News headlines

A selection of news stories which have appeared since 10 July 2003.

IAS conference opens in Paris with calls for global treatment access

Michel Kazatchkine of ANRS and Joep Lange of the International AIDS Society have welcomed delegates to the opening session of the 2nd IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris, France, on Sunday 13 July. The meeting is co-sponsored by the US DHHS, NIH and CDC and a number of pharmaceutical companies. A series of reports will appear on aidsmap throughout the coming week.

Tuberculosis, public health and the need for ARVs

Tuberculosis remains the single greatest public health challenge associated with HIV worldwide. Despite widespread recognition of this fact, and clinical trials showing that interventions can help, for example, through providing isoniazid (INH) prophylaxis, few programmes exist to implement such measures.

TB drugs should be free for all, says WHO

The World Health Organisation said this week that drugs to cure TB should be made available free to everyone in the world who needs them, and that it is ` essentially immoral not to make these drugs available free when they could save 200,000 lives each year`.

Formula feed is `medicine to prevent HIV`

With growing evidence that formula feed can be provided safely to babies born to HIV positive women in many African settings, health researchers are calling for formula feed to be provided free of charge to HIV positive women who need it, can use it safely, and currently do not have the resources to access it.

Treatment for babies can block HIV breast milk transmission

The preliminary results of the SIMBA study, reported as a late breaker at the 2nd IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris, are that treating breast-fed babies with either nevirapine (NVP) or lamivudine (3TC) can greatly reduce, though not eliminate, breast milk transmission of HIV.

Low incidence of nevirapine resistance seen in Cameroon women given drug for MTCT

A single dose of nevirapine to prevent mother to baby transmission of HIV is associated with a low incidence of NNRTI resistance, according to a small study conducted in the Cameroon and presented to the Second International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris on July 15th.

HAART effective at preventing illness and death in babies

The provision of HAART to HIV-positive babies in the first six months of life effectively prevents the early onset of HIV disease, according to French data presented to the Second International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris on July 14th.

Hormonal contraceptives increase risk of HIV infection

Hormonal contraceptives increase the risk of a woman becoming infected with HIV, according to research conducted amongst Kenyan sex workers and presented to the Second International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris on July 14th.

d4T dose reduction improves lipoatrophy in Thai patients

Thai researchers report that d4T dose reduction appears to improve the appearance of lipoatrophy, whilst maintaining control of viral load in patients followed for a median of 18 months. The findings, presented this week at the Second International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment in Paris, come from a cohort of 80 patients with lipoatrophy treated in Bangkok. The study was observational with no control group, but suggestive nevertheless.

US HIV guidelines: choose either lopinavir or efavirenz in first-line treatment

Revised US adult treatment guidelines published this week recommend that firstline antiretroviral therapy should consist of a combination based on either lopinavir or efavirenz plus 3TC, with either AZT, or d4T as the third drug in the combination. Tenofovir is a first-line option when partnered with efavirenz.

Long-term maintenance with a single boosted PI

Researchers in Switzerland, Germany and the US are investigating long-term maintenance regimens consisting of one boosted protease inhibitor in order to reduce toxicities associated with combining multiple drug classes and the costs of long-term treatment.

IN ADDITION to the aidsmap links given above, further coverage of the IAS Conference in Paris, including some transcripts of sessions, can be found here.