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Top Stories for World AIDS Day
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Today, infectious disease organizations around the world are recognizing World AIDS Day. The event is held annually on Dec. 1 to raise awareness of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
According to the CDC, global efforts, including the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, substantially increased the number of people receiving ART, which is currently estimated to be 18.2 million people worldwide. Thus, there was a 45% reduction in the number of HIV-related deaths since 2005, according to WHO. The organization stated that fewer people died of HIV in 2015 than any other time point in almost 20 years.
“This is very gratifying,” Infectious Disease News Chief Medical Editor Paul A. Volberding, MD, director of the AIDS Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco, told Infectious Disease News. “We are beginning to see the same effect of [HIV] drugs on mortality that we saw here in San Francisco and other places in the mid- and late-1990s. The introduction of protease inhibitors, in particular, was tracked with decreasing mortality. But it’s great to see this happening at the global level. It underscores the critical importance of continuing the support for PEPFAR and the Global Fund, because otherwise those numbers will change in a bad direction.”
Despite improvements in recent years, the CDC reported that more than 1 million people died of AIDS in 2015. In addition, WHO estimated that more than 14 million with HIV remain unaware of their status, and recently released new guidelines for HIV self-testing to help increase testing uptake and end AIDS by 2030.
To mark the occasion of World AIDS Day, Infectious Disease News compiled a list of the top 10 articles in HIV/AIDS over the past year:
Viread resistance common in many low-, middle-income countries
Viread resistance appears to be emerging frequently among HIV patients facing virologic failure, with resistant strains affecting as many as 60% of sub-Saharan Africans with the infection who failed first-line ART, according to the results of a multicenter retrospective study.
Furthermore, many affected patients frequently develop resistance to other drugs in their combination ART regimen, and Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, Gilead Sciences)-resistant HIV strains may have similar infectivity to nonresistant strains, researchers wrote. Read more.
Lawsuit against Gilead alleges tenofovir patent manipulation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against Gilead Sciences accusing the company of patent system manipulation for various formulations of its antiviral HIV drug tenofovir.
The lawsuit suggests that Gilead purposefully delayed clinical trials of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) until the expiration of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to maximize patent protection on TDF, obtained illegal protection on other prodrug formulations of TDF, and entered into licensing agreements with Japan Tobacco and Emory University that violate antitrust law. Read more.
HIVMA issues recommendations on HIV tests, procedures
The HIV Medicine Association issued recommendations for HIV tests and procedures that are frequently conducted, yet not always necessary. The recommendations are part of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, which aims to develop patient-friendly resource materials and encourages conversations between patients and medical providers about avoiding unnecessary care.
“Providing high quality care to our patients also means not ordering unnecessary tests,” Carlos del Rio, MD, FIDSA, former chair of HIVMA, said in a press release. “Implementing these principles in our practice will save money by avoiding unnecessary tests.” Read more.
FDA approves Odefsey for treatment of HIV
In March, the FDA approved Odefsey, a TAF-based regimen, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.
“As people are living longer with HIV, there is an increasing need to develop new treatments that are tolerable and help address long-term health for patients,” John C. Martin, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer of Gilead Sciences, said in the release. “Odefsey’s safety, efficacy and tolerability profile offers a new treatment option to support the needs of a range of patients.” Read more.
Canadian patient considered first to contract HIV after PrEP failure
BOSTON — A patient in Canada contracted a multiclass resistant strain of HIV-1 despite long-term adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis, according to data presented at CROI 2016.
The case is the first to demonstrate failure with Truvada (emtricitabine/TDF, Gilead Sciences), which is associated with nearly 100% (95% CI, 86-100) HIV prevention efficacy. Read more.
TSRI scientists capture detailed picture of HIV structure
Researchers from the Scripps Research Institute have captured a high-resolution image of an almost fully intact HIV protein responsible for infecting host cells. The image revealed potentially vulnerable targets for broadly neutralizing antibodies, which may help guide vaccine development. Read more.
Senate committee holds hearing on Daraprim price increase, distribution agreements
Members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging conducted a hearing investigating the market price increase and distribution arrangements of the generic first-line toxoplasmosis drug Daraprim.
Speaking on behalf of infectious diseases and HIV providers, Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and immediate past chair of the HIV Medicine Association, explained that many institutions and pharmacies have been unable to reliably and affordably obtain pyrimethamine for patients, and urged the senators to consider policy interventions to circumvent the complex assistance programs many currently rely on. Read more.
FDA approves Descovy for treatment of HIV
In April, the FDA approved Descovy, a fixed-dose combination tablet containing emtricitabine and TAF, for the treatment of HIV.
“As part of a single tablet regimen or partnered with a third agent, the components of Descovy offer patients a simple and effective combination with a safety profile that has the potential to improve health,” Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, executive vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer at Gilead Sciences, said in a press release. Read more.
Researchers investigate PRO 140 as standalone therapy for HIV
BOSTON — Findings from a phase 2b trial of PRO 140, a humanized monoclonal antibody, suggest the treatment could be used as a standalone therapy in place of ART for some patients with HIV-1 infection.
“We set out to prove a hypothesis that PRO 140 monotherapy — or single-agent maintenance therapy — after ART can maintain virologic suppression in HIV-infected patients,” Paul J. Maddon, MD, PhD, senior science adviser to CytoDyn, told Infectious Disease News. “And I think that’s what we showed. Patients treated with PRO 140 were able to maintain virologic suppression after discontinuing ART.” Read more.
Researchers develop USB stick that tests for HIV
Researchers at Imperial College London and DNA Electronics developed a new type of HIV test that is performed on a USB stick. The device, which requires only a drop of blood, creates an electrical signal that can be read on a hand-held computer device in less than 30 minutes.
Although the technology is still in the early stages of development, Graham S. Cooke, MD, PhD, from the department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said in a press release that the disposable test could allow patients with HIV to regularly monitor their viral load in the same way that patients with diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels. Read more.