Volume 11 Number 11/12 November/December 2010

This last issue of HTB for 2010 includes reports from several Autumn conferences including the Glasgow HIV Congress, the Lipodystrophy Workshop held in London and a meeting focused on HIV and ageing held in Baltimore.

Some of the meetings already have online webcasts of key presentations and this is the best way to follow the meetings for those unable to attend in person.

We also include a report from the iPrEX study that showed tenofovir/FTC taken by HIV-negative people prior to and after sex can protect against catching HIV, though any precision on the degree of protection is less clear. However, the protection is likely to be higher in someone who is careful to adhere to PrEP/PEP than the 44% protection reported in the top-line results.

Richard Jefferys basic science reports include the published results of longer follow up on the single case of functional cure in an HIV-positive man who received stem-cell transplantation from a donor with the delta-32 deletion. We reported this case from the CROI conference in 2008. This man is cured.

The challenge for everyone else is highlighted in his report of a patient in the USA who has an HIV viral reservoir estimated at 1 HIV-infected T-cell per 1.7 billion. Viral load rebounded albeit slightly delayed (out to 50 days) – after discontinuing HAART.

Treatment access news highlights the global crisis for global treatment funding – despite the Global Fund achieving its highest yet 3-year funding pledge, treatment programmes are already being capped to new patients in some countries. And access to treatment globally is threatened again from proposed EU legislation seeking to reduce access to generic antiretrovirals.

We are also including a copy of a new treatment guide as a supplement to this issue.

As with other i-Base guides, these booklets are available free and in bulk for UK individuals, clinics and organisations. Please order online in the usual way. https://i-base.info/order/

Finally, we would like to wish all our readers best wishes for the coming holidays and to welcome you back in 2011 reinvigourated for whatever path of HIV advocacy, action and healthcare that you chose to commit your energy.