News archive
News archive 08/05/2008
Research reveals workings of anti-HIV drugs
Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of the virus's fierce attack on host cells.
News archive 08/05/2008
25 years after HIV virus discovered, AIDS vaccine effort must go on: Bernstein
The despair that set in after the failure of the latest effort to develop an AIDS vaccine has given way to a renewed determination on the part of the scientific community.
News archive 08/05/2008
The truth behind drug ads
Lawmakers question whether pharmaceutical drug tell the truth.
News archive 07/05/2008
Apotex Corp. receives final tender approval from Rwanda for vital AIDS drug
Apotex Inc., Canada's largest generic pharmaceutical company has successfully bid and been awarded a tender from the Rwandan Government for the life saving triple combination AIDS drug "Apo Triavir".
News archive 07/05/2008
Elucidating iron transport mechanisms in tuberculosis bug identifies new TB drug targets
Iron acquisition and regulation in intracellular pathogens especially mycobacterium is a central survival mechanism working at the interface of host-pathogen interactions and is, therefore, a promising target for intervention.
News archive 07/05/2008
Planned interruption of highly active antiretroviral therapy does not select drug resistance mutations in HIV-1-infected children
Stopping highly active antiretroviral therapy containing two non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors for 9 or 14 days in HIV-1-infected children with viral suppression did not increase the risk of drug resistance.
News archive 07/05/2008
Appropriate treatment methods can prevent nearly all risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission, study says
The study found that the rate of MTCT decreased to 1.2% from 20% in the mid-1990s.
News archive 07/05/2008
FDA scraps Helsinki Declaration on protecting human subjects
Drug companies got a green light last week to start using data from foreign clinical trials in new drug applications even if the trials only compare new products to placebos instead of best available treatments.
News archive 07/05/2008
Antiretrovirals vital in treating cancer
Antireteroviral treatment and chemotherapy, more than any other factors, substantially increase the odds that a person with Kaposi’s sarcoma will see their cancer improve and even go away.
News archive 07/05/2008
Majority of patients will be able to use Intelence
Intelence is likely to work well in the vast majority of people who’ve had treatment failures from Sustiva and Viramune.
News archive 07/05/2008
Killer gay sex!
The clueless tabloid and public health hysteria over man-on-man sex may be hindering HIV prevention efforts.
News archive 07/05/2008
35% of malaria drugs sold in Africa substandard, study says
Substandard malaria drugs are widespread in Africa, with more than one-third of medicines failing to pass quality tests.
News archive 06/05/2008
Russia should increase HIV prevention efforts targeted at IDUs, UNAIDS Executive Director Piot says
Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief public health officer, said regulations are not strong enough to allow measures such as methadone replacement therapy for heroin addicts to work properly.
News archive 06/05/2008
TB wonder drug that shortens treatment span to be tested
The study, being pitted as one of the world’s largest ever TB trials, will recruit 2,400 fresh TB patients in over 20 sites across the globe.
News archive 06/05/2008
Global groups slam hep C ban
The United Arab Emirates has been singled out for condemnation by global health organisations following the news that the hepatitis C virus has been added to the country's list of deportable diseases.
News archive 06/05/2008
UN joins OPEC partner to curb HIV among drug users
The United Nations anti-narcotics agency has joined forces with the OPEC Fund for International Development in a bid to rein in the spread of HIV among drug users.
News archive 06/05/2008
Better understanding of immune response to HIV infection
The "exhaustion" of immune cells that target HIV appears to result from chronic exposure to the virus, specifically exposure to the particular protein segments targeted by the pathogen-killing HIV-specific CD8 T cells.
News archive 06/05/2008
New saliva-based HIV test gives results in 20 minutes!
To overcome the barriers associated with blood collection this new test is based on oral mucosal transudate, a fluid that is secreted at the base of the gums before it becomes saliva.
News archive 06/05/2008
Canadian patent rule would delay generics
A new set of patent rules proposed by the federal government would delay generic versions of Lipitor, Viagra and several other blockbuster drugs by as much as two years.
News archive 06/05/2008
The peace corps wants you but not if you contract HIV
The men and women who join the Peace Corps reflect the rich diversity of America in race, ethnic background, age, and religion. That rich diversity apparently doesn't include able-bodied Americans who are also HIV-positive.
News archive 06/05/2008
FDA to unveil 'priority review' vouchers for neglected disease research
The "priority review vouchers" will grant drug companies a six-month review period if they receive FDA approval for drugs to treat certain diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis.
News archive 05/05/2008
Stimulated cells control SIV, and hopefully HIV
A method for enhancing immune responses to simian immunodeficiency virus, the monkey version of HIV, was able to significantly control viral reproduction in infected macaques.
News archive 05/05/2008
Global Fund might consider loans for countries that become too wealthy to qualify for grants, executive director says
Kazatchkine said that by including a loan repayment program in its mandate, the Global Fund could help increasingly wealthy countries that do not yet have the infrastructure to effectively fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
News archive 05/05/2008
2nd Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference ends
The Second Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference concluded on May 5 after three-days of dialogue centred on better responding to the region’s HIV epidemic.
News archive 05/05/2008
WHO fails to strike drug deal
World Health Organisation members failed at the weekend to agree a new global strategy on drug innovation and intellectual property.
News archive 03/05/2008
Activists criticize AIDS conference on opening day
For many people living with HIV, Russian ban on substitution drug treatment is an iron curtain.
News archive 03/05/2008
KEI statement on end of IGWG II.bis
Statement of James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International on end of IGWG II bis.
News archive 02/05/2008
Cognitive therapy can reduce risky sex amongst gay men with compulsive sexual behaviour
Compulsive sexual behaviour has been associated with a high risk of infection with HIV.
News archive 02/05/2008
BHIVA: Annual CD4 counts possible for stable patients, SMART analysis finds
HIV-positive individuals with CD4 counts above 350 cells/mm3 and with stable undetectable viral loads are at very low risk of disease progression and do not require frequent CD4 monitoring.
News archive 02/05/2008
Times of Central Asia examines HIV/AIDS epidemic, related stigma, discrimination in Tajikistan
Recent data indicate that the number of officially recorded HIV cases in the country increased eightfold from 2001 to 2007.
News archive 02/05/2008
Second Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference
Largest ever regional AIDS conference to review epidemic status and changing challenges in the response; Broadest range of public and non-governmental sector participants ever to address the changing face of HIV in the region and the critical crossroad the response faces.
News archive 02/05/2008
WHO members inch toward consensus on IP, innovation and public health
Members of the World Health Organization gathered this week to address innovation and intellectual property issues in public health saw hope for agreement on a strategy paper focused on the needs of developing countries, particularly on neglected diseases.
News archive 02/05/2008
Emtricitabine-based regimen is effective for pediatric HIV patients
A well tolerated, potent pediatric antiretroviral therapy regimen can produce results on par with adult clinical trials.
News archive 01/05/2008
Alzheimer's drugs appeal victory
The Appeal Court has ruled an NHS advisory body should have been more transparent in the way it made decisions over Alzheimer's drugs.
News archive 01/05/2008
Offer presumptive treatment for STIs to gay men testing HIV-positive
The investigators issued this recommendation after finding a high prevalence of these sexually transmitted infections amongst gay men testing HIV-positive in San Francisco.
News archive 01/05/2008
Boosting vaginal health could cut HIV risk
Oral treatment to improve vaginal health could have the potential to reduce the risk of infection with HIV for women.
News archive 01/05/2008
Specific adverse events of antiretroviral therapy vary depending on race, gender, study says
Although the overall rate of adverse events among HIV-positive people initiating antiretroviral treatment does not differ significantly among different races and genders, there are significant differences for specific adverse events.
News archive 01/05/2008
Drugmakers question investments in the UK
The industry’s trade group has launched its strongest attack to date on the government, accusing it of damaging the integrity of the UK’s business environment by renegotiating the drug pricing mechanism halfway through the current five-year period.
News archive 01/05/2008
GSK CEO puts focus on emerging markets for future growth
Specifically, Mr Witty has announced a new ‘Emerging Markets’ region, claiming that Brazil, Russia, India, China and the Middle East are significant growth drivers of the future.
News archive 01/05/2008
FDA sends warning letter to Merck & Co over vaccines plant
Merck & Co’s week of woe has continued with the news that US regulators have told the firm to correct what are described as “numerous manufacturing deficiencies†at its main vaccines plant.
News archive 01/05/2008
Brazilian AIDS programme may replace Viread with generic
The Brazilian health ministry has declared Gilead Sciences's antiretroviral Viread to be of public interest.
News archive 01/05/2008
Significant increase in isoniazid-resistant TB in UK
This increase was particularly notable in London, and likely reasons include migration and “inadequate control of transmission†in the capital.
News archive 01/05/2008
Lopinavir-ritonavir affects pharmacokinetics of irinotecan for Kaposi's sarcoma
The presence of lopinavir-ritonavir during CPT11 administration reduced the elimination of CPT11, as evidenced by an average 50% reduction in CPT11 clearance.
News archive 01/05/2008
Rate of heart attacks stable despite increased risk
Though the number of people with HIV who have risk factors for heart disease and stroke is growing, effective management of those risk factors is keeping the number of heart attacks stable.
News archive 01/05/2008
Researchers synthesize compound to flush HIV out of hiding and into crosshairs
Stanford chemist Paul Wender and his coworkers have found a way to synthesize better bird dogs, agents that can be tailored to flush HIV out into the open where the immune system and antiretroviral therapies can destroy it.
News archive 01/05/2008
Initiative for 'open source' drug discovery in India
The initiative targets drugs for Tuberculosis, and it is proposed that the work shall be extended to Malaria and other infectious diseases.
News archive 30/04/2008
HIV infections hit record in Singapore
In Singapore, it is an offence for people who know they are infected with the virus not to inform their partners of their status before engaging in sexual intercourse.
News archive 30/04/2008
Improving the predictive ability of a resistance test
A new method for interpreting the results of the HIV diagnostic company Virco’s predictive phenotype test better predicts actual responses to treatment than an older method.
News archive 30/04/2008
Idenix aims for a comeback
Drug development is often fraught with failure, but with sufficient resources and a strong pipeline, you can always make a comeback.
News archive 30/04/2008
Scientists find a quicker way to make antibodies
A new process to extract and copy the essential elements of cells that make human antibodies has provided a shortcut to making targeted, infection-fighting proteins known as monoclonal antibodies.
More...
