Volume 7 Number 4 April 2006

This issue of HTB continues our coverage from the 13th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections with a focus on pregnancy, drug interactions, new and pipeline compounds. Retrovirus always contains more important studies than we can fit into one issue and this year was no exception. Final reports in the May issue of HTB will cover paediatric studies and treatment access issues all compiled with the benefit of little extra time for the data to settle, and for a considered non-immediate response.

As we went to press, the 12th annual BHIVA conference was just underway, and reports from that meeting will also follow in the next issue. For those unable to attend the meeting a pdf file of the abstract book is already online (www.bhiva.org).

Other news includes a treatment alert after Gilead re-issued a Dear doctor letter stressing the importance of close monitoring for renal toxicity when using tenofovir or Truvada; and news that the treatment interruption arm from the African DART Study has been stopped early due to higher rates of serious events in the fixed interruption arm.

Short summary articles on treatment access issues, from the excellent aidspan.org include a financial alert that a lack of new funding could prevent any new grants being issued by the Global Fund in 2006.