The HIV drug manufacturers Gilead Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Merck have announced a joint venture to develop a single-pill, once-a-day HIV treatment.

From January 1, changes to Medicare rebates and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payments will have some people paying less to see their GP, but will also significantly increase prescription drug costs.

German researchers believe a nucleoside extracted from sugar cane could be the key to preventing and even reversing cell damage from HIV drugs.

The National Association of People Living With HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) has set up an innovative project to link Australian positive women via the internet.

With major medical conferences in the United States and Scotland, November was a busy month for HIV medicine. PAUL KIDD reviews some key findings.

The fusion inhibitor T-20 is presents some special challenges when travelling. Bernie Slagtman shares his tips for taking T-20 on the road.

PL's resident medical expert, Dr Nick Medland, answers readers' letters about missing doses, starting treatments and sexually-transmitted infections.

AIDS advocates say they are disappointed at the failure of organisers to include any HIV-positive people in the official program for World AIDS Day in Canberra.

In separate developments, scientists in Britain, the US and Germany have made discoveries about HIV which promise to significantly improve the effectiveness of future treatments.

The new year is upon us so I thought I’d look for a some good news stories to kick 2005 off on a positive note! Surprisingly I had little difficulty in finding examples of HIV-positive people who have fought a discriminatory policy or practice which worked against them because of their status — and who won out in the end.

p(standfirst). Achieving undetectable viral load is the primary objective of anti-HIV therapy, but for some people it’s an unattainable goal. But now, as PAUL KIDD explains, there’s encouraging news for those who can’t quite get there.

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a debilitating treatment side effect and one of the common reasons for people stopping their anti-HIV medication. People’s experience of this form of neuropathy varies from a mild ‘pins and needles’ sensation or numbness in the hands and feet to very severe pain – “it’s like I’m trying to walk with broken glass in my feet”.

Sometimes dealing with HIV means abandoning long-held dreams and changing your life to make room for the virus, writes JASON APPLEBY.

p(standfirst). There’s so much information out there about HIV/AIDS, espcially on the internet. How do you tell the good from the bad?