AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #394, September 12, 2003
John S. James
On September 1, 2003, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) released new guidelines for treating dyslipidemia (blood fat and some related disorders) in persons with HIV. These guidelines were prepared by a team of clinical scientists on the Cardiovascular Subcommittee of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #394, September 12, 2003
John S. James
Patients whose antiretroviral treatment was no longer working well due to extensive drug resistance were randomly assigned to two different groups. In one, the control group, they changed their treatment immediately to a new antiretroviral regimen devised by their doctor with the help of viral resistance testing. In th
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #394, September 12, 2003
John S. James
A single dose of nevirapine given to an HIV-positive woman during labor, and a single dose given to her infant soon after birth, reduced HIV transmission 41% better than AZT when the infants were age 18 months, in a study conducted by researchers at Makerere University in Kampala, Ugand
AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #394, September 12, 2003
John S. James
On August 30, 2003, a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland adopted new rules on exporting generic copies of patented drugs to poor countries. The WTO and some of its trade delegates presented these rules as a grand humanitarian solution that will now make AIDS and other medicines more available
The world must do more, much more on every front in the fight against AIDS. Of course, it means dramatically expanding our prevention efforts, but the most striking inequity is our failure to provide the lifesaving treatment to the millions of people who need it most. The single most important step we must now take is
Here are some of the best Web sites for information about the 2nd IAS (International AIDS Society) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment, July 13-16 in Paris. On these sites you can scan headlines and titles, then click on the articles you want to read. Keep in mind that new information from the Paris conference
Here are all the antiretroviral drugs approved in the U.S. at the end of July 2003. We list them by drug class: * NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor) target reverse transcriptase (an enzyme of HIV), by providing false building blocks that the enzyme puts into new copies of the virus it is building. Occas
New HIV treatment guidelines for adults and adolescents, developed by a panel of experts convened by the U.S. Department of Human Services, were published July 14, 2003. This standard differs from previous editions in giving more direction to physicians, especially in choosing specific drugs. You can download this and
The U.S. FDA announced the approval of FTC (brand name Emtriva(TM), generic name emtricitabine, former brand name Coviracil(TM)) on July 2, 2003. FTC is chemically related to 3TC . It was approved primarily on the basis of two clinical trials: one comparing FTC with
Recently I attended Planetwork, a three-day conference in San Francisco on new ways of using computers and online technology to help people work together for a better future(1). Some new communication and organizing tools, many available now, could make a big difference in AIDS and health. I have a background in comput
Members of ACT UP Philadelphia have begun to track the numerous federal cutbacks and policy changes affecting U.S. AIDS services and are assembling a list in a single document. Crucial programs such as Social Security disability, ADAP, Medicare, HIV prevention, and biomedical research are all currently under fire. We a
On June 20 the FDA approved the new once-a-day protease inhibitor atazanavir (brand name Reyataz), manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb . Atazanavir has little effect on the blood lipids cholesterol and triglycerides, and on May 13 the FDA s advisory committee of outside
The 2nd IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment will take place July 13-16, 2003, in Paris. This conference is organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), which also puts on the International AIDS Conference, which happens in even-numbered years (the next one will be near Bangkok, Thailand
Each year in June Philadelphia FIGHT, a large AIDS clinic and service organization, produces a series of AIDS education programs. Most are free or low cost. Complete 2003 information is online; confirm dates because some have changed. * June 3, Opening Reception to honor religious and labor leaders, no fee; * June 5, P
A WALL STREET JOURNAL investigation showed great price variations in the marketing of some generic drugs in the U.S. For example, the so-called average wholesale price (AWP) for generic Prozac (fluoxetine), the most commonly prescribed generic in the U.S., was $2.66 a pill -- while in fact, pharmacies could actually bu
People with HIV in the U.S. face a growing emergency as Federal policy starves human services during an economic downturn, and essential medical care becomes less available to most people who need it. Since almost no one can afford antiretroviral treatment entirely out of pocket, and private insurance has found ways of
Researchers are having continuing difficulties getting the drugs for trials of antiretrovirals in developing countries. Writer Jon Cohen outlined the problem in an article in the current SCIENCE magazine (May 26, 2003). The U.S. National Institutes of Health conducts some drug trials in developing countries -- but will
GlaxoSmithKline will award research grants from $25,000 to $150,000 ($500,000 total) for innovative HIV/AIDS drug research in recognition of the need to produce new alternatives and hope in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These grants are intended to further the development of inventive treatments for HIV/AI
A study of the changing causes of death of people with HIV at Parkland Memorial Hospital, a major hospital in Dallas, Texas, found that pneumocystis (also called PCP ) is still a major cause of death. And more than half of those with HIV who died of all causes in the study period of 1999-2000 were *not* receiving moder
For 13 years the Clinical Care Options for HIV Symposium has brought together about 300 front-line HIV doctors for an annual meeting on treating HIV. This year the sponsor, iMedOptions, is beginning a similar meeting on viral hepatitis. The First Annual Clinical Care Options for Hepatitis Symposium, for experienced, fr
Atazanavir (brand name Reyataz(TM)) is a new protease inhibitor developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb that is likely to be approved soon. A May 13, 2003 hearing of the FDA s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee decided that the drug has been proven safe and effective, and recommended approval.
More than 50 medical experts and five U.S. government agencies worked together to produce a series of papers on integrating nutrition with HIV medicine.1 These papers, addressed mainly to medical professionals, review general nutritional management, evaluation and intervention for wasting, insulin resistance, fat redis
On May 27 President Bush signed legislation passed by both houses of Congress authorizing up to $15 billion in funding over the next five years for global AIDS, tuberculosis , and malaria treatment and prevention for 12 African and two Caribbean countries. The money must still be appropriated -- usually the more diffic
A newsletter for prisoners, family members, and medical staff, focusing on HIV, hepatitis, and other major illnesses in prison, is available without charge. The first issue looks at taking care of one s health, getting necessary medical services both in prison and after release, the different stages of HIV infection, a
(1) Africa Action: Money for AIDS, Not for War Africa Action, based in Washington D.C., is seeking organizational endorsements for its call to give priority to the global AIDS epidemic, which will kill 3,000,000 people in the coming year. From the statement: AIDS is an urgent wake-up call to a deeper crisis in the stat
In March 2003 the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut $92 *billion* dollars from Medicaid over the next 10 years, mainly to finance tax cuts for the richest Americans (the war on Iraq and its followup had not yet been accounted for, and could result in further massive cuts). The Senate voted for no Medicaid cuts
Almost everyone has now heard of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), a new disease that can cause a serious and sometimes fatal pneumonia. As we go to press (April 2, 2003) the news is changing very rapidly. Just a week ago it looked like SARS might be dying out -- but then Hong Kong
In our last issue Cal Cohen, M.D., discussed starting antiretroviral treatment, new information on protease inhibitors , and antiretroviral toxicity. Here he looks at treatment interruption, and treatment of patients with advanced illness who have already received many antiretrovirals. We also asked about an early expe
On March 12 the U.S. FDA and Ortho Biotech warned of counterfeit Procrit, which is dangerous because the batches found are not sterile, and have no active ingredient. The lot numbers are: P007645 - 40,000 units/mL, Expiration 10-2004 P004677 - 40,000 units/mL, Expiration 02-2004 P004839 - 40,000 units/mL, Expiratio
Project Inform in San Francisco is seeking an Information and Advocacy Associate to research and write treatment information for Project Inform publications and educational materials on anti-HIV treatments, HIV-associated complications, and related issues, and to work with other staff to develop overall information and
On February 10, 2003, President William Jefferson Clinton gave the keynote speech at the 10th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston. As an example of the lack of systems in place dealing with AIDS, he noted that his team working in the Caribbean had in one week drastically lowered the price
On February 24 Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. announced a European price for T-20, an experimental drug expected to be approved soon by the U.S. FDA , probably in March 2003 [it was approved March 13]. The price, 52 Euros per day or almost $21,000 per year, is expected to be close to the U.S. price, which will not be announced
The first phase III trial -- one large enough to determine whether a treatment works -- of an AIDS vaccine in humans found that the vaccine (called AIDSVAX, produced by VaxGen in Brisbane, California) failed to protect people from HIV infection. But thousands of blood tests now being analyzed will likely provide import
Cal Cohen, M.D., has been an AIDS physician since the mid 1980s. Currently he is research director of the Community Research Initiative of New England, and teaches at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He has a clinical practice in Boston at Harvard Vanguard Associates. We asked Dr. Cohen to discuss some
The important 10th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections is February 10-14, 2003, in Boston. We will report some of the developments beginning in our next issue, #389. Meanwhile, here are some Web sites that are likely to publish reports during or shortly after the meeting: * Official Retroviruses si
The 2003 National Conference on African-Americans and AIDS will take place Feb. 24-25 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City. This conference will focus mainly on treatment and care, but include other topics as well. It offers continuing education credit for physicians and nurses. Admission is $90 in advance
In what is widely seen as a groundbreaking advance, President Bush proposed additional U.S. funding of almost $10,000,000,000 over the next five years for fighting the global HIV epidemic. The president made this unexpectedly major announcement in the State of the Union speech on January 29, 2003. If appropriated by Co
Today in the U.S. we are facing one of the worst climates ever for access to medical care and social services for AIDS and other needs. Government budget problems, combined with the dysfunctional financing of medical care, are threatening Medicaid, ADAP, and the long-standing agreement that most people with HIV in the
In the last few months doctors have seen a large increase in aggressive, antibiotic-resistant staph (Staphylococcus aureus) skin infections in gay men in some areas -- and a separate epidemic in certain prisons. Symptoms include boils or blisters; treatment can be difficult, and sometimes requires hospitalization. One
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.