January 2021

Contents

Editorial

• HTB: no. 1 – plus HIV and COVID-19 (22 January 2021)

Conference reports

• BHIVA 2020 virtual conference now online

• U=U is supported by a single undetectable viral load in the context of good adherence

• Selected plenary talks and workshops from BHIVA 2020

Antiretrovirals

• US FDA approves long-acting injectable HIV treatment: monthly dosing

• Long-acting injectable HIV treatment approved in the EU: includes two-monthly dosing

• Fostemsavir approved in the EU (Rukobia): NICE deferred in the UK

Treatment strategies

• Baseline NNRTI resistance linked to poorer response to first-line dolutegravir in the ADVANCE study      

Coinfections and complications

• Significant increases in LGV in gay men from 2017 to 2019: latest PHE report

HIV prevention and transmission

• PHE report on HIV and STIs during COVID-19

Other news

• HIV criminalisation during 2020: cases continue but also legal advances

COVID-19: HIV and COVID-19 coinfection

• BHIVA and EACS update HIV as a higher risk for COVID-19: supports priority vaccine (January 2021)

• Recent studies on HIV and COVID-19 coinfection

• Very low-level HIV viraemia might continue after COVID-19

COVID-19: vaccine research

• Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine might still overcome UK and SA variants

• Novavax phase 3 vaccine study launched in the UK, South Africa, US, Mexico and Puerto Rico

• Merck/MSD withdraws two vaccine candidates from further research but continues focus on treatment

COVID-19: investigational drugs

• Oral colchicine reduces hospitalisation in international randomised phase 3 outpatient study

• IL-6 agonists tocilizumab and sarilumab reduces mortality in severe COVID-19: interim results from REMAP-CAP study

• Two different dual antibody treatments each reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load by >0.5 log

• IV methylprednisolone pulse treatment for hospitalised severe COVID-19

• Monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab is not effective in advanced COVID-19: lack of early signal stops study early

• Azithromycin monotherapy shows no benefit for COVID-19: RECOVERY study reports 1493 further deaths

COVID-19: long COVID

• Webcasts of two-day US Workshop on Long COVID (PASC) now online

COVID-19: pathogenesis

• Most people hospitialised with COVID-19 have at least one symptom after 6 months: Wuhan cohort

COVID-19: guidelines

• NICE issue UK guidelines on long COVID

• WHO strongly recommended against using hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir/r at any stage of COVID-19

• Updated US guidelines for treating COVID-19 (December 2020)

• US guidelines for using mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

• US update guidelines on access to COVID vaccines

PDFs

• HTB no 1 – plus HIV and COVID-19 (22 January 2021)