February 2021

Contents

Editorial

• HTB: no. 2 – plus HIV and COVID-19 (24 February 2021)

In memory

• In memory: Elias Phiri – community HIV and TB advocate

• In memory: Dr Joseph Sonnabend – pioneer HIV activist and researcher

• Timothy Ray Brown: a virtual memorial

Conference reports

• R4P virtual conference (2021)

• VRC01 antibody only prevents minority of HIV infections: AMP study results

• Long-acting bNAb is safe and well tolerated and achieves target concentrations in newborns (VRC07-523LS)

• Promising data for multipurpose technologies to prevent HIV and pregnancy

• 12th International Workshop on HIV paediatrics

• New LPV/r-based fixed dose HIV combination for young children: first results with Quadrimune 4-in-1

Resistance

• UK study for people with triple-class drug resistance

Treatment advocacy

• Community murals in Soweto on dolutegravir-based ART: an i-Base collaboration

COVID-19: HIV and COVID-19 coinfection

• HIV positive people in the UK now elligible for COVID vaccinations – and to become available at HIV clinics

COVID-19: vaccine research

• What are the main COVID-19 variants? How can they affect vaccine responses?

• Novavax: >90% efficacy in UK but 60% in South Africa, hints of lower effect in HIV positive participants

• Russian Sputnik vaccine reports 91% efficacy at 21 days after the first dose

• Janssen vaccine reports efficacy after single injection: FDA decision imminent

• Oxford/AZ vaccine might still prevent severe COVID-19 from B.1.351 variant: supports continued used in South Africa

• Unprecedented rapid speed of COVID vaccine development

• WHO online vaccine tracker

• COVID-19 vaccine pricing: a BBC guide

COVID-19: treatment access

• High rates of undocumented COVID-19 mortality in Zambia without testing challenges the idea that Africa has been spared

COVID-19: investigational drugs

• Tocilizimab effectively reduces COVID-19 related deaths and hospitalisation time: additive benefit with dexamethasone

• Bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) prophylaxis prevents COVID-19 in care homes: results of BLAZE-2 study

• US FDA specifies high antibody titre for convalescent plasma and to only use in early COVID-19

• No benefit from convalescent plasma in UK RECOVERY study: limited results restrict implications for COVID-19

COVID-19: pathogenesis

• UK variant B.1.1.7 linked to higher risk of death and hospitalisation from COVID-19

PDFs

• HTB no 2 – plus HIV and COVID-19 (24 February 2021)