February 2006

Contents

Editorial

• Volume 7 Number 1/2 January/February 2006

Conference reports

• 10th European AIDS Conference (EACS), 17-20 November 2005, Dublin, Ireland

• Rifaximin cure reported for cryptosporidium in advanced HIV

• Analysis of hepatic events in 2NN study by CD4 entry criteria, levels differences between nevirapine and efavirenz; excess hepatic events in once-daily nevirapine arm linked to single site in Thailand

• FTC studies at EACS: reduced incidence of M184V compared to 3TC; side effect profile in clinical practice

• Paediatric studies at EACS: trends in antiretroviral use in the Madrid Cohort; life expectancy significantly increased HIV/HCV co-infected children since HAART; use of tenofovir in treatment experienced children; switching to lopinavir/r from double protease inhibitor regimen; once daily lopinavir/r, 3TC and abacavir; planned treatment interruptions in children

• Efficacy of lopinavir/r in patients with advanced HIV (CD4 <25 cells/mm3)

• Potential barriers to use of T-20: results from patient and physician interviews

• Factors associated with sexual dysfunction in HIV patients

• Decreased varicella zoster immunity in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa

• Clinical experience of switching to atazanavir in the UK’s largest clinic

• Replacing a PI with atazanavir: separating swans from ducklings?

• TMC 125: some good and bad news

• When to change a failing regimen: second-line and salvage strategies

• Antiretrovirals and other stuff!

• Heart disease in people with HIV

• Mortality trends: why people with HIV die (or don’t) today

• 45th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), 16-19 December 2005, Washington, USA

• Understanding TMC114 power against resistant HIV

• New antiretroviral compounds at ICAAC: new PI brecanavir from GSK; maturation inhibitor PA-457; antiviral activity of monoclonal antibody; TNX-355 in treatment experienced patients

• Comparison of pharmacokinetics of originator and generic liquid formulations and split tablets in Malawian children

• African-Americans in ACTG 5095 had shorter time to virologic failure and grade 3/4 side effects

• Predictors of insulin resistance in first year of therapy

• Three measures confirm 144-week renal record of tenofovir

• Low rash risk with efavirenz after nevirapine rash

Antiretrovirals

• SMART study halted due to safety concerns with significantly more AIDS events in the treatment interruption arm

• TMC114 (darunavir) new drug applications submitted to US and European regulatory agencies

Treatment access

• Missing the target: a report on HIV/AIDS treatment access from the frontlines

• New Clinton agreements to lower prices of HIV/AIDS rapid tests and second-line drugs in 50 countries

• WHO adds seven antiretrovirals to list of prequalified HIV drugs

• Ranbaxy launches two new ARVs in India

• FDA tentative approvals: generic oral solutions of nevirapine and d4T

• Amendment to WTO TRIPS agreement makes access to affordable medicines even more bleak: MSF expresses concern that patients the world-over will have to pay the price

• WTO uses AIDS patients to cover up development round failure

Paediatric care

• US paediatric guidelines updated (Feb 2006)

Hepatitis coinfection

• Low HIV viral load linked to hepatitis B vaccination response

• HPA releases HCV report without mentioning sexual transmission among HIV-positive gay men

Other news

• Jamaican HIV/AIDS advocate Steve Harvey murdered at age 30

• Serono labs pleads guilty to the illegal marketing of rHGH: company to pay $704 million global settlement

• Commission presents blueprint to fight HIV/AIDS over the 2006-2009 period

• Drug companies earn back R&D costs in short term and in developed countries

On the web

• Reports from CCR5 Antagonist meeting

• Online medical resources

PDFs

• Volume 7 Number 1/2 January/February 2006 PDF