4 April 2007

Contents

Conference reports

• Raltegravir (MK-0518) phase 3 trials show successful viral suppression in multi-drug resistant patients

• Maraviroc phase 2b/3 results in treatment experienced CCR5-tropic patients

• Phase 2 study of Gilead’s integrase inhibitor elvitegravir (GS-9137)

• Phase 2b study comparing rilpivirine (TMC-278) to efavirenz in treatment-naive patients: 48-week results

• PK results from heat-stable formulation of ritonavir

• Use of low-dose rapamycin, a CCR5 suppressant, to increase potency of T-20 in vitro

• Growth hormone release factor (TH9507) reduces central fat adiposity

• Further insight into risk and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) from D:A:D cohort: no additional benefit of metabolic syndrome diagnosis; new HIV-specific CVD risk equations; increasing uptake of lipid lowering drugs but low smoking cessation

• Pregnancy outcomes in the DART trial

• 12 month response to HAART in women following exposure to prevention of mother to child transmission regimens

• Unexpectedly high rate of K65R mutation in patients failing first-line d4T-containing regimens in Thailand

• Sexual transmission of HCV in Brighton reported in HIV positive and HIV negative MSM

• Hepatitis B drug entecavir reported to have anti-HIV viral activity in three patients

• High 6-month rate of PML survival with aggressive use of 5-drug T-20-based ARV regimen

• Increased anal HPV levels in HV-positive smokers

• Clade-B HIV-1 infection in Haiti predates global subtype-B virus

• Drug interactions and pharmacokinetic studies: CROI 2007

Antiretrovirals

• Darunavir (TMC-114) approved in Europe

• No significant interaction reported between etravirine (TMC125) and raltegravir (MK-0518)

• Future of second-generation fusion inhibitors less certain as Trimeris and Roche separate

Treatment access

• Abbott situation worsens in Thailand

Guidelines

• BHIVA launch standards for HIV clinical care (2007)

On the web

• Use of scientific evidence in criminal prosecutions for HIV transmission

• Articles from AIDS and Medscape

• Articles from New England Journal of Medicine