Treating HCV genotypes 2 and 3 in HIV/HCV co-infected people

People co-infected with HIV and HCV, mostly with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3, responded about as well as HIV-negative people to interferon-based therapy after taking into account other factors associated with poor treatment response, according to an Italian study presented at the 53rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) this month in Denver. Advanced liver fibrosis was common in the co-infected group, supporting the need for early treatment.

Research and Markets: PharmaFocus: HIV - R&D Strategies towards Cure and Prevention

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "PharmaFocus: HIV - R&D Strategies towards Cure and Prevention" report to their offering.

New Therapies Are Necessary to Redefine Current HIV Treatment Paradigm.

Young woman living with HIV urges international community not to drop guard on HIV

Barbara Martinez, a young Ecuadorian activist living with HIV, urged the international community not to drop its guard on HIV during her address at the 68th United Nations General Assembly special event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The event was convened to review progress towards the MDGs as well as to discuss the transition into the post-2015 development framework.

HIV and the immune system linked to heart disease in women

The widespread availability of potent combination anti-HIV therapy (commonly called ART or HAART) in Canada, Australia, the U.S. and Western Europe has greatly improved the health of HIV-positive people. Deaths from AIDS-related infections are now much less common, at least among HIV-positive people who get tested, make regular clinic visits and take ART every day exactly as directed.

International momentum builds to expand access to antiretroviral therapy

HIV scientists, doctors, and health economists have gathered in London on 22-24 September to present the clinical and financial case for HIV treatment and other HIV prevention activities to achieve the 2015 global AIDS targets. Under the title Controlling the HIV Epidemic with Antiretrovirals: From Consensus to Implementation, more than 400 delegates considered data about how the latest HIV prevention programmes work.

Global Fund Results Show Dramatic Gains

GENEVA - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced new results today that show significant gains in the treatment of people living with HIV and in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

UNAIDS reports a 52% reduction in new HIV infections among children and a combined 33% reduction among adults and children since 2001

As world leaders prepare to meet at the United Nations General Assembly to review progress towards the Millennium Development Goals—a new report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows dramatic acceleration towards reaching 2015 global targets on HIV. 

A common side effect of HIV and AIDS, neurocognitive impairment, may be overlooked due to inadequate screening

One of the common side effects of HIV and AIDS is neurocognitive impairments - changes in how fast a person can process information, pay attention, multi-task and remember things - yet there are no adequate tests to screen patients for these problems, according to a new study out of St. Michael's Hospital.

Does Facebook Help Prevent HIV?

Facebook has been blamed for everything from causing narcissistic behavior to influencing teens to smoke and drink more. But UCLA has revealed that Facebook can also do some good.

In a recent study by UCLA researchers, it was found that using behavioral science methods as well as social media such as Facebook "can lead to improved health behaviors among men at risk of HIV infection."

Charlize Theron crusades against AIDS 'devastation'

(CNN) -- At 19 years old she was spotted by a talent agent while engaging in a shouting match with a bank teller in Los Angeles. Since then Charlize Theron has powerfully demonstrated an almost chameleon-like ability to assume the roles she takes on.

Zero new HIV infections among children can be a reality

(CNN) -- Since the U.N. Millennium Development Goals were launched in 2000, the world has made tremendous gains in reducing new HIV infections and helping people with HIV to live longer and healthier lives.

ABC Syringes: No More Reused Syringes!

Every year, scores of people get infected with various diseases because they were injected using unsterile and reused syringes. It’s unfortunate but it happens more often than you think. Case in point: according to the World Health Organization, 5% of all new HIV cases, 32% of all Hepatitis B cases, and 40%of Hepatitis C cases are caused by unsafe injections.

Experts meet on advancing access to HIV treatment

Experts call for increased access to life-saving HIV treatment. The call, made during a meeting held in New York on 4-5 September, follows the recommendations made last year by the independent Global Commission on HIV and the Law on improving access to HIV treatment.

The Global Commission’s landmark report recommended a new intellectual property framework for pharmaceuticals that would meet urgent public health needs while safeguarding the rights of inventors.

Scientists Say Claims of HIV Cure "Within Months" Misleading

It has been nearly half a year since news sources inaccurately reported that Danish scientists were "within months" of finding a cure for HIV for their ongoing, and as-yet-unpublished, research of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Although a cure is not on the immediate horizon, the Danish vaccine trial continues to look at HDAC inhibitors -- and even a cancer drug -- as a means to flush HIV from the viral reservoir, where it hides from antiretrovirals even during successful therapy.

HIV Cure: 5 Lethal Diseases Associated with AIDS, Effective Treatments/Study Progress

HIV researchers are working round-the-clock searching for an effective treatment and cure against HIV infection. However, some people are just too stubborn and continue risky behaviour even with the global threat of the virus. Know the five lethal associated diseases with AIDS and their treatments currently being researched by medical experts.

It is essential to treat pediatric AIDS in the elimination agenda

Scott Kellerman and colleagues argue that the scope of the current HIV elimination agenda must be broadened in order to ensure access to care and treatment for all children living with HIV.

In 2011, despite the global initiative to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 330,000 new pediatric infections were added worldwide to the existing pool of 3.4 million children living with the virus.

UNITAID launches first-ever comprehensive report on HIV prevention products

Shows promise to curb transmission if high prices can be reduced.

The rate of new HIV infections in adults and adolescents has not fallen since 2007 but an unprecedented range of new products to prevent transmission of the disease could reduce the 2.5 million new HIV infections each year if they are made affordable, according to a report released today by UNITAID.

High proportion of Canadian patients with HIV-HCV co-infection and liver cirrhosis are not having ultrasounds to check for liver cancer

Over a third of HIV-positive people with hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhosis are not having regular ultrasound examinations to check for possible liver cancer, Canadian research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows.

Two patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer) did not have ultrasound screens.

The Past, Present, and Future of HIV Treatments

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world's most devastating diseases since it was first recognized more than three decades ago. 33.4 million people across the world are infected with HIV, and 1.15 million of those live in the United States. To date, there is no cure for the disease, which leads to the progressive failure of the immune system, although current treatments are now much more advanced than Retrovir (AZT) -- the first approved HIV medication, which had marginal benefits and a terrible side effect profile.

A Closer Look at the Market for Home and Lab HIV Tests

It is often said that the real cure for HIV and AIDS will come from better, more discrete testing procedures, and not from the drug cocktails made by Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck. Considering that nearly 20% of individuals infected with HIV aren't even aware that they are carrying the virus, HIV tests should be just as important in battling the virus as condoms or antiviral medications.