A call to action and 10 stories for World AIDS Day
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On Thursday, experts, clinicians and researchers across the world acknowledged World AIDS Day, celebrated each year on Dec. 1.
Ahead of the occasion, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) released statements from experts, including Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member and president of IDSA, Carlos del Rio, MD, who said that World AIDS Day presents an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the fight to end HIV and remind the world that there is still work to be done.
“Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to take action to dismantle the pervasive structural barriers and inequalities that fuel HIV and other infectious diseases,” del Rio said. “Throughout my career, I have been passionate about bringing greater racial and ethnic diversity into the HIV workforce. Increasing the diversity of the workforce as well as access to expert HIV providers in underserved communities will improve health outcomes and lower health care costs by meeting patients where they are.”
Del Rio was not the only expert to call for action. Michelle Simone Cespedes, MD, MS, chair of the HIVMA, added that addressing inequities is key in the fight and that these inequities are not “inevitable.” HIV cannot be ended if these needs are not met, she said.
“To end HIV as an epidemic in the U.S., we must expand access to highly effective prevention interventions such as PrEP through equity-based policies,” Cespedes explained. “Stark disparities in access to PrEP exist across racial, ethnic, gender and geographic lines due to systemic issues that include stigma and discrimination, lack of universal access to affordable health care coverage and services, and limited access to PrEP providers.”
She added that Congress must fund a national PrEP delivery program that will expand access to this critical intervention and address significant health disparities.
To mark the occasion and highlight some of the progress made in the fight to end AIDS, we compiled a list of 10 recent stories about HIV/AIDS.
PrEP at 10: Medication ‘added a lot of energy to HIV prevention’
More than 30 years into the fight against HIV/AIDS, on July 16, 2012, the FDA approved HIV PrEP, which became a “game-changer” in the decades-long fight to end the pandemic because it created confidence in HIV prevention without requiring major behavioral changes. Read more.
HIV cure research: Trying to eliminate a virus that ‘hides out’
After more than 40 years, scientists have yet to find a cure for HIV, a complex virus that can be suppressed with potent medications to undetectable levels in the body but not eliminated. Thanks to recent breakthroughs, however, experts still believe that HIV could “prove to be curable.” Read more.
US woman is third person to achieve sustained HIV remission after stem cell transplant
A middle-aged woman from the U.S. was declared the third person — and first woman — to achieve sustained treatment-free HIV remission after undergoing a stem cell transplant, researchers announced at the virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Read more
Man is oldest person possibly cured of HIV after stem cell transplant
A 66-year-old man is the oldest person yet to possibly be cured of HIV after undergoing a stem cell transplant, researchers reported ahead of the AIDS 2022 meeting in Montreal. Read more.
FDA approves first long-acting injectable for HIV prevention
In December of 2021, the FDA approved ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir — also known as Apretude — as the first long-acting injectable for HIV PrEP. Read more.
CDC says all sexually active patients should be told about HIV PrEP
In an updated clinical practice guideline issued in December of 2021, the CDC recommended that all sexually active adult and adolescent patients be informed about HIV PrEP. Read more.
Study suggests young women prefer vaginal ring over oral PrEP for HIV prevention
Adolescent girls and young women preferred the dapivirine ring over oral PrEP for HIV prevention by a two to one margin in a study conducted in three African countries. Read more.
FDA approves 2-month dosing of injectable, long-acting HIV treatment
The FDA approved a 2-month dosing regimen for Cabenuva — which includes shots of cabotegravir (ViiV Healthcare) and rilpivirine (Janssen Pharmaceuticals) — for virologically suppressed adults on a stable regimen with no history of prior treatment failure or resistance to either drug, allowing these virologically suppressed adults to receive HIV treatment as few as six times per year. Read more.
HIV an independent risk factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
A study of more than 1,300 women demonstrated that HIV is an independent risk factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis with significant nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity and fibrosis. Read more.
Ingestible sensor helps identify PrEP adherence patterns
PrEP pills combined with an ingestible sensor can identify patients who are adherent to the medication and those who are not, allowing health care providers to quickly identify patients to contact to help prevent oral PrEP prophylaxis failure. Read more.
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