13 November 2018: vol 19 no 17: HIVR4P and Glasgow conferences: first reports

This issue of HTB includes first reports from the recent HIV Treatment for Prevention (HIVR4P) and Glasgow conferences, both of which have comprehensive webcasts.

Glasgow reports include two presentations on neural tube defects and conception/pregnancy with integrase inhibitors – with no additional dolutegravir-associated cases.

Extended follow up results were presented on ibalizumab and fostemsavir, both of which provide options for multidrug resistant HIV, plus a study from Cameroon reporting dolutegravir to be non-inferior to low-dose efavirenz.

HIVR4P 2018 had an impressive diversity of studies that included looking at the very real difficulty of designing studies to show whether pipeline PrEP have activity. Multiple sessions covered new approaches to prevention including long-acting injections and broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs).

An important talk in a session on U=U, emphasied that unlike sexual transmission, breastfeeding can still transmit HIV to the infant, even when the mother’s viral load is undetectable on ART.

Further coverage from both meetings will be included in the December edition of HTB.