December 2020

Contents

Editorial

• HTB: no. 13/14 – HIV and COVID-19: issue 10 (9 December 2020)

Conference reports

• BHIVA 2020 virtual conference

• Worryingly low HIV knowledge among health workers at London hospital: 80% unaware of U=U, 36% worried about their risk from patients

• 12th International Workshop on HIV paediatrics

• Dolutegravir dosing for infants and young children

Antiretrovirals

• EU approves dolutegravir 5 mg dispersible for children older than four weeks

• New formulation of dolutegravir will make modern ART available for babies and young children at less than $120 a year

HIV prevention and transmission

• Innovation benefits of cabotegravir LA injections for HIV PrEP will enable a closer FDA review

• Once-monthly oral pill as PrEP against HIV: islatravir study to start in 2021

Resistance

• High rates of drug resistance and virological failure among adults with HIV admitted to hospital in Malawi

Other news

• World AIDS Day 2020: selected events

COVID-19: HIV and COVID-19 coinfection

• Recent studies on HIV and COVID-19 coinfection

• BHIVA statement on HIV positive people and access to COVID vaccines

COVID-19: vaccine research

• Early safety and immune responses in older people using the Oxford vaccine: overall results complicated by dosing error

• Interim results report 94% efficacy with Moderna/NIH mRNA vaccine: FDA hearing on 17 December

• HIV risk from some COVID-19 vaccines might be unlikely due to rarity of vector viruses involved

COVID-19: investigational drugs

• JAK inhibitor baricitinib in moderate/severe COVID-19 

• Hydroxychloroquine fails to prevent COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 transmission when used as PEP

• Hydroxychloroquine has no benefit on symptoms at 14 days

• WHO SOLIDARITY study published in NEJM

• International COVID-19 study launches in Africa but with drugs that have little chance of working (ANTICOV)

COVID-19: complications

• Serious complications commonly reported three months after recovery from COVID-19

PDFs

• HTB no 13–14 – plus: HIV and COVID-19 bulletin no 10 (9 December 2020)