HIV/AIDS News

The International Partnership for Microbicides, or IPM, will receive up to $25 million over 5 years from the United States Agency for International Development to accelerate the potential rollout of its monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, a novel HIV prevention microbicide product for women, according to a press release.

The OraQuick HIV Self-Test, a point-of-care test developed by OraSure Technologies, Inc. that detects HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies within 20 minutes, has been Prequalified by WHO, according to a press release.

Point-of-care HIV testing in newborns exposed to the virus quickens diagnosis and ART initiation, researchers said.

A monthly vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral dapivirine has demonstrated efficacy in girls younger than 18 years, according to phase 2a study results presented at the IAS Conference on HIV Science.

A South African child who was diagnosed with HIV as an infant has suppressed the virus for the past 8 1/2 years without treatment, researchers said.

On the eve of a major international AIDS conference, world health officials painted a concerning picture of rising HIV drug resistance, saying it could lead to 135,000 new deaths over the next 5 years and undermine global progress toward ending the epidemic if left unchecked.

In sub-Saharan African patients with advanced HIV who were starting ART for the first time, enhanced antimicrobial prophylaxis reduced the rate of death by 27% after 24 weeks compared with standard prophylaxis, according to partial study findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

A U.S. appeals court recently revived a False Claims Act lawsuit against Gilead Sciences, Inc. that claims the drug company violated FDA regulations by contracting a Chinese manufacturer to produce the active ingredient for HIV medications Atripla, Emtriva and Truvada at unregistered facilities.

Among women with HIV who did not receive ART during pregnancy, those with evidence of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, in their urine at the time of labor and delivery were five times more likely to transmit HIV to their infants than women without CMV, according to recent findings.

The recent resignation of six members of a presidential HIV/AIDS advisory board just months after the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump reflected a distrust of the new administration’s ability to handle the epidemic and a view that it does not take the issue seriously, according to former members.