October 2008

Contents

Editorial

• Volume 9 Number 9/10 Sep/Oct 2008

Special reports

• 10 key areas of research: non-technical summary of studies and presentations from Mexico

Conference reports

• 17th International AIDS Conference, 3-8 August 2008, Mexico City

• Abacavir and heart disease: SMART study supports an abacavir-associated increased risk of cardiovascular disease

• HAART use in pregnancy and preterm delivery and low birth weight

• Reasons for mother to child transmission in England

• New paediatric formulations of ARVs

• 3rd International Transmission Workshop, 1-2 August 2008, Mexico City

• Intermittent tenofovir/FTC PrEP offers monkeys some protection

• Tenofovir/FTC gel protects female monkeys from SHIV

• Recently infected HIV-positive Quebec residents cause more than half of new cases

• Common estimate of heterosexual HIV transmission risk sometimes far too low

Antiretrovirals

• EMEA state that animal studies support no increased risk of malignancy from contamination of nelfinavir (Viracept) with ethyl mesilate (EMS)

• Antiretrovirals calculated to extend life expectancy by 35 years

• Etravirine approved in Europe

• Abacavir label updated in the US on use of B-5701 testing and cardiovascular risk

• Ritonavir label updated in the US relating to cardiac arrhythmia reported in high-dose studies

• Atazanavir label updated in the US relating to drug interactions with NNTRIs, hormonal contraceptives, midazolam, H2 receptor antagonists and other drugs

Treatment access

• Brazil rejects Gilead patent on tenofovir

• PEPFAR bill may lift US HIV travel and residency ban

• Atripla to be licensed in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region

• FDA approval of generic ARVs

• PEPFAR funding bill authorised by the US Senate

Pregnancy

• Tenofovir safe in pregnancy in macaque model

PK and drug interactions

• Drug interaction reports from Liverpool University website

Guidelines

• UK National Guidelines for HIV Testing 2008

• UK Guidelines on the Management of HIV infection in Pregnant Women (2008) published

• UK Guidelines on HIV Associated Malignancies (2008) published online

• US paediatric guidelines updated (2008)

HIV prevention and transmission

• Implications of transmission with undetectable HIV viral load: lower limit for HIV transmission excluded from model

• Case report of sexual transmission when viral load suppressed to <50 copies/mL

• HIV RNA is detectable in semen in 5% patients with undetectable blood plasma viral attending fertility clinic

• Tenofovir gel as a rectal microbicide: evidence for protection and priming of T-cell responses in the SIV challenge model

• Genetic protection against malaria may increase susceptibility to HIV infection in people of African decent

• US CDC issue reports of false-positive oral rapid tests in New York HIV testing programme

Basic science and immunology

• US cancel phase 3 HIV vaccine trial

• Microbial translocation in immunological non-responders to ART

Other news

• Detained Chinese AIDS activist quietly sentenced during Olympics

• Free The Iranian HIV/AIDS Doctors!

• Opportunity for doctor to work in Thailand

• Ugandan activists acquitted of trespass charges after objecting to exclusion of sexual minorities from the national HIV/AIDS programme

On the web

• IAVI Report

• In defence of rational AIDS activism: how the irrationality of Act Up-Paris and others is risking the health of people with HIV or at risk of HIV infection

• Conference abstracts and presentations

• Latest global and country-level HIV/AIDS data

• PRN notebook articles

• PLoS Medicine articles

PDFs

• Mexico 2008: non-technical summary of 10 key areas of research PDF

• Volume 9 Number 9/10 Sep/Oct 2008 PDF