Volume 6 Number 1 December 2004/January 2005

The last issue of HTB for 2004 and first issue of 2005 includes conference reports form the Lipodystrophy Workshop and ICAAC and refers to the Boston Hepatitis meeting and the bi-annual Glasgow Congress held in November. Full coverage of the Glasgow meeting will be included in the next issue of HTB.

The conference coverage though is preceded by a letter issued by BMS to doctors in the US (but not so far in Europe) highlighting recent reports of problems when ddI and tenofovir are used together in a triple combination with nevirapine or efavirenz.

Until the data are more clearly understood patients should not start or switch to triple combinations using this nucleoside backbone, more difficult management decisions are discussed in the comment section following the letter.

It strikes us as a particular incongruity that a safety letter is issued in the US without comment in Europe, and also that dissemination of this information becomes the responsibility of community-based health media…

On a lighter note, HTB has just completed it’s fifth year – HIV i-Base was set up in 2000 – and as with every end-of-year issue we’d like to thank all our readers and funders for your support over the previous year and wish you all the best for the coming year ahead.