NAPWA

HIV home testing is soon likely to become legal in the United States, following a unanimous vote in support of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test by a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test that may be made available over-the-counter is designed to be used at home, without medical

Treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is associated with lasting improvements in insulin resistance among HIV-positive people co-infected with hepatitis C, investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Hepatitis C therapy was also associated with transient falls in levels of cholesterol. “Our data demonstrate that treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin can significantly

An interferon-free regimen of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor BI 201335, the non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor BI 207127, and ribavirin produced sustained virological response in 68% of previously untreated genotype 1 hepatitis C patients, with favourable safety and efficacy among people with liver cirrhosis, researchers reported at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) last

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a decisive step yesterday towards approving the use of the combination pill Truvada (tenofovir/FTC) as a prevention method for HIV-negative people.The FDA’s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee (ADAC) voted by a majority of 19 to 3 in favour of recommending Truvada as PrEP

Antiretroviral therapy based on the ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor atazanavir (Reyataz) was more likely to achieve virological suppression after six months than treatment containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (Sustiva, also in the combination pill Atripla) among people with HIV starting treatment in the Canadian province of British Columbia, investigators report in the

Reducing the dose of ribavirin and adding erythropoietin are both good options for managing anaemia in hepatitis C patients treated with boceprevir (Victrelis) triple therapy, according to study findings presented at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) in Barcelona. A related study found that ribavirin reduction also did not impair cure rates with

Antiretroviral therapy is associated with a reduced incidence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions in HIV-positive women, South African investigators report in the online edition of AIDS. Their study also showed that HIV therapy was associated with a regression of pre-existing lesions. “Our results indicate that compared to non-HAART [highly active antiretroviral therapy]-users, HIV-infected women on HAART are

An investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutic vaccine significantly improved the likelihood of sustained response to interferon-based therapy, according to a proof-of-concept study reported at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) last month in Barcelona. Interferon-based therapy and new direct-acting antiviral agents are not able to cure all patients with chronic hepatitis C. But the fact

Patients with hepatitis C should be carefully evaluated for symptoms of depression before and during pegylated interferon-based therapy, investigators write in the International Journal of Interferon, Cytokine and Mediator Research. The authors also highlighted evidence showing that SSRI antidepressants are an effective and safe therapy for depressive disorders during interferon treatment. However, they note that the

African American patients have significantly poorer adherence to HIV therapy compared to other racial groups, investigators report in Journal of General Internal Medicine. Overall, black patients were 30% less likely to have optimal levels of treatment adherence than patients of other races. The investigators also found evidence that untreated depression was associated with lower rates

Co-infection with hepatitis C increases the risk of death for patients with AIDS by 50%, according to the results of a large study published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A fifth of these deaths were attributable to liver-related causes, five times the rate seen in people with AIDS who were not

Unstructured treatment interruptions – rather than missed doses of medication – involve a greater risk of a detectable viral load, US research published in the online edition of AIDS suggests. Investigators analysed the results of 16 clinical trials, using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) to monitor treatment compliance and to see which pattern

Few gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Beijing have heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), investigators report in PLoS One. Despite this, over two-thirds of men said that they would be willing to take or consider PrEP. “To our knowledge this is the first study to assess awareness and acceptability

Only a fifth of HIV-positive people in the United States are fully engaging in specialist HIV care, research published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes shows. Investigators from the HIV Research Network examined rates of entry into care, retention in care, and loss to follow-up between 2001 and 2009.

An inability to provide for the most basic needs of life is the biggest predictor of poor physical and mental health for homeless and marginally housed HIV-positive men, according to a study conducted in San Francisco and published in the open-access journal PLoS One. “While ART [antiretroviral therapy] adherence and viral load were among the

The experimental cancer drug brivanib did not lengthen overall survival for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but it did increase time to progression, demonstrating that it had anti-tumour activity, researchers reported at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) last week in Barcelona. Over years or decades chronic hepatitis B or C infection – as well as

Adding GS-7977 to pegylated interferon and ribavirin for 12 weeks led to a sustained response rate of 90% for previously untreated chronic hepatitis C patients with difficult-to-treat genotype 1, researchers reported at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) last week in Barcelona. Last year's approval of the first direct-acting antiviral agents has changed the face

Reductions in visceral adiposity achieved with tesamorelin therapy are associated with improvements in some key metabolic parameters, according to a study published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The HIV-positive patients who responded to the therapy had significantly better improvements in their triglyceride levels compared to patients who did not experience meaningful

The risk of death due to liver disease is twice as high for patients with chronic hepatitis B infection compared to individuals with chronic hepatitis C, US researchers report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study involved gay and other men who have sex with men, most of whom were HIV

People who have both tuberculosis (TB) and HIV experience “a unique and overlapping double stigma”, according to research published in the May issue of Social Science and Medicine. Having TB sends a signal that the person also has HIV. As a consequence, identities associated with TB are now strongly influenced by HIV stigma. Some co-infected