said in a report that improvements in African healthcare in the 1960s and 1970s had in many cases been lost due to povert
AIDS activists jeer U.S. official: Reuters NewMedia - September 26, 2003; NAIROBI, Kenya --HIV-infected Africans shouted down an American official Friday when she tried to defend the U.S. contribution to the fight against AIDS at a conference in Kenya. In their second protest at the week-long gathering, the activists from across Africa stood up and walked toward the podium, waving placards a
Democrat Dean Calls for Blunt Talk on Sex, AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 26, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopeful Howard Dean challenged President Bush on Friday to talk openly about the role of sex in the spread of AIDS and the use of condoms to stop the deadly disease. During a visit to Ballou Senior High School in low-income inner city Washington, Dean, a former family physi
UN Africa AIDS Boss Asks G7 for Special Drugs Deal: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 25, 2003; James Macharia; NAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.N. s top AIDS expert in Africa urged rich countries Thursday to adopt a new strategy and save millions of lives by allowing a drug maker in any one of them to export cheap anti-AIDS drugs to the continent. Stephen Lewis, who has sharply criticized the West for spending too little on fighting t
UK's Hamnett Is Fashion's Social Conscience: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 25, 2003; Gideon Long; LONDON (Reuters) - An outspoken campaigner against war, pollution, nuclear weapons and developing world debt, British clothes designer Katharine Hamnett has never had much time for the sycophancy and air-kissing of the fashion world. I was at a fashion do the other evening and I wasn t interested in anything the people
UN Africa AIDS Boss Asks G7 for Special Drugs Deal: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 25, 2003; James Macharia; NAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.N. s top AIDS expert in Africa urged rich countries Thursday to adopt a new strategy and save millions of lives by allowing a drug maker in any one of them to export cheap anti-AIDS drugs to the continent. Stephen Lewis, who has sharply criticized the West for spending too little on fighting t
UN Peacekeepers in Eritrean AIDS Campaign: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 25, 2003; NAIROBI (Reuters) - United Nations peacekeepers are helping to teach people on the Eritrean border with Ethiopia about HIV /AIDS, a UN conference was told Thursday. Three years ago the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on member states to address HIV/AIDS among peacekeeping forces. With UNMEE (U.N
Hong Kong to Use HIV Drug to Treat SARS Victims: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 25, 2003; HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong hospitals will use the HIV drug Kaletra together with ribavirin to treat SARS patients if the territory is hit by a second wave of the deadly disease, its hospital chief said on Thursday. Experts have warned that the disease coul
UNICEF: Somalia Has Unique Chance to Halt AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 24, 2003; James Macharia; NAIROBI (Reuters) - War-torn Somalia has one of the lowest AIDS infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa and has a unique chance to prevent the disease from spreading, unlike its hard-hit neighbors, a UNICEF official said on Wednesday. Jesper Morc, who represents the U.N. children s agency in Somalia, said
WHO: Access to AIDS Drugs a Global Emergency: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 24, 2003; NAIROBI (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday the lack of access to anti-AIDS drugs was a global health emergency. It said only five percent of the six million people with HIV in developing countries who would benefit from anti-retrovirals (ARVs) were being treated. In sub-Saharan Africa
Study: U.S. Abortion Policy Closes African Clinics: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 24, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush s anti-abortion policy has forced family planning clinics in poor countries to close, leaving some communities without any healthcare, according to a report issued Wednesday. Even faith-based clinics that promote abstinence -- in line with White House policy -- have had to close, a
WHO Underplays HIV/AIDS Needles Threat, Campaigner Says: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 23, 2003; NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is seriously underestimating the contribution of needle re-use to HIV/AIDS in Africa, a campaigner told a conference on the epidemic Tuesday. WHO focused on the role of sexual transmission of the disease in Africa to the point of excluding virtually other causes
Kenyan AIDS Patients Stage Mock Trial Over Disease: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 23, 2003; Helen Nyambura; NAIROBI (Reuters) - James Kamau, an AIDS activist infected with the virus, has for 13 years refused to take anti-retrovirals to fight the disease in solidarity with thousands of Kenyans who do not have access to the costly drugs. Together with around 100 other AIDS victims and sympathizers, Kamau staged a mock trial Tu
European Cancer Patient Coalition Formed: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 23, 2003; COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Europe s first coalition for cancer patients was formed Tuesday to ensure that sufferers have access to the best treatment and care. It is time that all cancer patients had a properly representative forum to help them help themselves, Lynn Faulds Wood, a British television presenter and former p
UN Faces Blizzard of Bleak AIDS Statistics: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 23, 2003; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Despite more money and a myriad of programs, most nations are unable, unwilling or too impoverished to provide treatment or prevention plans that could reverse the AIDS pandemic by 2015, U.N. officials said. At an all-day conference on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said new report
U.S. Defends AIDS Spending, Urges More from Europe: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; Carol Giacomo; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson on Monday defended U.S. contributions to the fight against AIDS and urged European countries to step up financial commitments to the effort. At a U.N. General Assembly session on AIDS, Thompson described President Bush as absolutely passionat
AIDS Galloping Faster Than Global Plans to Stop It: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; Evelyn Leopold; UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - There s more money to spend on AIDS and drugs are cheaper but the disease is galloping faster than global efforts to stop it, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday. Addressing 136 world leaders and ministers at a U.N. General Assembly session on AIDS, Annan said new reports made cl
1 Percent of Africa AIDS Victims Get Needed Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; Helen Nyambura; NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) - Only 1 percent of the millions of Africans who need anti-AIDS drugs receive them, said a report released Monday, one day after a U.N. AIDS expert called the crisis the grotesque obscenity of the modern world. The report by the World Health Organization and Medecins Sans Front
Parts of Africa Ravaged by AIDS Epidemic: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations AIDS group warned of a massive $3 billion shortfall in funding to fight the disease in sub-Saharan Africa where almost 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Even with recent increases in AIDS spending, the mismatch between need and funding continues to be one of the biggest
Mandela Calls for 'Social Revolution' Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; Wambui Chege; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela said Monday that breaking the grip of a crippling AIDS epidemic would need the kind of social revolution that dismantled decades of apartheid rule. About five million people are infected with HIV in South Africa, the nation hit hardes
More Africans Getting AIDS Drugs, Companies Say: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 22, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical companies said on Monday they had doubled the supply of life-saving AIDS medicines to Africa in the past year but admitted the gap in care remained unacceptable. They said industry data, to be presented at a special United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York later in the day,
UNAIDS Warns of $3 Billion Funding Shortfall in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday September 21, 2003; NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations AIDS group warned on Sunday of a massive $3 billion shortfall in funding to fight the disease in sub-Saharan Africa where almost 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Even with recent increases in AIDS spending, the mismatch between need and funding continues to be one of th
Bill Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday September 21, 2003; Wambui Chege; MANHICA, Mozambique (Reuters) - The world s richest man donated $168 million to fight malaria Sunday, and urged the world to intensify its battle against a disease which kills more than one million people a year, mainly in Africa. It s time to treat Africa s malaria epidemic like the crisis it is, said Microsoft chai
AIDS Chief Calls for More Vaccine Cooperation: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 19, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. government AIDS investigator called on Friday for an international network to share information in developing an AIDS vaccine, including governments, industry and non-profit vaccine groups. The deadly virus has proven so much harder to fight than any other disease that it will requir
Dutchman Arrested for Infecting Ghanaian with AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 19, 2003; ACCRA (Reuters) - A Dutchman has been arrested for knowingly infecting a Ghanaian woman with the virus that causes AIDS, police in the West African country said on Friday. The man, 53, will appear in court next Wednesday and could face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of intentionally causing harm, police said.
PET Scans Used to Detect HIV Progression: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 18, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - A scanning technique can track the progression of HIV and could lead to new treatment options and the development of the next generation of anti-AIDS drugs, scientists said on Friday. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans are usually used to identify cancerous tumors, but researchers in the United
'New' Africans Invade Brazil's Northeast: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 18, 2003; Guido Nejamkis; SALVADOR, Brazil (Reuters) - They live in Salvador, Brazil s most African city, but they long to return to the continent where they were born. They are Salvador s new Africans, studying and working in the city that was Brazil s capital until 1763 and looking on with curiosity at the rituals and customs left behind by t
Unions Demand Urgent S.Africa AIDS Drugs Rollout: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 18, 2003; Zandile Nkuta; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s umbrella trade union group Thursday piled pressure on the government to launch a nationwide rollout of AIDS drugs in public hospitals, saying a delay of six months would kill thousands. Our government needs to act as a matter of urgency. They need to implement the decision quickl
Kenyan Firm Plans to Produce Generic AIDS Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 17, 2003; NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan drugs company plans to start making anti-retroviral drugs to treat AIDS sufferers next month, becoming the first African company outside South Africa to do so, the company said on Wednesday. Activists hope for a breakthrough in fighting the epidemic by producing the life-prolonging drugs i
Merck, Aventis Begin Trials of Combo AIDS Vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 17, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drug makers Merck & Co. and Aventis said on Wednesday they have begun human clinical trials of a novel combination AIDS vaccine. The trials seek to determine whether the addition of a vaccine made by Aventis to Merck s vaccine candidate will prove more effective than either alone. The creat
Canadian Pot Patients Pan Government Marijuana: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, September 16, 2003; Franco Pingue; TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada s government-grown marijuana is unfit for human consumption and makes some patients sick, people who have tried it said on Tuesday. The federal government has permitted more than 600 Canadians to legally buy medical marijuana, the first country in the world to do so. They are patients whose d
Cheaper for S. Africa Firms to Treat HIV -Expert: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 16, 2003; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African companies would be better off treating employees with the HIV virus than to ignore the illness, which affects at least 11 percent of the population, a doctor at a top insurance broker said on Tuesday. Dr. Grietjie Strydom -- who set up the health unit at financial services group A
Rock Star Bono Spars with Bush Over AIDS Funding: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, September 16, 2003; Caren Bohan; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Irish rock star Bono pressed President Bush on Tuesday to set aside more cash for AIDS initiatives but came away disappointed after a face-to-face talk with the president at the White House. We had a good old row, Bono said of his meeting with Bush. What I just can t agree with him on is the numb
New Treatment May Flush Out Hidden AIDS Virus: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, September 16, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A two-step approach against AIDS involving first flushing the virus out of hiding then killing it with a toxic antibody may offer the first hope for controlling a lifelong AIDS infection, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. The technique to locate and kill dormant HIV -infected immune system ce
Court Rules AIDS Patient Can Sue Over Housing: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 15, 2003; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A disabled man suffering from AIDS on Monday won an appeals court ruling granting him the right to sue a prospective landlord who had denied him housing. John Giebeler was employed as a psychiatric technician in California but was forced to leave his job as his disease progressed. When he went
Vancouver Opens Safe-Injection Site for Addicts: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 15, 2003; Allan Dowd; VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Vancouver opened North America s first government-sanctioned injection site for addicts on Monday, saying it will save lives but won t solve the Canadian city s drug problems. The facility in Vancouver s poor Downtown Eastside neighborhood has been criticized by U.S. officials, w
Court Rules AIDS Patient Can Sue Over Housing: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, September 15, 2003; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A disabled man suffering from AIDS on Monday won an appeals court ruling granting him the right to sue a prospective landlord who had denied him housing. John Giebeler was employed as a psychiatric technician in California but was forced to leave his job as his disease progressed. When he went
Roche,Trimeris say new HIV drug promising in trials: Reuters NewMedia- Monday, September 15, 2003; ZURICH, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX and Trimeris Inc TRMS.O said on Monday an experimental HIV drug they are developing showed promise in initial clinical trials. T-1249, a so-called fusion inhibitor designed to block HIV s entry into healthy cells, follows the partners Fuzeon fusion inhibitor already
Vancouver Opens Safe-Injection Site for Addicts: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, September 15, 2003; Allan Dowd; VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Vancouver opened North America s first government-sanctioned injection site for addicts on Monday, saying it will save lives but won t solve the Canadian city s drug problems. The facility in Vancouver s poor Downtown Eastside neighborhood has been criticized by U.S. officials, w
AIDS Nightmare Looms in Indonesia's Papua: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, September 13, 2003; Dean Yates; WAMENA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Tucking into bowls of meatball soup and sipping tea, the nine teenage girls look like friends swapping gossip on a Saturday night in the highland town of Wamena in Indonesia s remote Papua province. They are actually taking a break from selling their bodies around the corner on a dusty Wa
WHO Chief: More SARS-Like Diseases Likely: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 12, 2003; Sunil Kataria; NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Countries across the globe must prepare to face the onslaught of many more SARS-like diseases in the new century, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. SARS was the first disease in the 21st century, but it will not be the last one. I expect there will be many new SARS-like p
Study Suggests Smallpox Vaccine May Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 11, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The smallpox vaccine may help protect people against the AIDS virus, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. A team at Virginia s George Mason University said they had shown, in lab dishes, that blood cells from people vaccinated against smallpox were four times less likely to become infected by the A
Study: Bacteria Could Fight Off AIDS Virus in Women: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 09, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Genetically engineered bacteria might be used to help women protect themselves from the AIDS virus, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Tests in monkeys suggest the approach is safe, the team at Stanford University in California reported. The team, led by Dr. Peter Lee, focused on lactobacilli
Gay Men Flouting Safe Sex, Researcher Says: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 09, 2003; Jeremy Lovell; MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A British researcher said on Tuesday many young gay British men were flouting safe sex and trying to catch HIV/AIDS in their search for identity. But Europe s biggest HIV and AIDS charity dismissed the claim, saying there was no evidence to support it and that it would only serve to furt
S.Africa AIDS Activists Launch Treatment Program: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 08, 2003; CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Leading South African AIDS lobby group Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Monday launched a drug treatment program that they hope will reach 1,000 people by the end of next year. The move will, in itself, make little difference in a country with the highest HIV caseload in the world. But TAC hopes
U.S. Gives $7 Mln to Curb Spread of HIV in Ethiopia: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 08, 2003; ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The United States gave $7 million on Monday to curb the spread of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, a major killer of children under five years of age in Ethiopia . The Horn of Africa country will receive the money under President Bush s prevention of mother-to-child transmission initi
WHO Warns of Resurgence of SARS, Other Diseases: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 08, 2003; Dolly Aglay; MANILA (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization warned health specialists on Monday of a possible resurgence of the deadly SARS virus and urged countries to boost surveillance. None of us can predict what will happen later this year. Will SARS come back or not? Director-General Lee Jong-wook told a WHO r
Brazil gets tough with drug firms on AIDS medicine: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 05, 2003; Carlos A. DeJuana; SAO PAULO, Brazil , Sept 5 (Reuters) - The Brazilian government warned drugmakers on Friday that unless they lower their prices sharply it may break their patents on AIDS medications by allowing imports of cheaper copies. The move raised the stakes in Brazil s battle with some of the world s largest pharmaceutical com
The Netherlands' Sole Distributor of Cannabis: Reuters NewMedia - Friday September 05, 2003; BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Omega Pharma said on Tuesday it would become the sole distributor of cannabis in the Netherlands after the country became the world s first to allow doctors to prescribe the drug for medicinal purposes. Belgium s largest drug and health products distributor said one of its Dutch subsidiaries had w
Global Trade Rules Carry Deadly Costs for Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday September 04, 2003; Shapi Shacinda; LUSAKA (Reuters) - By the time ministers gather in Mexico for crucial global trade talks next week, Zambian teacher Johnson Phiri may well have become an AIDS statistic. Phiri and thousands like him die each day from an HIV/AIDS pandemic killing African professionals faster than replacements can be trained. Most have
Epimmune to cut staff, record charge: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 03, 2003; LOS ANGELES, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Vaccine developer Epimmune Inc. EPMN.O on Wednesday said it will cut staff and record a restructuring charge to reduce costs and fund ongoing clinical trials of vaccines for cancer and HIV. The San Diego-based company said it will reduce its research and administrative staff by 11 people
State Dept Sued for Not Hiring HIV-Positive Man: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 03, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An HIV-positive man sued the State Department on Wednesday for refusing to hire him as a diplomat because of his condition and said he was the victim of illegal discrimination. Lorenzo Taylor, 48, passed the oral and written exams to become a diplomat but was turned down for a job because he has
Poverty Is Political Challenge for S.Africa Gov't: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 03, 2003; Toby Reynolds; BEAUFORT WEST, South Africa (Reuters) - In the wind-swept, dusty town of Beaufort West in South Africa s Karoo semi-desert, a crowd of poor shanty-town dwellers assails the country s visiting social development minister. Many of them reek of alcohol and bear the scars of the previous night s arguments. They crowd arou
Rights Group Pillories China for AIDS Spread: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday September 03, 2003; BEIJING (Reuters) - China is abetting the spread of AIDS by denying patients treatment and information and not confronting a blood-selling scandal that resulted in possibly millions of sufferers, a human rights watchdog said on Wednesday. New York-based Human Rights Watch charged in a 94-page report that discriminator
Asia Leaders Ignore Looming AIDS Crisis-U.N. Envoy: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday September 02, 2003; Darren Schuettler; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Asian leaders are ignoring a looming African-style HIV/AIDS crisis that threatens the region s economic and social development, a United Nations special envoy said on Tuesday. Some leaders have buried themselves in the illusion that HIV/AIDS is not really an Asian problem -- that the infection will
Angola Must Act Now Against AIDS -- WHO Chief: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 01, 2003; LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola , the southern African nation least hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic because of its civil war, must act now to prevent a big rise in the number of cases, the head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday. The end of 27 years of civil war has brought freer movement of people from neighbor
Dutch Approve Cannabis as Prescription Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Monday September 01, 2003; Paul Gallagher; AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands Monday became the world s first country to make cannabis available as a prescription drug in pharmacies to treat cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis patients, the Health Ministry said. The Netherlands is making the drug widely available to chronically ill patients amid pressure on
Drug Firms Welcome Patent Safeguards: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday August 30, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON (Reuters) - A global trade deal cutting the price of vital medicines for poor countries has been welcomed by the world s big drug makers for the patent safeguards it offers. For the $400 billion-a-year pharmaceutical industry, these checks should stop copycat drugs made in the Third World flooding premium Wester
Serono wins full FDA approval for AIDS wasting drug: Reuters NewMedia - Friday August 29, 2003; LOS ANGELES, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Swiss biotech company Serono Inc. SEOZ.VX on Friday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Serostim as a treatment for muscle wasting in HIV patients. Serostim in 1996 was given a special regulatory status by the FDA for approval of a drug that is used to tre
Africa greets medicines pact with anger, criticism: Reuters NewMedia - August 28, 2003; Matthew Green; NAIROBI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Kenyan activists accused the United States on Thursday of bullying poor countries into accepting a trade deal on drugs that favours corporate greed above the lives of millions dying from AIDS and other diseases. The pact aims to increase poor countries access to affordable medicines to battl
Pause in AIDS Treatment Could Be Dangerous - Study: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, August 27, 2003; Gene Emery; BOSTON - Drug holidays may be dangerous in patients whose virus has become drug-resistant, a new study released on Wednesday showed. Giving such breaks from treatment helped the disease progress faster and did little to save lives or improve the quality of health when signs of drug resistance were appearing, researcher
Experts: World Facing Diabetes Catastrophe: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, August 25, 2003; Emelia Sithole; PARIS (Reuters) - More than 300 million people worldwide are at risk of developing diabetes and the disease s economic impact in some hard-hit countries could be higher than that of the AIDS pandemic, diabetes experts warned on Monday. In a report released at the International Diabetes Federation conference in Paris, e
African Leaders Rally Behind Embattled Zimbabwe: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, August 24, 2003; Manoah Esipisu; DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (Reuters) - Southern African leaders gathering in Tanzania Sunday for an annual summit rallied behind Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe despite pressure to tackle him on human rights abuses in his country. The European Union and the United States have refused to fund projects in
Africa Ministers Urge EU to Lift Zimbabwe Sanctions: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, August 23, 2003; Manoah Esipisu and Wangui Kanina; DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - The 14-nation southern Africa trade bloc SADC Saturday urged Western governments to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe while ministers debated issues from regional conflicts to AIDS. The ministers were preparing for a SADC summit from August 25-26, which is expected to sign of a Mutual Defense Pact a
Zimbabwe Sees 1.82 Million HIV/AIDS Cases in 2003: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday August 21, 2003; HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe unveiled national HIV/AIDS infection data Thursday that showed a lower caseload for the killer disease than indicated by previous United Nations figures. But Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said more work was needed to tell whether the estimate -- which pegged the number of HIV
AIDS Is Key Concern for Southern African Summit: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday August 21, 2003; Wangui Kanina; DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Unless Southern Africa can sort out its AIDS epidemic, now affecting an estimated 14 million people, it might as well forget development, a senior regional official said Thursday ahead of a summit in Tanzania . External debt and political crises in Zimbabwe
In Vietnam young and educated fall victim to HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday August 20, 2003; Christina Toh-Pantin; HANOI (Reuters) - The young Vietnamese man came in for a health check. The doctor s diagnosis seemed like a death sentence. The doctor told the parents the man was HIV positive. It stayed a family secret, even from the patient. The parents didn t tell him because he was about to get married, the foreign health worker t
South Africa Chooses Task Team for AIDS Drugs Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday August 20, 2003; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s Health Ministry said Wednesday it had appointed a task team to develop a detailed plan for rolling out anti-retroviral drugs, which the cabinet has requested by the end of September. Dr. Anthony Mbewu, executive director for research at the Medical Research Council of South Afric
China Trims Red Tape Needed to Tie the Knot: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, August 20, 2003; BEIJING (Reuters) - China is making marriage easier for prospective newlyweds after decades of demanding blessings from their bosses, but same-sex unions remain outlawed in a land where homosexuals were until recently considered mentally ill. Under new rules taking effect on October 1, couples need only show their ID
U.S. AIDS group wants Glaxo drug off market: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday August 19, 2003; WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The nation s largest AIDS organization on Tuesday asked U.S. regulators to withdraw approval for GlaxoSmithKline Plc s GSK.L HIV drug Trizivir in light of a study showing it was inferior to other treatment combinations. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides HIV-related medi
Britain Urged to Test Immigrants for HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 18, 2003; Gideon Long; LONDON (Reuters) - Britain should test would-be immigrants for HIV to stem a rise in the number of cases being imported from Africa, campaigners for stricter border controls said on Monday. Immigrant support groups rejected the calls and the opposition Liberal Democrats, the third force in British politics, said testi
Asian Governments Urged to Promote Condoms in AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 18, 2003; Darren Schuettler; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Health experts urged Asian governments Monday to make condoms cheaper and more accessible in a region shaping up as the new battleground in the global fight against AIDS. The Asia-Pacific region is home to 7 million people living with HIV, and could account for 40 percent of new global infections by
Die Quietly: How AIDS Kills Africa's Battered Women: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 18, 2003; Fiona O'Brien; NAIROBI (Reuters) - You can learn about condoms, know that fidelity or abstinence can protect you from AIDS, but if your husband is HIV-positive, violent and wants sex, there is not a whole lot you can do. HIV/AIDS is ravaging sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two regions -- the other being North Africa and the Mid
Dusty Kenyan Town in Battle Against HIV/AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday August 17, 2003; Ruth Gidley; NAROK (Reuters) - The dusty Masai town of Narok, a couple of hours drive west of Nairobi, finds itself in the midst of the battle against HIV/AIDS in Kenya s rural heartland. Some people walk up to 95 miles to take an HIV test and talk to a counselor from the local non-governmental organization Pillar of Hope. Its
S.Africa Minister Says 'Flat Out' on AIDS Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday August 16, 2003; Mariam Isa; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s Health Minister Mano Tshabalala-Msimang said on Saturday she would work flat out to try to meet an end-September deadline for a plan to roll out anti-retroviral drugs to people with the AIDS virus. What I m confident of at the moment is that we are supposed to produce an implemen
Viruses Worsen Dementia, Study Finds: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday August 14, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Viruses that cause cold sores and their cousins can worsen the risk of dementia in elderly people with heart disease, Finnish researchers said on Thursday. The researchers at the University of Helsinki found that older patients infected with three common herpes viruses had a much higher risk of
Rights Group Condemns Uganda on Domestic Violence: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, August 13, 2003; KAMPALA (Reuters) - Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Uganda on Wednesday to enact laws punishing domestic violence which it said put women at an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. In a report published on Wednesday, HRW said that though Uganda had managed to greatly reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence in the la
Women's Meeting Condemns Violence and Neglect: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, August 12, 2003; DHAKA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Former South African first lady Winnie Mandela Tuesday blamed widespread poverty and official neglect for sufferings of women from trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Poverty is the root cause for increasing violence against women and their ordeal in trafficking and attacks by HIV/AIDS, she told a
Asian Women Protest Against Repression, Violence: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 11, 2003; DHAKA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - More than 1,000 women from Bangladesh and seven other Asian countries, wearing black and carrying candles, staged a silent protest in Bangladesh s capital Monday against repression and trafficking of women. The group, seeking to highlight problems faced by women, carried placards reading:
Geography Helps to Explain Africa's Woes: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday August 10, 2003; Ed Stoddard; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - It s good for your country to have a coast -- or at least lots of its population in close proximity to the sea -- and not just for trips to the beach. Recent studies are confirming what many economists have long known: that geography matters. Size does too. This may be especia
Dusty Kenyan Town in Battle Against HIV/AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday August 10, 2003; Ruth Gidley; NAROK, Kenya (Reuters) - The dusty Masai town of Narok, a couple of hours drive west of Nairobi, finds itself in the midst of the battle against HIV/AIDS in Kenya s rural heartland. Some people walk up to 95 miles to take an HIV test and talk to a counsellor from the local non-governmental organization Pillar of Hope.
S.Africans Welcome AIDS Breakthrough, Regret Delays: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday August 09, 2003; Alistair Thomson; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - AIDS sufferers and activists warmly welcomed a breakthrough step in South Africa toward anti-retroviral treatment for all, but said delays leading up to it had cost lives. Long criticized for failing to tackle the world s highest AIDS case-load head-on, President Thabo Mbeki s government bowed
New Reports Attack Bush Science Policy: Reuters NewMedia - Friday August 08, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush s science policies came under fire again Friday in a report from Democrat lawmakers and studies by reproductive health experts and scientists. All accuse the Bush administration of distorting science to suit ideology and of ignoring scientific studies that do not support conservati
S.Africa Says Wants AIDS Drugs Plan Ready by Sept: Reuters NewMedia - Friday August 08, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s cabinet, bowing to public calls for more aggressive measures to fight the AIDS epidemic, said Friday it aimed to draw up a plan for rolling out anti-retroviral drugs by the end of September. Government shares the impatience of many South Africans on the need to strengthen the nat
Doctors Warned About Prescribing TB Drug Mix: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday August 07, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - Doctors in the United States should avoid prescribing what had been a promising drug cocktail when treating cases of latent tuberculosis because the therapy causes severe liver injuries and death in some patients, federal health officials said on Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent
FDA Warns Gilead Again on AIDS Drug Claims: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday August 7, 2003; Deena Beasley; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the second time in just over a year, has warned biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc. to stop making exaggerated claims about its AIDS drug Viread . The agency in a letter posted on its Web site on Thursday said representatives at Gilead s p
S. Africa AIDS Meeting Ends with Call for Treatment: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday August 6, 2003; Andrew Quinn; DURBAN (Reuters) - Scientists and activists at South Africa s first national AIDS conference, which drew to a close on Wednesday, urged the government to roll out rapid drug treatment for millions of South Africans dying from the disease. The message is: don t wait. You ve got to do something, and you have got to do i
Politics on AIDS Overwhelms Science in S.Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday August 5, 2003; Andrew Quinn; DURBAN (Reuters) - South Africa s increasingly bitter political disputes over AIDS mask real advances the country is making against the disease, the chairman of the country s first national AIDS conference said. The dominant view of our epidemic is of political interference, of politicization, said Professor Jerry Coov
S.Africa's Aspen to Launch First Local AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday August 5, 2003; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s Aspen Pharmacare will launch what it said was the continent s first locally made anti-retroviral for HIV /AIDS, a major breakthrough in Africa s fight against the pandemic. The country s largest generic drugs manufacturer said on Tuesday it would make the announcement together wi
Top S.Africa AIDS Activist to Start Treatment: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, August 4, 2003; Andrew Quinn; DURBAN (Reuters) - Leading South African AIDS campaigner Zackie Achmat said on Monday he would end his embargo and begin taking life-saving anti-retroviral drugs because his death would not help the fight for wider treatment. Once dubbed the most effective South African political activist since anti-apartheid icon Nels
S.Africa Seen at 'Death' Phase of AIDS Epidemic: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 4, 2003; Andrew Quinn; DURBAN (Reuters) - South Africa is entering the death phase of its AIDS epidemic as mortality outstrips new infections, presenting new challenges for a health care system struggling to cope with the disease, scientists said on Monday. South Africa is experiencing a devastating epidemic -- the world s worst -- and this
HIV-Positive Couple Make History in China: Reuters NewMedia - Monday August 4, 2003; Juliana Liu; BEIJING (Reuters) - A HIV-positive couple has wed publicly for the first time in China in a ceremony widely reported in state newspapers, a sign more sufferers may be ready to tackle rampant discrimination. Doctors and AIDS activists said the couple s openness in allowing the press to cover their wedding would help fig
Minister Jeered as S.Africa AIDS Meeting Opens: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday August 03, 2003; Andrew Quinn; DURBAN (Reuters) - Activists jeered South Africa s health minister Sunday as a national AIDS conference got under way amid mounting anger at a tepid government response to the disease, which activists say kills 600 South Africans a day. Protesters holding up signs reading Save Our Youth, Save Our Future, Treat AIDS Now
S.Africa to Make Own Decision on AIDS Drug-Mbeki: Reuters NewMedia - Friday August 1, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - President Thabo Mbeki on Friday argued South Africa had the right to question a key drug used to prevent babies contracting AIDS, saying it must not bow to self-serving beliefs as it decides whether to ban the drug. Mbeki, wading into a new dispute on AIDS treatment in the nation hardest hit b
EU Agency Warns on GSK-Gilead HIV Drug Cocktail: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 31, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - The European Medicines Evaluation Agency said on Thursday doctors should not start HIV patients on a combination of drugs made by GlaxoSmithKline and Gilead Sciences Inc after a study showed it did not reduce viral load in nearly half the patients taking it. In a statement, the EMEA said that p
S.Africa Bemoans 'Double Standards' Over AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 31, 2003; Wambui Chege; PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa accused critics Thursday of double standards for condemning its concerns over a drug used to stop babies from contracting AIDS when U.S. researchers had raised similar doubts. South Africa s Medicines Control Council (MCC) sparked a furor this week after it told German drugmaker
AIDS Activists Jeer Senior Bush Health Official: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 30, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - The Bush administration s second-ranking health official on Wednesday advocated making abstinence a key pillar of HIV prevention programs for young Americans, prompting sharp criticism from AIDS activists. Encouraging young people and young adults to abstain is the only appropriate initial strategy,
Bush Defends AIDS Funding, Renews Pledge: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 30, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday he would fully fund his five-year, $15 billion plan to combat AIDS, brushing aside questions about his commitment to the initiative. Activists expressed outrage earlier this month after the Republican-led House of Representatives moved legislation backing Bush s r
South Africa May Ban Key Mother-Child AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 30, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa will ban the use of the AIDS drug Nevirapine to block transmission of HIV from mother to child unless the manufacturer can provide new data to prove its safety, officials said Wednesday. Nevirapine became the first anti-retroviral drug approved for use in South Africa last year af
WHO Confident of Meeting Ambitious AIDS Drugs Goal: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 30, 2003; Richard Waddington; GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is confident of increasing the number of AIDS sufferers on drug treatment tenfold in just over two years, but is going to need help, the U.N. agency s new AIDS chief said on Wednesday. Paulo Teixeira, who led Brazil s widely-lauded drive against the killer disease
Rise of Internet Fuels Fears of AIDS Resurgence: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday July 29, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - A growing number of gay and bisexual men in the United States are engaging in risky sex with partners they meet on the Internet, raising fears that the AIDS virus could be poised for a major comeback in the group hardest hit by the epidemic. Online chatrooms and Web sites are replacing gay bathhouse
Gaps in AIDS Counseling, Testing Raise Fears: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, July 28, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - Too many Americans infected with the AIDS virus do not receive appropriate counseling and fail to obtain the results of AIDS tests, U.S. researchers said Monday, raising the specter of a resurgence in the disease after a decline in the 1990s. The findings, reported at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conferen
HIV Cases Climb Among Gay, Bisexual Men: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, July 28, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - The number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, climbed for the third consecutive year in the United States in 2002, fueling fears the disease might be poised for a major comeback in this vulnerable group. Overall AIDS diagnoses rose 2.2 percent to 42,136 last year, the Cent
Vertex HIV drug shows mixed results in final trial: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, July 24, 2003; NEW YORK, July 24 (Reuters) - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said on Thursday its experimental HIV drug failed its primary goal in the last of three late-stage clinical trials, but the company said it is confident the drug will be approved this year. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company said its drug,
House Rejects Bids to Boost Global AIDS Funds: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 24, 2003; Vicki Allen; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Backing President Bush, the House of Representatives on Thursday defeated Democrats efforts to boost funds to fight the AIDS pandemic by shifting money from Bush s new foreign aid program and from drug-fighting efforts in Colombia . The early-morning votes came before the Repu
Indian Meeting Sets Up Asian Anti-AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 24, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - India , China and Indonesia are the new battlegrounds in the fight against AIDS but have a unique chance to combat the disease by preparing early, an expert said Thursday. They may also, paradoxically, have been helped in the struggle by the grim example of the SARS epidemic, accordi
AIDS threatens South Africa economy-World Bank: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 23, 2003; WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - The HIV/AIDS epidemic could be pushing South Africa s economy to the brink of collapse, the World Bank said on Wednesday in a new report urging governments to do more to tackle the killer disease. South Africa, where more than 20 percent of people aged 15 to 49 are infected, could lose h
Glaxo and Shionogi drop experimental AIDS drug: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 23, 2003; LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L said on Wednesday an experimental AIDS drug that attacks the HIV virus in a way different from existing treatments had been dropped from development. The product, which reached interim Phase II clinical development, was the most advanced among a new type of anti-AI
New U.N. Health Chief Sets AIDS Fight as Priority: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 21, 2003; Richard Waddington; GENEVA (Reuters) - The new head of the World Health Organization (WHO) promised to step up the fight against AIDS when he took office on Monday. Little-known South Korean doctor Jong-Wook Lee, who has been with the United Nations agency for 20 years, also pledged the WHO would take a lead role in battling two other mas
Clinton Calls for More Debt Relief for Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday July 19, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton appealed on Saturday for more debt relief for Africa, calling it a direct way to fight AIDS, hunger and violence plaguing the world s poorest continent. Clinton, making the first Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in honor of the former South African leader s 85th
Lack of Food Biggest Problem for African AIDS Orphans-WFP: Reuters NewMedia - Friday July 18, 2003; LISBON (Reuters) - The U.N. food agency said on Friday that AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa would leave 20 million children without parents to feed them in less than a decade. The World Food Program s executive director James Morris said 11 million AIDS orphans already without a mother or father to cultivate crops in southe
Tattooing Inks May Be Poisonous, EU Warns: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 17, 2003; BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Fans of tattooing are putting poisonous chemicals into their skin because of widespread ignorance about the substances used in tattooing dyes, the European Commission warned Thursday. Would you inject car paint into your skin?, the Commission asked in a statement accompanying its report on the heal
U.S. Officials Offer New HIV Prevention Guidelines: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 17, 2003; ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. health officials on Thursday called for doctors to provide HIV patients with condoms and take other measures to stem transmission of the virus that causes AIDS. New guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other U.S. health agencies encourage medical professi
Senate Panel Clears $18 Billion in Foreign Aid: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 17, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday cleared an $18.1 billion foreign aid bill that meets President Bush s plan to launch a global AIDS initiative, but Democrats said they would press for more AIDS money. The Senate committee s foreign aid bill has $1.4 billion to fight the HIV/AIDS pa
Chirac Heckled as Critics Slam EU on AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 16, 2003; Ben Hirschler and Emelia Sithole; PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union defended its record on funding a global scheme to fight AIDS as angry protesters heckled French President Jacques Chirac at an international conference on the disease Wednesday. European Commission President Romano Prodi said he remained personally very keen on the target of raising
House Panel Backs Bush's AIDS Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 16, 2003; Vicki Allen; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans on a U.S. House of Representatives committee on Wednesday backed President Bush s request for $2 billion to launch his global AIDS initiative, despite Democrats claims he was leaving Congress facing the blame for not fully funding his plan. The bill would pay for antiviral drugs for p
One in 10 European HIV Patients Resistant to Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - July 16, 2003; Ben Hirschler; PARIS (Reuters) - One in 10 HIV patients in Europe newly infected with the virus that causes AIDS is infected with drug- resistant strains, researchers said on Wednesday. Experts said the biggest study of its kind, presented at an international conference in Paris, showed the need for patients to adhere strictly to dr
AIDS Fund Faces Shortfall as Donors Meet in Paris: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 16, 2003; Ben Hirschler and Emelia Sithole; PARIS (Reuters) - A worldwide scheme to fight AIDS received fine words but little new cash to bridge a looming funding gap this year as ministers from 14 countries met in Paris Wednesday. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has committed $1.5 billion to programs in 92 countries in the last 18
WHO Calls for Free Anti-TB Drugs to AIDS Patients: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday July 15, 2003; Emelia Sithole; PARIS (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Tuesday for free anti-tuberculosis drugs to be made widely available to HIV sufferers, who are especially hard hit by the highly infectious disease. About a third of the 42 million people living with the AIDS virus also have TB and the WHO says 90 percent
Anti-AIDS Drugs for Breastfed Kids Cut Infection: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday July 15, 2003; Emelia Sithole; PARIS (Reuters) - Treating infants of HIV-infected mothers with antiretroviral drugs during breast-feeding sharply reduces their risk of contracting the AIDS virus, according to the results of a new study released on Tuesday. The authors of the study said the results might provide an effective and affordable new way to
AIDS Pioneer Sees Risk in African Dash for Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 14, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; PARIS (Reuters) - Two decades into the global AIDS pandemic, governments around the world are finally talking of committing tens of billions of dollars to fight the killer disease in developing countries. But Robert Gallo, the scientist who co-discovered HIV in 1983, warned on Monday there were serious dangers from emb
AIDS Drugs Can Save 1.7 Million South Africans: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 14, 2003; Wambui Chege; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa could save the lives of 1.7 million people with AIDS by 2010 if it allows state hospitals to provide anti-retroviral drugs, according to a government report leaked by AIDS activists. South Africa has the highest number of AIDS victims in the world but the government
Ugandan Kids Sing to Laura Bush of Sadness of AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday July 11, 2003; Matthew Green; ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) - President Bush s wife read a story about Clifford the Big Red Dog to HIV-infected Ugandan children on Friday, and the youngsters sang an appeal for Washington to help combat AIDS. About 50 children, some with stick-like limbs and hollow faces wasted by the disease, listened attentively as La
Bush Hails Uganda for Fight Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday July 11, 2003; Randall Mikkelsen; ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) - President Bush lauded Uganda on Friday as an African example to the world in the fight against HIV/AIDS and promised American help. His visit to the East African state was also designed to boost security in a region Washington fears could become a hideout for groups like Osama bin Laden s a
Bush Takes 'War on Terror' Message to East Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Friday July 11, 2003; Paul Busharizi; ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) - President Bush took his war on terror message to Uganda on Friday, aiming to boost security in an unstable region Washington fears could become a home to groups like Osama bin Laden s al Qaeda. Bush also hoped to polish his anti-AIDS credentials in Uganda, which has been hailed as an Africa
FEATURE-Yoga and 8,000 pills keep AIDS veteran fit: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 11, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - James Locke is cutting back on his AIDS medication. These days he takes just under 8,000 pills a year, down from 12,500 in the mid-1990s. The downside is he has to inject himself twice a day to keep the virus in his body at bay. Locke, who was diagnosed HIV-positive back in 1984 and whose p
Congress Struggles with AIDS Funds: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 10, 2003; Vicki Allen; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As President Bush visited AIDS-ravaged Africa, Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday moved bills backing his request for $2 billion next year to fight the global pandemic -- $1 billion less than the amount provided for in a plan he signed in May. The Senate, also led by Republic
HIV Diagnoses Rise Among Intravenous Drug Users: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 10, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA (Reuters) - The number of new HIV diagnoses among intravenous drug users in the United States rose in 2000, halting five years of steady declines, according to a federal study released on Thursday. Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 25 states revealed that 2,514 people who in
Annan Says Africa Must Fight Harder Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 10, 2003; Manoah Esipisu; MAPUTO (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Africans on Thursday to make fighting AIDS their top priority and told international donors they must do more to combat a disease threatening the continent s future. Annan told leaders at the second summit of the African Union to break the deadly wall of silenc
Laura Bush Pushes U.S. Compassion at AIDS Ward: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 10, 2003; Alistair Thomson; GABORONE (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Laura Bush showed what she called the compassionate face of America on Thursday, meeting AIDS patients in Botswana on her husband s whistle-stop presidential tour of Africa. During a brief visit to Botswana, which is battling the world s highest rate of HIV/AIDS, Bush and her daught
Bush Takes AIDS Message to Hard-Hit Botswana: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday July 10, 2003; Patricia Wilson; GABORONE (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday took a message of hope about AIDS to Botswana , seen by Washington as an economic and political success but battling the highest known rate of HIV/AIDS. After spending the first two days of his African trip wrestling with how to deal with troublespots
Bush unites with Mbeki on Zimbabwe and Liberia: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 09, 2003; Randall Mikkelsen; PRETORIA, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday South African President Thabo Mbeki was the point man to resolve Zimbabwe s political and economic crisis, and issued a fresh vow to help restore peace to Liberia . In a warming of relations, the two leaders publicly set aside differences ove
Bush's Brief Visit to Lift Botswana from Obscurity: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday July 09, 2003; Barry Baxter; GABORONE (Reuters) - For a few brief hours President Bush s visit to Botswana on Thursday will thrust the obscure country to the center of the world stage. The six-hour visit to the southern African state, squeezed into Bush s five-day continental tour, represents a pat on the back for a long-standing ally Washington
Bush Africa Visit Lifts Hopes of U.S. Missionaries: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday July 8, 2003; Matthew Green; NAIROBI (Reuters) - Some fly Bibles into war zones, others care for AIDS orphans dying in slums. Many hope a trip by President Bush to Africa this week will help advance their version of God s cause. They are the Christian missionaries from the United States -- thousands of fathers, reverends and pastors working everyw
Ex-MSNBC Host Savage Apologizes for AIDS Remark: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday July 08, 2003; LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Savage, the conservative talk show host fired by cable news channel MSNBC for wishing AIDS on a caller, on Tuesday apologized for his remarks. If my comments brought pain to anyone I certainly did not intend for this to happen and apologize for any such reaction, Savage said on his Web s
Profiles of African Leaders Hosting Bush Visit: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 07, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - President Bush visits Africa this week for a five-nation trip, his first to the continent as president. His July 7-12 visit takes him to Senegal , South Africa , Botswana , Uganda and Nigeria .
Bush Visit Focuses on Security, AIDS, Economics: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 07, 2003; LONDON (Reuters) - After dismissing Africa as outside U.S. security interests during his 2000 campaign for the presidency, President Bush s July 7-12 African trip shows a changed view of the continent. Bush s first presidential trip to Africa will involve stops in Senegal , South Afric
Bush Embarking on Five-Nation Africa Tour: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 07, 2003; Patricia Wilson; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush leaves for a five-nation tour of Africa on Monday night aiming to prove his commitment to tackling the continent s raging problems but facing an uncertain welcome due to opposition to the Iraq war. I ll be carrying a message to the African people that, first, America cares a
EU okays settlement on Chiron-Roche blood test: Reuters NewMedia - Monday July 07, 2003; BRUSSELS, July 7 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Monday it had approved a settlement of a dispute caused by drug company Chiron Corp s CHIR.O plan to license a blood screening kit to its rival Roche ROCZg.VX . The two companies cooperation over the technology, which enables checks for HIV and hepatitis, had
Africa's Harsh Realities to Dominate Bush Tour: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday July 06, 2003; Diadie Ba; DAKAR (Reuters) - President Bush will fly into Africa this week hoping to push economic development and promote democracy, but the harsh African realities of war and want are likely to dominate his five-day visit. The Texan s first stop is steamy West Africa, and whatever the official agenda, the question on everyone s
Bush: U.S. to Defend Security and Freedom, Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday July 05, 2003; Patricia Wilson; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush defended his use of American military might on Saturday but said the U.S. mission abroad was also to spread freedom, relieve suffering and lead the fight against AIDS in Africa. On the eve of a trip to Senegal , Botswana , Uganda ,
Southern African Leaders Shun Key Summit on AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, July 4, 2003; Bethuel Thai; MASERU - All but four of the 14-member Southern African Development Community nations shunned a summit Friday meant to show SADC leaders at the forefront of the AIDS fight and decide a united plan to combat the disease. SADC countries are among the sub-Saharan states worst hit by AIDS, which is described as the biggest
CDC: China, India May Face AIDS Catastrophe: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, July 3, 2003; SINGAPORE - China , India and Cambodia could face an AIDS catastrophe as HIV spreads deeper into parts of Asia where health controls are weak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. In some countries, for example, Cambodia, or in what we believe in China and India, the
Gilead Gets OK for Once-Daily HIV Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 2, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc. said on Wednesday it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to sell a new HIV drug that can be taken once daily rather than several times per day. Gilead said the medicine, Emtriva , is among one of the classes
Mandela's 85th Birthday Will Bring Sage Advice: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 2, 2003; Toby Reynolds; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - He overcame nearly three decades of imprisonment and almost a lifetime of racial discrimination to forge South Africa s peaceful post-apartheid democracy, so Nelson Mandela s advice is worth listening to. And, as part of celebrations to mark his 85th birthday this month, Mandela plans to extend
Critics Ask Africa-Bound Bush to Back Up AIDS Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 2, 2003; Lisa Richwine; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush heads to Africa next week armed with a $15 billion plan to fight the AIDS crisis, but some activists say it is premature to credit him for an effort they fear will move too slowly. While many praised Bush for pledging bold steps to battle the disease that is killing more than 8,000
Bush Taps Former Lilly Executive to Run AIDS Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, July 2, 2003; Patricia Wilson; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the eve of a trip to Africa where AIDS tops the agenda, President Bush on Wednesday named a former drug company executive to head a $15 billion U.S. program to combat the disease worldwide. His appointment of Randall Tobias, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis-
Irish Scientist Discovers New Strain of AIDS Virus: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, June 30, 2003; DUBLIN (Reuters) - An Irish scientist has discovered a new strain of HIV that may provide vital clues in the hunt for a vaccine. University researcher Grace McCormack came upon the previously unknown virus type while researching blood samples from Malawi , dating back from the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1
Millions of Children Dying Needlessly, Doctors Say: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, June 27, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON (Reuters) - Six million children in poor countries who die from preventable illnesses each year could be saved but intervention and treatments are not reaching them, health experts said on Friday. Fifty percent of the deaths in children occur in six countries -- India , Nigeria
Southern African Leaders to Hold AIDS Summit: Reuters NewMedia - June 27, 2003; GABORONE (Reuters) - Heads of state of 14 southern African countries will meet in Lesotho on July 4 to seek a joint plan to combat the AIDS epidemic that is killing millions in the region and crushing economic growth, officials said on Friday. The 14 states, members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
American Gays Hail Sodomy Ruling, Look to Marriage: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, June 26, 2003; Mark Egan; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gays across America welcomed a Supreme Court decision on Thursday that legalized anal and oral sex in their homes, and experts said the ruling could pave the way for eventually legalizing gay marriage. The ruling was lauded from New York s Greenwich Village to San Francisco s Castro district. Conse
U.S. to Distribute 250,000 Quick AIDS Tests: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, June 26, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saying that one in four Americans with the AIDS virus is unaware of it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contracted on Thursday to buy 250,000 quick-test kits to try and slow the infection rate. The CDC plans to distribute the tests, which can give a result in 20 minutes, to th
AIDS spending just half of what needed - UN report: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, June 26, 2003; WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Only about half of what is needed to fight the AIDS epidemic is being spent, the United Nations said on Thursday. Governments and private groups both have stepped up spending to fight the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, with initiatives to find a vaccine, to distribute dru
Antibody Not Fooled by Tricky HIV - U.S. Report: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, June 26, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers said on Thursday they had figured out how a rare antibody sees past the disguises of the AIDS virus -- a finding that may lead to a vaccine that will finally work against the killer microbe. The antibody, taken from a unusual patient whose body can resist the virus, recognizes and att
Pfizer to Announce Possible Malaria Breakthrough: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday June 25, 2003; Toni Clarke; NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc. said it will announce on Thursday a possible breakthrough in developing a treatment for malaria, a disease that kills some 2.6 million people a year, mostly in Africa. The company will also discuss its initiatives in smallpox and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Pfizer s
UN: Afghanistan New Villain in Illicit Drug Trade: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday June 25, 2003; Catherine Bremer; PARIS (Reuters) - Illicit drug production is on the wane in Myanmar , Laos , Colombia and Peru but flourishing in
Lawmakers Rip FDA Over Unapproved Import Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday June 24, 2003; Marisa Navarro; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers criticized the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday for not aggressively policing the import of prescription drugs and stopping the entry of illegal knock-offs and counterfeit medicines. Members of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee said the FDA s enforcement ha
Laos Opens Up to World and AIDS Threat: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday June 24, 2003; Martin Petty; BANGKOK (Reuters) - Landlocked, communist Laos has its isolation to thank for keeping the global AIDS epidemic at bay while its Southeast Asian neighbors struggle with some of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. But the United Nations fears attempts by the country to adopt a market economy and open up to the
Bush to Visit Africa in July, AIDS on Agenda: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, June 23, 2003; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush will make his first trip to Africa next month, visiting five countries with an agenda expected to include the fight against AIDS, counter-terrorism and economic development. The White House on Friday announced the trip. Bush will visit Senegal ,
Bush, Lula Agree to Closer U.S.-Brazil Ties: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, June 20, 2003; Randall Mikkelsen; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush, the son of an ex-president, and Brazil s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his country s first president from the working class, agreed on Friday to seek closer ties despite deep differences. They issued a joint statement after their first face-to-face talks since Lula was sworn in on Ja
EU Set to Match U.S. $1 Billion AIDS Pledge in 2004: Reuters NewMedia - Friday June 20, 2003; PORTO CARRAS (Reuters) - European Union leaders were set on Friday to match a U.S. pledge of $1 billion next year to a global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A draft statement due to be adopted at the ongoing EU summit urges member states to make a substantial contribution, on a long-term basis, to th
FDA OKs Bristol-Myers Once-Daily HIV Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Friday June 20, 2003; Ransdell Pierson and Jed Seltzer; NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. s (NYSE:BMY - news) new once-daily drug meant to help control the virus that causes AIDS, the drug maker said. The drug, Reyataz, is a protease inhibitor, one of the main classes of medicine used in special drug cock
South Africa Approves First AIDS Vaccine Trial: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday June 19, 2003; JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa has approved its first local AIDS vaccine trial, specifically targeting the strain of the disease which is killing millions of people across the African continent, doctors said on Thursday. Clinical phase one testing of the candidate vaccine is expected to begin in the next two mo
Gay Men Meeting Online Contracting Syphilis Faster: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday June 18, 2003; SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Finding quick sex may be easier than ever because of the Internet, but it is also leading to growth in some sexual diseases, especially among gay men, a San Francisco health official said on Wednesday. Jeffrey Klausner, director of sexual disease prevention at the city s Department of Public H
American Women in the Dark on Sexual Health: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday June 18, 2003; NEW YORK (Reuters) - American women are dangerously unaware of the facts and risks associated with their sexual health, a new study released on Wednesday showed. Half the women polled in a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, in partnership with Self magazine, had never talked about HIV, AIDS, or other sexually-tran
Don't Expect AIDS Vaccine Before 2009, Experts Say: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday June 18, 2003; Tom Miles; BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS and infects 15,000 people a day worldwide, will not be ready until at least 2009, experts said Wednesday. Seth Berkley, president of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), said there were many obstacles and few drugs in the pipeline, afte
Ethiopia in Dire Need of Aid as Famine Looms: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, June 16, 2003; David Brough; ROME - Ethiopia s hunger crisis has been largely ignored and a massive mobilization of humanitarian aid will be needed to prevent a famine, a senior U.S. official says. A lot of people are using the F word (famine) but don t want to use it publicly, Tony Hall, Rome-based U.S. ambassador to the U.N. food agencies, told
Powell Sets Goals for U.S. Funding to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, June 14, 2003; LONDON - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Saturday U.S. funds of up to $15 billion to combat HIV/AIDS would include spending on education to foster sexual abstinence in polygamous African societies. Speaking to CNN television, Powell also said Washington was working closely with drugs companies and the United Na
S.Africa Drags Feet on AIDS Drugs Despite Pressure: Reuters NewMedia - June 14, 2003; Wambui Chege; JOHANNESBURG - A meeting between the top AIDS advisory body to the South African government and activists Saturday ended with no word on a long-awaited decision on when the state would roll out life-saving AIDS drugs. But leading lobby group Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) claimed a small victory after the meeting with
Researchers Track Down AIDS Virus to Monkeys: Reuters NewMedia - Friday June 13, 2003; Sue Pleming; WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European and U.S. researchers tracking the origins of the AIDS virus said on Friday they had traced it to monkeys in Africa later eaten by chimpanzees who were then butchered by humans for meat. Four years ago, the same researchers argued humans probably got the AIDS virus from chimpanzees carryi
Int'l Businesses Praised, Prodded on AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday June 12, 2003; WASHINGTON - International business has vastly increased efforts to combat AIDS, but many more companies must join the fight against the 21st century s greatest scourge, government and corporate leaders say. At a dinner at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night, the Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/AIDS hailed its
About Half of U.S. Adults Under 65 Have Had AIDS Test: Reuters NewMedia - June 12, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - More than two decades after HIV first surfaced in the United States , slightly less than half of American adults between the ages of 18 and 64 say they have been tested at least once for the virus that causes AIDS. The finding, based on data collected in 2001 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven
Australia Woman Wins Damages After Contracting HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday June 10, 2003; SYDNEY - An Australian court on Tuesday ordered two doctors to pay a woman more than A$700,000 ($460,000) in damages after she contracted HIV from her former husband, whom she believed had tested negative for the virus that causes AIDS. Sydney doctors Nicholas Harvey and King Weng Chen had argued that doctor-patient co
S.Africa to offer tourists "AIDS insurance": Reuters NewMedia - Friday June 6, 2003; JOHANNESBURG - South Africa s top tourism trade group has launched a new AIDS insurance policy to provide potentially life-saving drugs to travellers who might become infected while on holiday. South Africa has the world s single highest AIDS caseload with some five million people infected with the HIV virus. Gail McC
Carlos Santana Pledges Funds to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, June 6, 2003; Sue Zeidler; LOS ANGELES - Rock guitarist Carlos Santana on Thursday pledged the proceeds of his summer tour -- estimated at up to $3 million -- to battling AIDS as South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu predicted the disease may prove more devastating to his country than the scourge of apartheid. Join us in spreading a spiritual vi
Lilly to Double Production of Cheap TB Drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday June 05, 2003; Karen Iley; GENEVA - U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly said on Thursday it would double output of tuberculosis treatments and sell them at a fraction of cost to help the U.N. prevent drug-resistant TB from becoming a world crisis. Announcing a deal with the World Health Organization (WHO), Lilly said it would also ensure long-term avai
U.S. to Press Europe for Cash for AIDS Fund: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, June 03, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - European governments, companies and non-profit groups must contribute more to a global fund to fight disease if it is to work, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said on Tuesday. On the eve of his first board meeting as chairman of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malari
Doctors hail AIDS patient's heart transplant success: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, June 04, 2003; BOSTON - U.S. doctors say the first long-term survival after a heart transplant in a person with AIDS offers new hope to patients. The patient, Robert Zackin of the Harvard School, has now been alive and well for more than two years after he was near death, according to a report released on Wednesday in the New England
Bayer to fight suit claiming AIDS taint in drug: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, June 03, 2003; FRANKFURT - Germany s Bayer AG BAYG.DE said on Tuesday it would defend itself against a lawsuit filed against its U.S. subsidiary alleging it sold blood products that could have been contaminated with the AIDS virus. We have received information that an action is thought to have been filed in the U.S. against several m
G8 Summit Failed to Address Development - Geldof: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, June 03, 2003; LONDON - Irish rock musician and anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof said on Tuesday the G8 summit in France had failed because the world s leading nations were too busy playing politics over Iraq . I m unhappy with the outcome, said Geldof, who in 1985 staged the world s biggest rock conc
Activists: Help Africa's 11 Million AIDS Orphans: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, Jun 3, 2003; Sue Pleming; WASHINGTON - Leading campaigners in the fight against AIDS urged the United States and Europe on Tuesday to devote more funds to help an estimated 11 million children orphaned in Africa by the disease. If nothing is done to the AIDS pandemic sooner rather than later, there will be 20 million children orphaned by AIDS i
G8 Leaders Vow to Fight AIDS, Other Diseases: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, June 02, 2003; EVIAN, France - Leaders of G8 industrialized countries renewed their commitment to fight AIDS, SARS and other diseases and called for bigger world-wide contributions to help eradicate them. We reiterate our commitment to fight against AIDS as well as tuberculosis and malaria..., a G8 statement said. We will strengthe
'Rent-A-Dread' Contributes to Caribbean AIDS Crisis: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, June 02, 2003; Laura Myers; MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - The sun-splashed Caribbean s growing sex tourism industry is contributing to one of the region s grimmest problems -- the world s second-highest rate of AIDS infection. Prostitution catering to sex-seeking tourists and a growing trend called rent-a-dread has helped push the Caribbean AIDS/HIV in
EU's Prodi questions new U.S. cash for AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday, June 01, 2003; EVIAN, France - European Commission chief Romano Prodi questioned on Sunday how much of U.S. President George W. Bush s $15 billion pledge to fight AIDS would turn into new cash to spend battling the disease. Bush s plan, signed into law last week, sets out a spending framework for $15 billion over five years, but the
Bush in France for Protest-Hit G8 Summit: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday June 01, 2003; Tom Heneghan; EVIAN, France - President Bush arrived Sunday for his first visit to France since the Iraq war, turning attention from the Group of Eight summit to a smoldering dispute with his loudest critic Jacques Chirac. The French president gave him a short handshake and a stiff smile on arrival in E
Language Police Bar 'Old,' 'Blind' in Textbooks: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 28, 2003; Arthur Spiegelman; LOS ANGELES - Oh heck: Hell hath no place in American primary and high school textbooks. But then again you can t find anyone riding on a yacht or playing polo in the pages of an American textbook either. The texts also can t say someone has a boyish figure, or is a busboy, or is blind, or suffers a birth defect, or is
Geldof Lauds Bush Administration Over African Aid: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 28, 2003; Kate Holton and Tsegaye Tadesse; AWASSA, Ethiopia - Live Aid founder Bob Geldof shocked the international aid community on Wednesday by praising President Bush s administration as one of Africa s best friends in their fight against AIDS and famine. Bush on Tuesday signed into law a $15 billion plan to help fund the fight against AIDS in Africa and the
New Gloves Designed for Better Health Protection: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 28, 2003; LONDON - A rubber goods company is developing gloves that may help to protect healthcare workers from viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C. Instead of thin latex which can easily be punctured with a needle, or split, the new G-VIR gloves consist of two layers of synthetic rubber with disinfectant liquid between them.
EU expands indication for Gilead HIV drug: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, May 27, 2003; NEW YORK - Gilead Science GILD.O on Tuesday said it received European Union authorization to market expand the indication of Viread , a drug that inhibits the duplication of the AIDS virus, in all 15 EU states. With the expansion, Viread is approved for use in combination with other drugs that prevent the duplication o
EU Backs Plan to Stop AIDS Drug Smuggling: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, May 27, 2003; BRUSSELS - European Union states backed a new system on Monday to stop cut-price drugs for poor countries being smuggled back into Europe. Ministers approved the scheme, which will involve having discounted drugs for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria put on a special register to be held by the European Commission. The med
Bush Signs AIDS Plan; Tells Europe to Follow Suit: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, May 27, 2003; Adam Entous; WASHINGTON - President Bush signed into law Tuesday a $15 billion plan to help fund the fight against AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, and challenged Europe to match America s generous commitment without delay. While pop star Bono and other global AIDS activists welcomed Bush s pledge, critics said his actual budget f
Cambodia Turns to Soap Opera in Fight Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 27, 2003; Ed Cropley; PHNOM PENH - Cambodia launched a daring soap opera about star-crossed lovers, prostitutes and HIV on Monday -- the latest weapon in its fight to contain the deadly AIDS virus. An estimated 158,000 people, or 2.6 percent of adults, are HIV-positive in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation. Although not on the scale
Roche, Trimeris HIV drug wins European approval: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 27, 2003; LOS ANGELES - Swiss drugs group Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX on Tuesday said it received European Commission approval to sell Fuzeon, a drug for fighting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Fuzeon, which the firm developed with U.S. biotech firm Trimeris Inc. TRMS.O , has already won regulatory approval in the
Condom Programs Do Not Promote School Sex-Study: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, May 27, 2003; WASHINGTON - Making condoms available to high school students does not make them more likely to have sex, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Contrary to some arguments, students at schools where condoms were available were less likely to have sex, said the rese
WHO Lifts Advisory; Civet Cats Likely SARS Source: Reuters NewMedia - Friday May 23, 2003; Carrie Lee and Alice Hung; HONG KONG/TAIPEI - The World Health Organization Friday withdrew its warning against travel to Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, saying the SARS outbreaks there were under control. And a top Hong Kong scientist said it was likely that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndro
Stars Reach for Purses at Cannes AIDS Fundraiser: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday May 22, 2003; Catherine Bremer; CANNES, France - Celebrities got up and boogied to an impromptu duet from Elton John and Lionel Richie during a star-studded AIDS fundraiser hosted by Elizabeth Taylor Thursday evening. The 10th annual Cinema Against AIDS gala for the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR), raised more than $1.3 million by aucti
Bayer Defends Sales of Clot Medicine: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday, May 22, 2003; Daniel Sorid; NEW YORK - German drug and chemicals maker Bayer AG defended itself on Thursday against a newspaper report that said it sold medicine in Asia and Latin America that carried a high risk of transmitting AIDS. The New York Times, citing its own review of documents, reported that Bayer unit Cutter Biological kept selling a
New WHO Chief Asks Brazil to Help AIDS Battle: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 21, 2003; BRASILIA - Brazil said on Tuesday the new head of the World Health Organization was keen to use its free, generic AIDS drug program as a model to help poor nations treat the disease as well as prevent it. The head of Brazil s AIDS program, which is praised for keeping the illness in check, said WHO Director-General-ele
CytRx licenses AIDS vaccine, stock soars: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 21, 2003; LOS ANGELES - CytRx Inc. CYTR.O , a development-stage biotechnology company, on Wednesday said it has licensed an experimental DNA-based HIV vaccine, sending its shares up more than 50 percent. CytRx, based in Los Angeles, said it plans to begin testing the vaccine in humans within six months. CytRx said it licensed ex
House Sends AIDS Bill to Bush for Signature: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, May 21, 2003; WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday gave final approval to a $15 billion bill to help fund the war on AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, sending it to President Bush for his prompt signature. Bush has said he wants to sign it into law before going to the G8 summit of industrial nations June 1, hoping that the increased U.S
Chinese, Alternative Medicine Studied for SARS: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, May 21, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - U.S. government researchers say they are so keen to find a cure for SARS that they are looking at traditional Chinese remedies and even antibiotics that would not be expected to work against a virus. So far, plenty has been found that does not cure SARS, including dried broccoli, oregano oil and a powerful
Irish Musician Geldof to Visit Ethiopia: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 20, 2003; LONDON - Bob Geldof, the Irish musician who organized the world s biggest rock concert in 1985 to help Africa s starving, is to visit Ethiopia to highlight a looming humanitarian crisis, UNICEF said on Tuesday. The United Nations Children s Fund said Geldof was joining a delegation from its London-based arm on a five-d
Campaigners Slam Powers Over Crisis in AIDS Fund: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 20, 2003; GENEVA - The world Red Cross body and campaigning groups on Monday denounced as outrageous the failure of rich powers to provide promised cash for the crisis-hit Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. They called on leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) top industrial nations meeting in Fra
Brazilian Jail Horror Film Sparks Gasps in Cannes: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 20, 2003; Catherine Bremer; CANNES, France - Gut-wrenching tales from inside Latin America s biggest jail moved Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to tears when he saw them played out in Carandiru earlier this year, the film s director said. Based on the true experiences of a doctor visiting inmates of the now bulldozed Sao Paulo priso
Report: One-Fifth of Young U.S. Teens Have Had Sex: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday May 20, 2003; Deborah Zabarenko; WASHINGTON - About 20 percent of American teen-agers have had sex before their 15th birthday and only a third of parents of these sexually active kids know about their activities, according to a report released on Tuesday. We can no longer pretend that sex waits until high school, said Sarah Brown, director of the nonp
Frist to Propose Health Law Aimed at Minorities: Reuters NewMedia - Monday May 19, 2003; ATLANTA - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Saturday said he would sponsor legislation aiming to eliminate health disparities among minority populations, including a boost in federal support for historically black medical schools. Frist said his Closing the Health Care Gap Act of 2003 would be introduced in the U.S.
Thailand's Drug War Could Mirror Iran's Failure: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday May 18, 2003; Dominic Whiting; CHIANG MAI, Thailand - The Thai government s drugs policy: drop dead. Rojana, a heroin and methamphetamine addict at the age of 14 and a dealer at 15, says the slogan on her T-shirt mirrors the real fear among many Thais that a hard-line crackdown has targeted and killed the wrong people. People are scared. They r
Senate Passes Sweeping Global AIDS Bill: Reuters NewMedia - Friday May 16, 2003; Joanne Kenen; WASHINGTON - The Senate early on Friday passed a $15 billion bill aimed at slowing the AIDS pandemic ravaging the world s poorest countries in what one senator called the greatest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century. The measure passed on a voice vote with broad bipartisan support, despite disagreement about some c
Senate Debates Sweeping Global AIDS Bill: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday May 15, 2003; Joanne Kenen; WASHINGTON - Addressing the greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century, the U.S. Senate on Thursday was poised to pass a $15 billion bill aimed at slowing the AIDS pandemic ravaging the world s poorest countries. At a time when AIDS claims one life every 10 seconds, the bill would make anti-viral treatment availa
Billions Needed to Prevent AIDS Now, Study Finds: Reuters NewMedia - May 13, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Only one in five of those most in danger of AIDS infection know anything about how to protect themselves because less than half of what is needed is being spent on prevention, a report issued on Tuesday said. Twenty years into the AIDS epidemic, most people in the world still don t have access to effective
FDA Panel Backs Bristol-Myers Anti-HIV Drug: Reuters NewMedia - May 13, 2003; GAITHERSBURG, Md. - A U.S. advisory panel on Tuesday unanimously backed Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. s experimental drug Reyataz, the first once-a-day protease inhibitor, for use with other drugs to treat HIV infection. The Food and Drug Administration will consider the panel s recommendation. The agency usually approves d
Workplace Discrimination Still Rampant, ILO Says: Reuters NewMedia - Monday May 12, 2003; GENEVA - Discrimination remains rampant in the workplace worldwide, depriving women, ethnic and religious minorities and migrants of equal jobs or pay, a report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Monday. There is not one country in the world that can say it is free of this problem, Manuela Tomei, ILO
Jones to Defend Title in East Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, May 09, 2003; NAIROBI - Roy Jones, the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion, will defend his title in an east African country in October to help raise AIDS awareness, event organizers said on Friday. The 34-year-old American beat defending champion John Ruiz in March to become only the second boxer in history to hold
AIDS Experts, Government Labs Tackle SARS: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, May 09, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Dr. David Ho, who helped pioneer treatment for AIDS, has turned his attention to SARS. He joins a batch of government labs and dozens of private companies racing to develop drugs or vaccines to treat and prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome, which has killed more than 500 people and infected 7,000 acr
Global AIDS Fund Comes Up Short, U.S. Report Finds: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, May 07, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is far short of the cash it needs to do its job, despite promises of money from the United States , a U.S. government report said on Wednesday. The fund, set up to bypass bureaucracy and get money straight to those hit by the three worst infectious di
Roche seeks EU approval for new Viracept pill: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 07, 2003; ZURICH - Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX has asked European Union authorities to approve a new 625 mg formulation of AIDS drug Viracept so that patients can take four tablets a day rather than 10, it said on Wednesday. The new regimen has been shown to reduce the occurrence of diarrhea -- a common complaint among people taki
Mandela and MTV Join Hands in Fight Against AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday May 07, 2003; Paul Majendie; LONDON - Nelson Mandela joined forces with the music channel MTV on Wednesday to warn one billion young people around the world about the dangers of AIDS. MTV, whose music videos are beamed to an international audience of teenagers, announced it was making a documentary about the former South African president, who for
AIDS Cuts Life Expectancy in Zambia to 33 Years: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, May 5, 2003; LUSAKA - AIDS has cut life expectancy at birth in Zambia to 33 years from 44 a decade ago, the country s Central Statistical Office (CSO) said on Monday. The adult mortality rate has increased in the last decade...an adult has lost about 11 years of survival due to the AIDS problem, CSO Director Buleti Nsemukila said
UN's Piot Hopes SARS Will Helps China's AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, May 5, 2003; HELSINKI - The United Nations hopes the SARS outbreak in China will spur the country to deal better with HIV/AIDS which has infected about a million of its people, a senior U.N. official said on Monday. China... has not taken on the challenge of AIDS, the chief U.N. official for HIV/AIDS, Peter Piot, told a news confer
End School Fees to Help African AIDS Orphans--UN: Reuters NewMedia - Friday May 02, 2003; Leslie Adler; UNITED NATIONS - Kenya s decision to abolish school fees for primary school children should be adopted across Africa to provide opportunities for the millions of children orphaned and impoverished by AIDS, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. Do I think there should be a campaign to abolish school fees across Africa?
Study: HIV Diagnosis Can Improve Life for Some: Reuters NewMedia - Thurday, May 01, 2003; Allan Dowd; VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Nearly a third of patients diagnosed with HIV feel their lives actually improved after discovering they had the affliction, according to a U.S. study released on Thursday. Thirty-two percent of the 449 people with the virus that causes AIDS who were interviewed for the study said their li
House to Triple Money for Global AIDS Fight: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday May 01, 2003; Joanne Kenen; WASHINGTON - Following through on a pledge President Bush made to the world, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday was set to approve legislation that would triple U.S. spending on the global war on AIDS to $15 billion over the next five years. The money would pay for costly anti-viral medications for people al
Serono rakes EU for rebuff of Serostim drug: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday April 30, 2003; ZURICH, April 30 - Serono criticised European Union health authorities on Wednesday for their decision not to let Europe s biggest biotech company market a drug that treats severe weight loss in AIDS patients. It also called for changes in the way the EU treats so-called orphan drugs -- medicines that win enhanced mark
Bush Urges Congress to Pass $15 Billion AIDS Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 29, 2003; Patricia Wilson; WASHINGTON - Warning time is not on our side in the global AIDS crisis, President Bush on Tuesday urged Congress to approve a $15 billion, five-year plan to treat and prevent the disease. We can turn our eyes away in resignation and despair or we can take decisive historic action to turn the tide against this disease a
S.Africa AIDS Activists Suspend Anti-Govt Protests: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 29, 2003; CAPE TOWN - South African AIDS activists suspended a nationwide civil disobedience campaign on Tuesday ahead of a meeting next month at which they hope the government may agree to provide AIDS drugs for millions of infected people. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which has targeted President Thabo Mbeki and other
Glaxo Halves Price of AIDS Drugs for Poor: Reuters NewMedia - Monday April 28, 2003; Ben Hirschler; LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the world s largest maker of HIV /AIDS drugs, said on Monday it had nearly halved the price of its leading Combivir treatment in poor countries to 90 U.S. cents a day. The move is the latest sign the international pharmaceutical industry is bowing to pressure to improve access to life-sav
Bush to Push AIDS Bill, Flexible on Key Details: Reuters NewMedia - Friday April 25, 2003; WASHINGTON - Eager for Congress to pass President Bush s $15 billion global AIDS-prevention initiative, the White House signaled on Friday it would accept legislation in the House of Representatives even if it did not impose restrictions on the distribution of condoms. Some of Bush s conservative allies in Congress wan
WHO Demands Bigger Effort to Wipe Out Malaria: Reuters NewMedia - Friday April 25, 2003; Jeremy Lovell; LONDON - The world must do more to fight malaria in Africa, where a child dies of the disease every 30 seconds, the World Health Organization said on Friday. In a report published to coincide with Africa Malaria Day, the WHO and the U.N. children s fund UNICEF said the death toll from the disease, considered as entirel
Merck sees challenges in developing SARS vaccine: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday April 24, 2003; Greg Frost; BOSTON, April 24 - Drugmaker Merck & Co Inc MRK.N has joined the fight against SARS, but developing a vaccine against the the killer respiratory disease does not appear to be a straightforward process, Chairman and CEO Raymond Gilmartin said on Thursday. Merck has provided the U.S. government anti-viral medicines t
New Contraceptive for Women Helps Prevent HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday April 23, 2003; CHICAGO - A new nonhormonal, low-cost birth control device which can also protect women against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is now on the market, its manufacturer said on Wednesday. FemCap Inc., a private company based in San Diego, California, said the silicone rubber device called FemCap completely co
New Yorkers Live Longer, Study Shows: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 22, 2003; Grant McCool; NEW YORK - New Yorkers, whose city is known for its fast-paced lifestyle, live longer than other Americans but four out of 10 die of heart disease, according to a new city health survey. Fewer deaths in 2001 caused by murder and HIV/AIDS and fewer deaths among infants have helped boost life expectancy in the Big Apple
Calif. Locale to Sue Feds Over Medical Marijuana: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, April 21, 2003; Michael Kahn; SAN FRANCISCO - A California county and its major city plan to sue the federal government on Wednesday to allow the use of medical marijuana in a lawsuit they said will mark the first legal challenge over the issue brought by a local government. Plaintiffs, who include the city and county of Santa Cruz, south of San Fr
New Drugs Block Hepatitis C: Reuters NewMedia - April 17, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - New experimental compounds may be able to help the body fight off hepatitis C -- a incurable virus that infects millions around the world and causes liver failure and cancer, researchers said on Thursday. The research, done by separate teams in Canada and the United States , also
UN War on Drugs Doomed to Failure, NGOs Say: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday April 17, 2003; Louis Charbonneau; VIENNA, Austria - A group of European policy-makers and nongovernmental organizations said Thursday the United Nations war on drugs was doomed to fail, and called instead for decriminalizing drug use. They said narcotics should be treated like alcohol and tobacco -- legal, but under state health controls. The war
U.S. Recommends AIDS Tests for Additional Groups: Reuters NewMedia - April 17, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - Troubled by signs that the battle against AIDS has stalled in the United States , federal health officials on Thursday recommended that pregnant women, intravenous drug users and anyone who engaged in unsafe sex be routinely screened for the disease. Infants born to mothers who have not been tested for the hu
UCLA Says Researcher Erred with AIDS Malaria Trial: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday April 16, 2003; LOS ANGELES - A University of California at Los Angeles professor violated federal rules by participating in Chinese tests of a controversial AIDS therapy in which patients were infected with malaria, the university s medical review board said. UCLA on Wednesday said microbiology professor Dr. John Fahey was indirectly
Calpers sends letter to Glaxo on AIDS policies: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 15, 2003; Jed Seltzer; NEW YORK, April 15 - Calpers, the powerful retirement fund for public employees in California, said it is sending a letter to GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L questioning whether the British drugmaker could offer its AIDS drugs at lower prices in developing countries. An advocacy group, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, on Tues
Heimlich Courts Controversy with AIDS Malaria Tests: Reuters NewMedia - Monday April 14, 2003; Deena Beasley; LOS ANGELES - Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the famous anti-choking maneuver, is working with doctors in several African countries to begin human tests of a controversial AIDS therapy in which patients are deliberately infected with malaria. The method has drawn the ire of the medical establishment, but Dr. Heimlich,
Africa tells rich countries - don't forget us: Reuters NewMedia - Friday April 11, 2003; Anna Willard; WASHINGTON, April 11 - African ministers on Friday pleaded with rich countries, in the rush to rebuild Iraq , not to forget the troubles of the poorest region of the world. The HIV/AIDS pandemic, famine in Southern Africa, market access for agricultural goods, education and debt relief, all need urgent attention from r
Africa tells rich countries - don't forget us: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, April 11, 2003; Anna Willard; WASHINGTON, April 11 - African ministers on Friday pleaded with rich countries, in the rush to rebuild Iraq , not to forget the troubles of the poorest region of the world. The HIV/AIDS pandemic, famine in Southern Africa, market access for agricultural goods, education and debt relief, all need urgent attention from r
AIDS Group Berates S.Africa for Stalling Deal: Reuters NewMedia - Friday April 11, 2003; CAPE TOWN - South Africa drew fresh criticism on Friday for failing to sign an agreement which would see more than $40 million flow to AIDS treatment programs in one of its provinces hit hardest by the epidemic. More than 36 percent of KwaZulu-Natal province s population of eight million are HIV positive. The Globa
Roche Gets FDA OK for Improved HIV Test: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, April 11, 2003; ZURICH - Swiss drugs and diagnostics group Roche Holding AG said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared an improved test to measure virus levels in the blood of HIV/AIDS patients. Roche s automated Cobas Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test version 1.5 is designed to amplify and detect genetic material, all
World Bank head-meetings must focus on poverty: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday April 10, 2003; Anna Willard; WASHINGTON, April 10 - Rich countries must find an extra $50 billion a year to fight the other war against poverty, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said on Thursday and he promised to try and keep the plight of the poor at the heart of the bank s meetings this weekend. Non-governmental groups, World Bank and deve
Glaxo urges "third way" on drugs for poor: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday April 09, 2003; LYON, France , April 9 - International drug firms should pursue a model of public-private partnership to foster research into new drugs for neglected tropical diseases, GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Wednesday. Jean-Pierre Garnier, chief executive of Europe s biggest drugmaker, told the Biovision life sciences conference
S.Africa Reports Africa's First Probable SARS Case: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday April 09, 2003; Wambui Chege; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South African doctors on Wednesday reported Africa s first probable case of the deadly flu-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, which has killed more than 100 people worldwide. The patient, a 62-year-old man, recently visited
AngloGold rolls out AIDS drugs to S.Africa staff: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 08, 2003; Wambui Chege; CARLETONVILLE, South Africa , April 8 - South Africa s biggest gold producer AngloGold on Tuesday became the latest firm to offer life-prolonging AIDS drugs to staff infected with HIV which is cutting swathes through the labour force. The world s second largest gold miner ANGJ.J said it would supply anti-retroviral dru
S.Africa to Conduct AIDS Trials with Microwaves: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday April 03, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A South African university will begin clinical trials to see if it can use microwaves to bombard the deadly HIV virus that causes AIDS and stop it from multiplying, a medical official said on Thursday. Professor Barry Kistnasamy, head of the Nelson Mandela Medical School in Durban, said the
Doctors Praise Global Network for Virus Response: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday April 03, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON - The quick international response to an epidemic of frightening respiratory illness shows how the world health community is now geared up to new threats, natural and human-made, scientists said on Wednesday. Although there have been grumbles about how slow China has been to share information about the outbr
World Bank: U.N. Poverty Goals Off Track, Need Cash: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 01, 2003; WASHINGTON - Many poor countries will miss the United Nations goals of cutting poverty by 2015 unless rich countries dig into their wallets to help them, a World Bank report obtained by Reuters found. The paper was prepared for discussion by the world s finance ministers at the spring meetings of the bank and Internati
Death of S. African AIDS Activist Fuels Anger: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 01, 2003; JOHANNESBURG - A single mother who belonged to an activist group suing the government for refusing to provide antiretroviral drugs at public hospitals was buried on Tuesday after dying of AIDS. Thirty-two-year-old Kebareng Moyeketsi was the first to die of more than 200 activists, most of them HIV-positive, who laid ch
Veteran Character Actor Michael Jeter Dies at 50: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, April 1, 2003; LOS ANGELES - Award-winning stage and screen actor Michael Jeter, an actor s actor who was beloved by children as Sesame Street s The Other Mr. Noodle, died over the weekend in Los Angeles, his publicist said on Tuesday. Jeter, who revealed in 1997 that he had contracted HIV and was a longtime supporter of AIDS chariti
Gold Fields offers HIV drugs to all workers: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday April 01, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, April 1 - Big South African bullion producer Gold Fields Limited said on Tuesday it would offer anti-AIDS drugs to all its workers, but the costs would not be large in the short term. The company says as many as a third of all South Africa s miners carry the disease, and that a similar proportion are infe
New Group Plans to Speed Anti-HIV Cream to Market: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 31, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Saying that more than condoms and a vaccine are needed to prevent AIDS, the Gates Foundation on Monday pledged $60 million to help spur the development of a cream women could use to protect themselves from the virus. The money will provide the bulk of the funding for the International Partnership for Micro
Zambia Gets $42 Million to Fight AIDS: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 31, 2003; LUSAKA - The Global Fund for AIDS has approved $42 million to fight HIV/AIDS in Zambia for release as soon as the country provides a plan for how it will spend the money, a government official said on Monday. The cash is part of $93 million allocated to Zambia to help combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the
Anormed files to test its anti-HIV drug: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 31, 2003; TORONTO, March 31 - Anormed AOM.TO , a Canadian biotech firm, said on Monday it had filed an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Federal Drug Agency to begin a clinical program for a drug to treat HIV infection. Anormed said its AMD-070 is a new type of anti-HIV agent that prevents the virus from enterin
Brazil to Build AIDS Drugs Plants in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 28, 2003; Shapi Shacinda; LUSAKA - Brazil will build three plants to manufacture cheap anti-AIDS drugs in Africa, offering a lifeline to millions of sufferers in the world s poorest continent, a senior African diplomat said on Friday. Amara Essy, interim chairman of the commission of the African Union (AU), said the 53-member organization had r
Procyon lauches bid for AIDS specialist Pharmacor: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 28, 2003; MONTREAL - Cancer treatment specialist Procyon Biopharma Inc. PBP.TO said on Friday it launched a C$3.15 million share-exchange takeover bid for crosstown biotech firm Pharmacor Inc. in order to diversify its portfolio by adding treatments for HIV/AIDS. The Montreal-based biotechnology company said it would issue 7 mil
Implats sees end to illegal miners strike: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 28, 2003; Toby Reynolds; JOHANNESBURG - World number two platinum producer Impala Platinum (Implats) said on Friday an illegal miners strike that has to date cost the company 139 million rand ($17.38 million) in net lost profit should come to an end on Sunday. Implats, which produces around one million ounces of the white metal each year, said
Merck, Aventis Combine Experimental AIDS Vaccines: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 27, 2003; LONDON - Merck & Co Inc of the U.S. and Franco-German Aventis SA said on Thursday they would combine their two leading AIDS vaccine candidates in a new clinical trial that will begin later this year. The decision to pool resources follows tests on rhesus macaque monkeys indicating that the two vaccines given togeth
Baxter, Acambis in New Smallpox Research Deal: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 26, 2003; PARIS - U.S. healthcare group Baxter and its British partner Acambis have won a new contract from the U.S. government to research smallpox vaccines in preparation for any future bio-terrorist attacks, a unit of Baxter said on Wednesday. The deal calls for research into a new generation of smallpox vaccines designed for
S&P affirms Botswana's foreign currency credit rtgs: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 26, 2003; NEW YORK - Standard & Poor s affirmed Botswana s long-term foreign currency credit ratings on Wednesday, citing the African nation s fiscal flexibility and track record of economic and political stability. S&P said in a statement it affirmed the nation s long-term foreign currency rating of A -- an investment g
S.Africa AIDS Drug Campaign Grows, Targets Minister: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday March 25, 2003; Gershwin Wanneburg; CAPE TOWN - South African AIDS activists shouted down the country s health minister at a public meeting on Tuesday, stepping up a civil disobedience campaign aimed at forcing the government to provide antiretroviral drugs. Zackie Achmat, head of leading AIDS lobby Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), led a group of about 5
Investors tell drugs industry to do more for poor: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, March 24, 2003; LONDON - The pharmaceuticals industry risks damaging its reputation and future profits if it does not do more to respond to health crises in poor countries, a group of European institutional investors said on Monday. British and European fund managers with a combined 600 billion pounds ($943 billion) under management s
Sex Museum Seeks to Break Taboos: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 24, 2003; Jayashree Lengade; BOMBAY - It tells you all you ever wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask. India s first sex museum in the western city of Bombay takes curious visitors on a journey into a world that is still considered taboo in the tradition-bound country. Unlike similar museums in the West, the Bombay museum aims to tutor r
AIDS Activists Lay Charges on Cabinet Ministers: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 21, 2003; SHARPEVILLE - South African AIDS activists laid charges of culpable homicide against two cabinet ministers on Thursday in a bid to force the government to provide universal access to antiretroviral drugs. South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, but the government refuses to prov
New AIDS Drug Wins Europe Green Light: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 20, 2003; Ben Hirschler; LONDON - A new HIV/AIDS drug called Fuzeon, the most expensive and technically complex ever produced to combat the disease, was recommended for approval by a panel of European scientific experts on Thursday. The drug, developed by Switzerland s Roche Holding AG and U.S. biotechnology firm Trimeris Inc, was backed by th
Roche, Trimeris Set Record for AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 20, 2003; NEW YORK - Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX and Trimeris TRMS.O on Thursday confirmed they would charge just under $20,000 per year in the United States for Fuzeon, a record price for an HIV and AIDS medication. The new medicine, called Fuzeon, uses a novel method of attacking the virus and is intended for patients who have d
New Clues Emerge on How HIV Evades Antibodies: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 20, 2003; LONDON - Scientists in the United States said on Wednesday they had found a new way in which the virus that causes AIDS manages to evade the body s immune system. In a report in the journal Nature, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Alabama said that HIV, the virus that causes AID
Study: Women Fast Catching Men Up in HIV Infection: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 19, 2003; Richard Woodman; LONDON - The number of women being diagnosed with HIV in Europe is quickly catching up on men, researchers said on Wednesday, carrying with it the risk of more babies being born to infected mothers. Healthcare marketing agency Isis Research Plc said that in the United States , however, homosexual transmission remained
Implats says strike persists, no demands: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 19, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, March 19 - World number two platinum producer Impala Platinum (Implats) said on Wednesday an HIV/AIDS related strike over death benefits at its operations, which has slashed output by 80 percent, had entered its third day. It said the dispute had been made more difficult because the striking workers had m
India's Anti-AIDS Drugs Look for More Takers: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, March 18, 2003; Rosemary Arackaparambil; BOMBAY - Y.K. Hamied, chairman of Indian drug firm Cipla , is upset there are few takers for his dirt-cheap triple drug cocktail to combat AIDS symptoms. The sad thing is that in 2001 there were 10,000 patients in Africa on the cocktail but two years later there are only 34,000...when there are millions suffering, the
Study: New AIDS Drug Works Even for the Very Ill: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 14, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - The newest HIV drug, just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, buys time for even the most desperately ill AIDS patients, researchers said on Friday. Fuzeon, also known as T-20, won FDA approval on Thursday. It is designed for patients who have developed resistance to other anti-HIV drugs, me
Sept. 11 Attacks Cause New Category in Death Data: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 14, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - U.S. Government statistics on life expectancy for 2001 issued on Friday included a new, special category for the 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. So many people were killed that they raised the country s overall homicide rate by 17 percent, the National Center
UPDATE 1-Roche sees EU approval for Fuzeon in early Q2: Reuters NewMedia - Friday, March 14, 2003; Michael Shields; ZURICH - Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX expects its HIV drug Fuzeon to win European Union approval early in the second quarter of 2003 after U.S. regulators backed it on Thursday, the head of Roche s drugs division said on Friday. From the regulatory side we are on track. It should be in the spring of this year that we hear
Roche AIDS Drug Wins U.S. Nod: Reuters NewMedia - Friday March 14, 2003; Michael Shields; ZURICH - Roche Holding AG expects its revolutionary HIV/AIDS drug Fuzeon to win European approval within weeks after U.S. regulators backed the medicine on Thursday, the head of Roche s drugs division said on Friday. From the regulatory side we are on track. It should be in the spring of this year that we hear from the
WTO chief upbeat on reviving cheap drugs deal: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 13, 2003; Clifford Coonan; BERLIN, March 13 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) chief Supachai Panitchpakdi said on Thursday he was confident the 145-nation body would revive a stalled deal to provide cheap versions of life-saving drugs to developing countries. Last year we came very close when 143 countries agreed and we are still working on findi
Glaxo AIDS Drug Less Effective Than Others: Trial: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 12, 2003; LOS ANGELES - A clinical trial of GlaxoSmithKline Plc s AIDS drug Trizivir was halted after the drug was shown to be inferior to other combinations of medication, according to the National Institutes of Health unit conducting the study. The AIDS division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
China Suffers Hidden Chlamydia Epidemic- Study: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday March 12, 2003; CHICAGO - China is suffering an unpublicized chlamydia epidemic, raising concerns that sexual practices in the world s most populous country may lead to a rapid spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. An estimated 2.1 percent of Chinese men and 2.6 percent of women are
UN Says World Indifferent to Central Africa Crisis: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday March 11, 2003; GENEVA - The United Nations accused the world on Tuesday of being indifferent to starvation in the Central African Republic , saying it had not received any donations in response to an urgent appeal for funds. The U.N. s World Food Program (WFP) first launched its $6.1 million appeal two months ago to help feed 150,000
Chinese AIDS Group Lobbies Parliament on Orphans: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 10, 2003; John Ruwitch; BEIJING - Chinese activists have urged lawmakers meeting in Beijing to help children orphaned by an AIDS epidemic in the countryside caused by blood selling schemes that infected almost entire villages. The Aizhixing Institute of Health Education, based in Beijing, told reporters on Sunday it gave a set of suggestions
Lack of Health Insurance Hurts Communities - Study: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday March 06, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - The more than 41 million Americans who lack health insurance are not only receiving inadequate care but reducing everyone s access to health care and even causing job losses, a report issued on Thursday said. Communities with many uninsured residents are more likely to cut hospital services and skimp on pu
Bavarian Nordic says HIV-vaccine tests promising: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 05, 2003; COPENHAGEN, March 5 - Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic BAVA.CO said on Wednesday that clinical tests of its HIV-vaccine in patients showed promising results. This is a major milestone for our lead platform technology, Bavarian said in a statement. By 0949 GMT, Bavarian shares were four crowns or 3.2 percent up at 12
UPDATE 1-Bavarian Nordic says HIV-vaccine tests promising: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, March 5, 2003; COPENHAGEN - Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic BAVA.CO said on Wednesday that clinical tests of its HIV-vaccine in patients showed promising results. This is a major milestone for our lead platform technology, Bavarian said in a statement. By 0949 GMT, Bavarian shares were four crowns or 3.2 percent up at 129 crowns
Bono Demands Protests for 'Forgotten War' in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 03, 2003; DUBLIN - Rock star turned third world campaigner Bono questioned on Monday why millions of people had not turned out onto the streets to draw attention to the victims of Africa s forgotten war against AIDS. Drawing a comparison with the recent mass protests against U.S. plans for possible war against
Black Cats Provide Lucky Break to Disease Research: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 03, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Black cats, once considered unlucky, may have provided a lucky break to disease researchers, according to a report published on Monday. Different genetic mutations give black coats to different species of cats. Some of the mutations are in genes that, in humans, are linked with diseases such as AIDS, a tea
Ivorian War Spurs West Africa's AIDS Nightmare: Reuters NewMedia - Monday March 03, 2003; Matthew Tostevin; BOUAKE - The girls all love us because of what we are fighting for, laughs Ivory Coast rebel fighter Mantou Cisse, surrounded by young female admirers. Worry about AIDS? There is no AIDS in Bouake, he says confidently in a rebel stronghold where young men with guns now lay down the law. But there is AIDS in Bouake.
Bono Demands Protests for 'Forgotten War' in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, March 3, 2003; DUBLIN - Rock star turned third world campaigner Bono questioned on Monday why millions of people had not turned out onto the streets to draw attention to the victims of Africa s forgotten war against AIDS. Drawing a comparison with the recent mass protests against U.S. plans for possible war against
Black Cats Provide Lucky Break to Disease Research: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, March 3, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Black cats, once considered unlucky, may have provided a lucky break to disease researchers, according to a report published on Monday. Different genetic mutations give black coats to different species of cats. Some of the mutations are in genes that, in humans, are linked with diseases such as AIDS, a tea
Ivorian War Spurs West Africa's AIDS Nightmare: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, March 03, 2003; Matthew Tostevin; BOUAKE - The girls all love us because of what we are fighting for, laughs Ivory Coast rebel fighter Mantou Cisse, surrounded by young female admirers. Worry about AIDS? There is no AIDS in Bouake, he says confidently in a rebel stronghold where young men with guns now lay down the law. But there is AIDS in Bouake.
Survival of AIDS Babies Cause for Joy, Concern - US: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 27, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - The emergence of advanced AIDS drugs is allowing an increasing number of babies born with the virus to survive long enough become sexually active and pregnant, according to a U.S. study released on Thursday. The study, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, highlights a need to tail
'Bitter Blockers' May Make Food Easier to Swallow: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 26, 2003; LONDON - Unpalatable foods and bitter medicines may soon be easier to swallow thanks to the discovery of compounds that improve their taste. Whether it s super-sour grapefruit, ultra-strong coffee or the chalky taste of drugs, the so-called bitter blockers discovered by U.S. biotech company Linguagen Corp could help th
UN: World Popping More Pills, Growing More Heroin: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 26, 2003; Louis Charbonneau; VIENNA - The use of synthetic drugs like ecstasy is booming among the party-goers of the rich world, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The UN International Narcotics Control Board also said Afghanistan was back as top producer of opium used for heroin, making some 3,500 tons in 2002, 100 tons more than in 2001.
First AIDS Vaccine Disappoints but Leaves Hope: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 24, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - The first attempt to develop a vaccine to prevent AIDS has failed, vaccine-maker VaxGen Inc. said on Monday, but there was a ray of hope it could help blacks and Asians. Long-awaited results from VaxGen s trial of AIDSVAX show the vaccine reduced the rate of HIV infection by just 3.8 percent in 5,000 men a
Investors Await Second VaxGen AIDS Trial: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, February 24, 2003; Deena Beasley; LOS ANGELES - After a disappointing trial of its AIDS vaccine and a punishing decline in its share price, VaxGen Inc. needs an ongoing Asian trial to show promise in order to win back investors, analysts said on Monday. Long-awaited results from the company s first trial of the vaccine, called Aidsvax, show that it red
Record High Price Set for New Roche AIDS Drug: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 24, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON - Switzerland s Roche Holding AG on Monday priced its new HIV drug Fuzeon at a record-breaking 18,980 euros ($20,570) a year, fueling controversy about the cost of AIDS treatments. Roche said the high cost -- more than double the cost of other HIV/AIDS drugs on the market -- reflected the complexity of manufactu
Vaccine Failure Shows Long AIDS Fight Remains: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 24, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - The failure of the first AIDS vaccine to ever be tested in people shows the battle against the deadly virus will go on for years, but it also offers some hope to patients, experts said on Monday. VaxGen Inc. said its vaccine did not protect most volunteers against infection with the HIV virus, although it
First AIDS vaccine may protect minorities - VaxGen: Reuters NewMedia - February 24, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON, Feb 24 - The first AIDS vaccine to be tested in people does not offer much protection to the general population but may protect blacks and Asians, vaccine-maker VaxGen Inc. said on Monday. Long-awaited results from the VaxGen s trial of AIDSVAX show the vaccine only reduced the rate of HIV infection by 3.8
VaxGen to Give AIDSVAX Trial Results Mon.: Reuters NewMedia - February 21, 2003; BRISBANE, Calif. - VaxGen Inc.(VXGN.O) on Friday said it will announce on Monday long-awaited results from a pivotal-stage trial of its experimental HIV vaccine, AIDSVAX. Vaxgen, based in Brisbane, California, said it will hold a conference call at 9 a.m. EST on Monday to discuss the results, which will be announced in
Nutrient Could Help Prevent Deadly Malaria - Study: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 21, 2003; LONDON - A nutrient produced naturally in the body and found in some foods could be a potential new treatment for malaria, scientists said Friday. A team of international researchers who studied 75 children in Africa discovered that those with the lowest levels of the nutrient arginine suffered the most severe effects
Icon of S.Africa Theater Says He Is HIV-Positive: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 21, 2003; Andrew Quinn; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - One of South Africa s best-known playwrights, Gibson Kente, confirmed Friday he was HIV-positive -- becoming one of only a handful of celebrities to go public about AIDS in the country worst hit by the disease. Kente, 69, who pioneered theater in South Africa s black townships during the ye
Annan sets up new UN body to fight AIDS in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 20, 2003; PARIS, Feb 20 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday he was setting up a high-level commission on AIDS and good governance in Africa to help stem the spread of the disease across the worst-affected continent. He appealed for hard-cash commitments from leaders of the world s richest nations when they meet
New Center Promises to Tell All About Sex: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 20, 2003; Adam Tanner; SAN FRANCISCO - A typical 17-year-old American probably has a lot of ideas on how to gather information about sex. But where does an older person turn? A new center in San Francisco opening on Thursday is promising to act as an impartial clearinghouse of information on the finer and not-so-fine points of sex for all ag
Scientists Challenge View Sex Fuels AIDS in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 20, 2003; Patricia Reaney; LONDON - Africa s AIDS epidemic may not have been fueled mainly by sexual transmission of HIV but by unsafe medical injections and blood transfusions, a team of international researchers said Thursday. The findings contradict widely-held views about how the virus that causes AIDS spread through Africa, and could have i
AIDS Drugs Don't Increase Male Veterans Heart Risk: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 19, 2003; BOSTON - Being infected with the AIDS virus and taking drugs against it does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke at least among male veterans, researchers said on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers cautioned that the findings may not apply to the general public because 98 perc
U.N.'S Annan Urges 'Green Revolution' in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 19, 2003; David Brough; ROME - United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the international community Wednesday to help Africa stage an agricultural revolution to drag the continent out of poverty. He also said new farming techniques were needed to counter the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on farm workers and on food production in Afr
S.Africa Prisons Face Huge AIDS Challenge - Study: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 18, 2003; Andrew Quinn; PRETORIA - South Africa s overburdened prisons face a huge AIDS challenge, with an estimated 41 percent of inmates infected with the disease and limited strategies to fight its spread, a study released on Tuesday said. South Africa, the country with the highest AIDS caseload in the world, is struggling with the epidemi
UK's Brown Warns Drugs Giants to Sort Out Disease: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 17, 2003; LONDON - Multinational drug companies must give poor countries better access to life-saving drugs, Britain s finance minister Gordon Brown was quoted as saying on Tuesday. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, widely regarded as Prime Minister Tony Blair s right hand man, said that the issue was not only one of morality, bu
New Roche protease drug fights resistant HIV: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 17, 2003; LONDON, Feb 17 - An experimental AIDS drug has produced promising results in fighting virus resistant to protease inhibitors , a standard class of treatment for the deadly disorder, its maker Roche Holding AG ROCZg.VX said on Monday. Switzerland s Roche has initiated Phase I clinical trials of its new protease inhibito
WTO Drug Deal Remains Elusive: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday February 16, 2003; Tim Large; TOKYO - Trade negotiators said Sunday they saw a glimmer of hope for progress on the vexing issue of allowing poor countries access to life-saving drugs, thanks to a Brazilian proposal aimed at soothing U.S. concerns. In informal free-trade talks in Tokyo, ministers from more than 20 countries hashed out ideas for endi
Bush's AIDS Plans to Include Abortion Restrictions: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 14, 2003; WASHINGTON - President Bush s $15 billion AIDS plan for Africa and Haiti would restrict the flow of money to groups that perform or promote abortions overseas, U.S. officials said on Friday. But organizations that perform or promote abortions in one clinic could set up separate AIDS programs in another location that wo
Harmless Virus May Help Battle HIV, Studies Show: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 14, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - A harmless virus that seems to infect millions of people without causing symptoms may help slow the deadly progress of the AIDS virus, researchers said. The virus, called GBV-C, may block one of the cellular doorways used by the AIDS virus to infect cells, researchers told a meeting of HIV experts. More st
UN Says Must Tackle AIDS to Help African Food Need: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 14, 2003; Toby Reynolds; JOHANNESBURG - Years of aid work have done little to contain HIV /AIDS in southern Africa, and those working to stave off a regional food crisis need to change their tactics to take account of the killer disease, a UN report said. Food shortages affecting more than 14 million people owe much to the predations of AIDS,
Glaxo AIDS Drug Beats Standard Treatment in Study: Reuters NewMedia - Friday February 14, 2003; LONDON - A new concentrated AIDS drug has proved more effective than the most widely prescribed treatment in reducing virus levels, according to clinical trial results released on Friday. The drug, being developed by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc, is a second-generation protease inhibitor known as
AIDS Experts Call for Rethinking of Testing Policy: Reuters NewMedia - February 14, 2003; LONDON - AIDS experts in the United States have called for a rethinking of public HIV testing policy, saying new technology to diagnose the AIDS virus could streamline the procedure and reduce the spread of the disease. In a letter to The Lancet medical journal on Friday, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus of the UCLA AIDS Insti
Mandela Ducks AIDS Row Before Protest March: Reuters NewMedia - February 13, 2003; Andrew Quinn; CAPE TOWN - South Africa s Nelson Mandela has stepped back from a political row over AIDS drugs, shunning a protest march to demand the government launch a mass treatment program to fight the epidemic. More than 4.5 million people in South Africa are infected with HIV -- more than any other country -- but the governmen
Thailand Considers More Generic AIDS Drug Exports: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 13, 2003; BANGKOK - Thailand signed a deal on Thursday to sell cheap generic antiretroviral drugs to Indonesia and promised to start exporting to China and South Africa , in a move likely to rile global pharmaceutical giants. Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Roche Cuts AIDS Drug Price Following Protests: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 13, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON - Roche Holding AG is slashing the price of its AIDS drugs Viracept in the developing world following intense lobbying from activists, the Swiss healthcare company said Thursday. Humanitarian groups had criticized Roche for failing to cut the cost of its key medicine as much as other drug firms. From next mo
Experimental AIDS Vaccine Safe for Babies-US Study: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 12, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - An experimental AIDS vaccine seems to be safe for babies born to women infected with HIV, and early signs suggest it may help protect them from infection, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. The vaccine, made by Aventis Pasteur, is one of dozens being tested although few experts believe any of them could a
S.African Wins Payout After Prison HIV Infection: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 12, 2003; CAPE TOWN - A ex-convict, who sued South Africa s prison authorities after catching HIV, has clinched a landmark pay out -- the first time the government has been held accountable for the spread of HIV in overpopulated prisons, officials said on Wednesday. AIDS activists cautioned that, because the out of court deal wa
Ugandan AIDS Vaccine Trials Begin on Humans: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 11, 2003; Paul Busharizi; KAMPALA - Ugandan researchers have begun injecting volunteers with one of the world s few prototype HIV/AIDS vaccines targeting the strain of the virus ravaging East Africa, the research team said Tuesday. The trial will involve uninfected volunteers in Uganda considered to be at low risk of HIV infection, who will be
AIDS, HIV Up in U.S. for First Time in Decade: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 11, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - Reports of new infections with the HIV virus, along with cases of AIDS, have risen in the United States for the first time in a decade, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday. AIDS complacency means people are not getting tested for the virus and are passing it to others through unprotected sex and other pr
Gilead says Viread shown effective in 2-yr study: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 11, 2003; LOS ANGELES, Feb 11 - Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD.O on Tuesday reported clinical trial results showing that its Viread drug is as effective as older AIDS treatments after two years of therapy, and has fewer side effects. The biotechnology company also said data from a 48-week Phase III trial showed that another drug,
Controversial AIDS Film Debuts at Berlin Film Fest: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 11, 2003; Philip Blenkinsop; BERLIN - A controversial film about gay men who deliberately contract the gift of the HIV virus or recklessly risk doing so debuted at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday. Louise Hogarth s The Gift, finished just a few days ago, is a collection of interviews with gay men, mostly from the west coast of the
Invisible Condom Protects Monkeys from AIDS Virus: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 10, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - A gel containing antibodies to the AIDS virus protected female monkeys against infection in an experiment that suggests such a product might work as an alternative to condoms for people, researchers reported on Monday. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, helps boost claims by advocates tha
Nigeria Grammy Nominee Fights to Win for the Poor: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday February 09, 2003; Ed Stoddard; LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigerian Afro-beat and jazz sensation Femi Kuti has a big fight on his hands with the forces that have laid his country and continent low. But he s determined to win. I m singing about the African problem and the underprivileged in general, said the tall, athletic performer as he relaxed in a backroom
South Africa to Explore Cheap AIDS Drug Plan: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday February 6, 2003; PRETORIA - The South African government, under growing pressure to supply antiretroviral drugs nationwide, said on Wednesday it was exploring a cost-effective way of providing these medications. AIDS activists and a key government partner, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), have given the government u
S. Africa AIDS Activists Give Government Ultimatum: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday February 05, 2003; CAPE TOWN - South African AIDS activists said on Tuesday they have given the government until the end of February to announce a comprehensive AIDS treatment plan or face a civil disobedience campaign. Leading AIDS lobby group Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said that without treatment, more than 200,000 people would di
US FDA warns Aventis unit on plasma recall: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 04, 2003; WASHINGTON, Feb 4 - An Aventis SA unit failed to follow proper procedures for recalling blood plasma collected from two donors considered at risk for hepatitis and HIV infections, U.S. regulators charged in a warning letter released Tuesday. The letter from the Food and Drug Administration was dated Nov. 5 but was post
AIDS Seen Worsening Africa Hunger: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday February 04, 2003; David Brough; ROME - HIV/AIDS will have a bigger impact than drought on food supplies in Africa as the deadly disease strikes down millions of farm workers, a U.N. official said Tuesday. The issue of HIV/AIDS is so overwhelming that it will change this part of the world for a long time to come -- its impact on women, children; its i
OraSure says Navy buys 10,000 rapid HIV tests: Reuters NewMedia - Monday February 03, 2003; BETHLEHEM, Pa., Feb 3 - Diagnostic test maker OraSure Technologies Inc.OSUR.O said on Monday the United States Navy Military Sealift Command bought 10,000 of its newly launched rapid HIV-1 antibody tests to screen personnel prior to receiving smallpox vaccinations. The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based company said its Ora
Bush Widens Access to Quick AIDS Test: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, February 1, 2003; WASHINGTON - President Bush cleared the way on Friday for providing wide access to new AIDS tests that can deliver results in minutes, and promised a big increase in domestic funding for AIDS prevention. Bush said the Health and Human Services Department had waived restrictions on a new rapid AIDS test, making it avail
Bush Proposes Emergency Food Aid for Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday February 1, 2003; Adam Entous; WASHINGTON - President Bush said on Saturday he would propose new programs to rush food aid to millions of Africans threatened with starvation, expanding on efforts to combat the spread of AIDS on the continent. As part of his fiscal 2004 budget, scheduled for release on Monday, Bush said he would propose creating a $2
Kenyan Slum Girls Use Camera Power to Fight Abuse: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday, February 1, 2003; Mujo Masinde; KIBERA, Kenya - The photograph shows a small girl standing by herself on a patch of waste ground dressed in a pale yellow frock. Her face is averted from the camera s gaze. Little more than a toddler, she looks as if she is lost. The image, taken with the artlessness of an amateur, reveals little more, apart from the p
Bush Clears Way for Rapid HIV Tests: Reuters NewMedia - January 31, 2003; The test, which provides results in about 20 minutes, is needed because every year an estimated 8,000 infected people go to clinics for testing but do not return a week later for the results. President Bush cleared the way today for providing wide access to new AIDS tests that can deliver results in minutes, and promis
Health Secretary to Head Global AIDS Fund: Reuter NewMedia - Thursday, January 30, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has been chosen as chairman of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, AIDS campaigners and sources said on Thursday. Thompson, who will keep his job at HHS, will chair board meetings and work to raise the profile of the
Bush AIDS Plan to Include Condoms and Abstinence: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 30, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON - A surprise $15-billion AIDS plan for Africa and Haiti announced by President Bush will include condoms and generic drugs as well as faith-based efforts and abstinence education, US officials said on Wednesday. Bush shocked AIDS groups on Tuesday night when he proposed the plan, which amounts to a tripling
Botswana Aims to Bring Safe Sex Closer to Home: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 30, 2003; GABORONE - Botswana plans to treble its distribution of condoms in a bid to curb the spread of AIDS in the country, which has one of the world s highest infection rates, the health minister said on Thursday. The aim of a new government drive is to hand out enough condoms so that most of the African country s 1.7 millio
Bush Asks for $15 Billion to Fight AIDS in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday January 29, 2003; Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent; WASHINGTON - President Bush, under fire from AIDS groups for what they call his neglect of the epidemic, asked Congress Tuesday to triple AIDS spending in Africa and Haiti to $15 billion over five years. The announcement, made in his annual State of the Union Address, took AIDS campaigners by surprise, but they quickly
Zimbabwe Crisis Dims Anti-Hunger Gains in Africa: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday January 29, 2003; Alistair Thomson; JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Massive food aid has helped stave off hunger in southern Africa and avert mass starvation so far, but Zimbabwe s policies are deepening the AIDS-crippled region s crisis, U.N. officials said Wednesday. Once a breadbasket making up its neighbors production shortfalls, Zimbabwe s commercial f
Glaxo hit with new complaint on S.Africa AIDS drugs: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, January 28, 2003; JOHANNESBURG, Jan 28 - A major U.S. AIDS group filed a competition complaint against GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L in South Africa on Tuesday, saying its high drug prices block sick people from receiving life-saving anti-AIDS treatment. GSK s stranglehold on key AIDS drug patents and their unfettered monopoly pricing on th
Scientists Question Bush Panel Appointments: Reuters NewMedia - Monday, January 27, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON - A growing number of scientists say President Bush s administration is distorting the scientific advisory process by appointing conservative ideologues to panels that are supposed to be impartial. They fear the appointments are politically motivated and meant to delay decision-making affecting controversial
U.N. envoy slams IMF for withholding Malawi aid: Reuters NewMedia - Monday January 27, 2003; BLANTYRE, Jan 27 - United Nations AIDS chief Stephen Lewis has slammed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for withholding aid money from the African state of Malawi while AIDS and hunger ravage its impoverished people. The IMF and other donors including the European Union and Britain are withholding around $100 mill
New Gates Fund Seeks Better Cures for World's Ills: Reuters NewMedia - Monday January 27, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON - Saying that medical science has solved the easy problems of the rich world, Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Sunday announced a $200 million fund aimed at luring researchers into finding original cures for the poor world s ailments. The $200 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be
WTO Chief Sees Progress on Drugs for Poor: Reuters NewMedia - Sunday January 26, 2003; DAVOS, Switzerland - Talks at the Davos business summit have boosted prospects for reviving a stalled deal on cheap drugs to save lives in developing countries, the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said Sunday. Countries remain far apart on slashing farm support, WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi add
Drug Firm Gets Two Cheers for AIDS Move: Reuters NewMedia - Friday January 24, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON - Pharmacia Corp. of the U.S. said on Friday it had reached an agreement with a non-profit Dutch group to allow generic drugmakers to sell cheaper versions of its AIDS drug in poor countries. The tie-up with the International Dispensary Association Foundation (IDA) is the latest example of pharmaceutical compani
'Gay Plague' AIDS Nominee Withdraws Name: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 23, 2003; Maggie Fox; WASHINGTON - A controversial marketing consultant who once called AIDS a gay plague withdrew his name from consideration for a presidential advisory panel on Thursday after news reports of his anti-homosexual stance. Jerry Thacker, who is infected with the AIDS virus, withdrew in a letter sent to Health and Human Servi
VaxGen says no data available on HIV vaccine trial: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, January 22, 2003; NEW YORK, Jan 22 - VaxGen Inc., whose stock price tumbled on Wednesday amid speculation that a late-stage trial of its HIV drug had proven disappointing, said it will announce the results of the trial before the end of March. The Brisbane, California-based company said it does not yet know the outcome of the trial and
French AIDS Helpline Fights Offender Testing: Reuters NewMedia - Monday January 20, 2003; PARIS - The French AIDS helpline, Sida Info, is calling for changes to a new public security law which includes automatic AIDS tests for those convicted of sex crimes. In a press release, the association insisted such testing was not in line with any rational or scientific logic. And it said it would be very dangerous
Production Issues Killed Mandela AIDS Benefit: Reuters NewMedia - Saturday January 18, 2003; JOHANNESBURG - An AIDS awareness concert packed with international stars that Nelson Mandela had planned to host was canceled because of problems over broadcast rights and sponsorship, his spokeswoman said on Saturday. Macy Gray, Shaggy, and U2 s Bono had been expected to join the musical lineup of the planned concert
Black Leaders Oppose Bush Abstinence-Only Policy: Reuters NewMedia - Friday January 17, 2003; Paul Simao; ATLANTA - Black health leaders urged the Bush administration on Friday to move away from its support for abstinence-only sex education programs, which they said failed to stop the spread of AIDS or prevent unwanted pregnancies. Since taking office in 2001, President Bush and fellow conservatives have made abstinence-on
China Must Do More in AIDS Fight - US: Reuters NewMedia - Friday January 17, 2003; BEIJING - China s new leaders need to get more publicly involved in battling AIDS and spend more on prevention to help lure global funds to fight the disease, a former top US health official said Friday. As the Switzerland-based Global Fund prepared to announce which countries would receive large sums of money to fight
AIDS Epidemic Overshadows U.S.-Africa Trade Deal: Reuters NewMedia - Friday January 17, 2003; David Mageria; PORT LOUIS - Africa s devastating HIV-AIDS epidemic threatens to compromise the benefits it could reap from a trade deal to boost exports to the United States , trade officials said on Friday. The United States agreed this week to extend measures granting African goods greater access to its markets, but also warned tha
Japan's Ono Pharm to license HIV drug to Glaxo: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 16, 2003; TOKYO, Jan 16 - Japan s Ono Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd 4528.OS said on Thursday it had sealed a worldwide licensing pact with GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L to develop and sell a new drug for treating HIV. The move is the latest in a series of licensing deals by Japanese drugmakers to speed up clinical trials of new drugs and s
AIDS Drugmakers Say They're Boosting African Supply: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday January 14, 2003; Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent; LONDON - Pharmaceutical companies said on Tuesday they were increasing the supply of life-saving AIDS medicines to Africa but acknowledged that current efforts only scratched the surface of the problem. Industry figures show more than 35,500 Africans were receiving cut-price HIV/AIDS drugs at the end of March 2002 -- a
S.Africa's income disparities widening: Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday January 14, 2003; Ed Stoddard; ALEXANDRA, South Africa , Jan 14 - As tyres burned in the background, an angry black woman lashed out at South Africa s ruling party, the African National Congress. We voted ANC...They said we re going to get the better life! shouted Sophie Morweng, a 52-year-old domestic worker, as residents of the teeming township of
Implats, union to meet over funeral row: Reuters NewMedia - Monday January 13, 2003; Sue Thomas; JOHANNESBURG, Jan 13 - The world s second largest platinum miner Impala Platinum IMPJ.J will meet South African union members on Tuesday in a bid to avert industrial action over a funeral benefits row, a company spokesman said on Monday. We will be meeting the union tomorrow to try and resolve the matter, Implats Human
AIDS Patients Hidden Victims of Any Iraq War--UN: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 09, 2003; UNITED NATIONS - A senior UN official warned on Wednesday that a war against Iraq would eclipse every other international human priority, leaving people with AIDS among its greatest sufferers. In an impassioned plea for funds, Stephen Lewis, a special UN envoy to combat AIDS in Africa, told a news conference that the t
VaxGen says AIDS trial affected by disease spread: Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday January 08, 2003; SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 8 - VaxGen Inc. VXGN.O on Wednesday said confidence will grow in upcoming results from a pivotal-stage trial of its experimental AIDS vaccine as more patients than expected have stayed in the study at a time when transmission rates for the virus have doubled. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
Swaziland Acknowledges AIDS Infections Spiraling: Reuters NewMedia - Thursday January 02, 2003; MBABANE - The tiny African kingdom of Swaziland has acknowledged for the first time that it has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world, with almost 40 percent of Swazi adults now infected with the HIV virus. Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, in a New Year s address printed in newspapers Thursday, said the country s

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