Understanding HIV Prevention in High-Risk Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Two South African Provinces
Creating HIV prevention strategies that resonate with AGYW requires an understanding of the factors influencing their decision-making and behaviour, particularly with respect to relationship management. The study concluded that messages and interventions perceived to jeopardise or increase friction within sexual relationships are unlikely to resonate or effect behaviour change. In order to optimise the impact of HIV prevention messages and programmes, consideration should be given to the priority that AGYW with high-risk behaviours place on relationship preservation and management
December 31, 2019 — South African Health Review 2019
The Decade In Global Health: New Drugs, Faster Trials, Social Media To The Rescue
There is a problem with the decade’s greatest medical moments. Most medical advances originate in rich countries, so they are sometimes out of reach for the world’s poor — even when they address health problems more common in low-income countries. Treatment for HIV, for example, became available in the U.S. in 1996 but the rollout in Africa didn’t begin until 2002. But some breakthroughs of the past decade have gone on to have a truly global impact.
December 24, 2019 — NPR
Lessons in the Fight Against AIDS
Inad never planned on being an AIDS advocate. He was set to become a lawyer, enrolling in law school in Mindanao, an island in southern Philippines. But in 2011, in the middle of his studies, he received the news that changed that trajectory. Inad found out he was HIV positive.
December 16, 2019 — US News & World Report
Opinion: We Won’t Meet the 2020 AIDS Targets. Now What?
As we approach 2020 — a pivotal year on many levels — we have more options and a clearer picture than ever of what must be done to end the HIV epidemic globally.
December 3, 2019 — Devex
The Moon Landing of HIV Vaccine Research: RV144, Ten Years Later
Buried within a 2009New England Journal of Medicinearticle on an HIV vaccine regimen was a sentence that would change the face of HIV vaccine research for the next decade: “the modified intention-to-treat analysis showed a significant, though modest reduction in the rate of HIV-1 infection as compared with placebo.”
December 3, 2019 — MedPage Today
Lessons From HIV/AIDS Response Have Much Wider Resonance
Much of the progress in fighting HIV/AIDS is thanks to treatments such as antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Alongside those, however, are other innovations that have provided models for broader moves towards universal health coverage.
November 28, 2019 — Financial Times
Group Advocates Reduction in Age of Access to SRH Services
The New HIV and Vaccine Microbicides Advocacy Society (NHVMAS) Wednesday urged the Federal Ministry of Health to reduce the age of access for both Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV testing services to 14 years. The civil society organisation, which made this known at a round table discussion in Abuja, in collaboration with AVAC and GADO Agency LTD Nigeria, also urged the government to integrate SRH education into the curriculum of schools.
November 20, 2019 — The Nation
Untangling the Trump Administration’s Lawsuit Over an HIV Prevention Drug
The US government routinely sues pharmaceutical companies for making false claims, bilking Medicare, illegal kickbacks, and sloppy manufacturing practices. But on 6 November, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against Gilead Sciences Inc. of Foster City, California, for reasons that cannot easily fit on a bumper sticker.
November 8, 2019 — Science
HHS to Gilead: Pay Up for PrEP Patent Use
The Trump administration, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), filed a patent infringement lawsuit against pharmaceutical manufacturer Gilead Sciences, seeking damages from infringement on HHS patents related to HIV prevention medications, the agency announced on Wednesday night.
November 7, 2019 — MedPage Today
2nd Drug for HIV Prevention OK’d FDA approves F/TAF (Descovy) as PrEP regimen
As expected, the FDA granted a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) indication to the HIV drug combination emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF, Descovy), to prevent infection in at-risk individuals except those who have receptive vaginal sex.
October 3, 2019 — MedPage Today
Queer Eye Star Jonathan Van Ness Recalls the Moment He Discovered He Was HIV-Positive After Fainting in the Middle of Styling a Client’s Hair: ‘It Was the Moment You Dread Hearing’
Jonathan Van Ness is coming forward about the moment he discovered he was HIV-positive. The Queer Eye star talked about the news in an interview with NBC’s TODAY on Tuesday and also chatted about its connection to his new memoir, Over The Top.
September 24, 2019 — Daily Mail
Communities Should Be Involved in Research. Here Are Some Key Insights on Good Participatory Practice
Communities need to be involved in research — not just as participants, but also in shaping the research project, say AVAC and UNAIDS’ Good Participatory Practices guidelines (GPP). But how are these guidelines implemented, and what is the outcome? Researchers shared their experiences at the International AIDS Society Conference in July.
August 28, 2019 — The Body Pro
Potential New PrEP Drug Exposes Gaps in Data for Women
Among all the CAR-T commotion you may have missed it: An FDA panel on Wednesday recommended Gilead’s Descovy to block HIV transmission in men and transgender women, a step toward another PrEP finally coming to market (the sole medicine right now being Gilead’s Truvada). One potential snag — the advisory committee narrowly voted not to recommend the medicine, which is already approved to treat HIV, for women who are not transgender, also referred to as cisgender women.
August 9, 2019 — Politico
FDA Panel: Split Decision for Descovy in PrEP
An FDA advisory panel overwhelmingly voted 16-2 to recommend Descovy, the fixed-dose combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF), as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce HIV acquisition in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. But murmurs echoed throughout the room as the FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee split 8-10 on whether to recommend a PrEP indication for F/TAF in cisgender women.
August 7, 2019 — MedPage Today
What Does the HOPE Study Say About the Future of the Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention?
A flexible vaginal ring loaded with the HIV antiretroviral dapivirine has been hailed as an exciting new HIV prevention option, particularly for women in sub-Saharan Africa who say the insertable vaginal ring is easier to use and more discreet than existing HIV prevention methods.
August 6, 2019 — The BodyPro
Controversy Erupts Around Study on Contraception and HIV Risk
A landmark study evaluating HIV risk and hormonal contraception is under fire, with critics arguing the trial was ethically flawed from the start and that its results may limit already narrow birth-control options for African women.
August 5, 2019 — The BodyPro
Experts Call for Increased Local HIV Funding
Funding for HIV prevention research and development is slowing down, according to a new report by the Resource Tracking for HIV Prevention Research and Development Working Group, a collaboration between global HIV organisations – AVAC, IAVI and UNAIDS.
July 31, 2019 — Independent
Writing’s On The Wall: No #endAIDS Without #endTB
TB and HIV both are preventable, but cutting the chain of transmission of HIV and TB is proving to be a daunting task. Treatment exists for both TB and HIV but disease-burden and deaths every year are indeed alarming. With countdown on towards TB and AIDS elimination targets for 2030, the writing on the wall is clear: business as usual and ‘more of the same’ approach is more likely to fail us.
July 26, 2019 — Modern Ghana
Is End to HIV Epidemic in Reach?
The tools needed to end the worldwide AIDS epidemic are either in the hands of clinicians, governments, or patients, or can be implemented by using government and social willpower, researchers said here at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.
July 26, 2019 — MedPage Today
‘Mosaic’ Vax Proves Mettle Against More HIV Subtypes
A “mosaic” vaccine against HIV was well-tolerated and able to produce an immune response against multiple clades, or disease subtypes, in healthy volunteers, a researcher said here.
July 24, 2019 — MedPage Today
Arm Implant to Prevent HIV in Reach
A whip-thin length of polymer loaded with islatravir, Merck’s investigational HIV prevention drug, and implanted into the arm is being investigated as a future option for people who have a hard time taking pills.
July 24, 2019 — Medscape
‘Potentially Game-Changing’: PrEP Implant Shows Promise in Trial
First in-human data found that an implant for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention was safe and long-acting, according to a small phase I trial presented here.
July 23, 2019 — MedPage Today
Someday, an Arm Implant May Prevent HIV Infection for a Year
In what could eventually become a milestone for HIV prevention, very preliminary tests of an implant containing a new drug suggest that it may protect against infection for a full year. The new implant, by the drug company Merck, was tested in just a dozen subjects for 12 weeks. But experts were quite excited at its potential to revolutionize the long battle against HIV
July 23, 2019 — New York Times
Large Scale HIV Vaccine Trial Announced, But PrEP May Challenge Enrollment
In a major step forward for HIV vaccine research, the US research agency will partner with a pharmaceutical company on a large-scale, advanced-stage clinical study on an HIV vaccine. If the trial is successful, the vaccine may become the first ever to be approved for HIV prevention. But the rise of PrEP has created unexpected challenges to study enrollment.
July 17, 2019 — The BodyPro
J&J’s Quest for Elusive HIV Vaccine Is Poised for Major Test
Johnson & Johnson is preparing to test an experimental HIV vaccine in the US and Europe in a move toward developing the first immunization against the deadly disease after decades of frustration. Some 3,800 men who have sex with men will receive a regimen of shots in a study that’s planned to be launched later this year, Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview. The agency and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network of testing sites will collaborate with J&J’s Janssen unit on the effort.
July 12, 2019 — Bloomberg
PrEP Trials Offer Insight for Reaching at-Risk Women
Reaching individuals at high risk of acquiring HIV infection continues to pose a challenge to uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A new study looked at PrEP clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa, examining recruitment strategies to reach women at high risk of contracting HIV.
July 9, 2019 — Contagion Live
25 Years of Uncertainty Over for Depo-Provera Users
The debate on depo-provera increasing the risk of HIV acquisition started in 1996 when scientists discovered that monkeys injected with high concentration levels of depo-provera also known as DMPA by scientists had their biological make-up weakening, thereby allowing easy penetration of SIV, an equivalent of HIV in humans, into their system.
June 25, 2019 — The Herald
HIVR4P 2018: From Research to Impact Conference Summary and Highlights
The HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) conference is dedicated to advancing HIV prevention research, responding to a growing consensus that effective and durable prevention will require a combination of approaches as well as unprecedented collaboration among scientists, practitioners, and community workers from different fields and geographic areas. The conference theme in 2018, “From Research to Impact,” acknowledged an increasing focus on translation of promising research findings into practical, accessible, and affordable HIV prevention options for those who need them worldwide.
May 29, 2019 — AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
Will a Vaccine Crisis of Confidence Impact the Global Response to HIV?
The implications of the anti-vaccination movement are enormous. Just as vaccines against some of the greatest global killers finally come within reach, fear and misinformation could diminish vital commitments to continued vaccine research, and important investments in vaccine education and delivery. Effective vaccines might not get developed, manufactured, distributed or used due to misguided, anti-vaccine sentiment — potentially putting millions of people at risk for entirely preventable deaths and diseases.
May 17, 2019 — Science Speaks
Gilead Will Donate Truvada to US for HIV Prevention
Gilead Sciences, maker of Truvada, the only drug approved to prevent infection with HIV, will donate enough of the drug to supply 200,000 patients annually for up to 11 years, federal health officials announced on Thursday.
May 9, 2019 — New York Times
Bit by Bit, Scientists Gain Ground on AIDS
The unnamed “London patient” — the second person apparently cured of HIV — earned all the headlines. But other research released this week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections showed that scientists are making slow but steady progress on the tactics and medicines needed to fight the epidemic, especially in Africa.
March 8, 2019 — New York Times
Monthly Shots Control HIV As Well As Pills in Two Big Studies
Monthly shots of HIV drugs worked as well as daily pills to control the virus that causes AIDS in two large international tests, researchers reported Thursday.
March 7, 2019 — Associated Press
A Second Person Is in HIV Remission. What This Means for a Cure
A man in London has been in remission from HIV for the past year and a half, making him the second known adult to be in remission and potentially cured of the infection.
March 5, 2019 — Healthline
Major Shift in HIV War as Kenyans Now Top Users of Prevention Pill
About 54,000 Kenyans are using the daily HIV prevention pill today up from 9,000 a year ago. This is the second highest use in the world after US, which has 197,000 users in a population of 325 million.
February 23, 2019 — Standard Digital
IAS Appoints Five to Co-chair HIV Prevention Research 2020 Conference
The International AIDS Society (IAS) has appointed five leaders in HIV prevention research, implementation and advocacy as Co-Chairs for the HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) conference.
February 22, 2019 — PM News
The cost of preventing the spread of HIV? Upwards of $1,600 a month
During the State of the Union address tonight, President Trump is expected to call for an end to the spread of HIV in the U.S. by 2030. There’s a drug already on the market that could help make that a reality. It’s called Truvada — otherwise known as PrEP (for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) — and when taken as a preventive, it can drastically reduces transmission of HIV…. The downside? It can cost upward of $1,600 a month.
February 5, 2019 — Marketplace
CRH, AVAC train journalists on biomedical HIV prevention in Nigeria
The imperative of continuous medical research and efforts, accompanied by comprehensive enlightenment and educational programmes, toward curtailing the intractable HIV/AIDS pandemic in the world cannot be over emphasised. This is the reason organisations around the world such as the WHO, AVAC, USAID, PEPFAR, CRH and so on devote much energy and resources to fights against the scourge.
January 29, 2019 — PM News
HIV prevention: AVAC sensitises on latest alternative method
To stem the tides of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, AVAC, in collaboration with the Centre for The Right to Health (CRH), has taken up the gauntlet to lead advocacy against the disease which, according to medical research, is having upper hand on the most productive section of the country’s population—the youth.
January 24, 2019 — PM News
Emerging options
On the prevention front, our options have never been better. We currently have daily oral PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), condoms, and U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable). But what if we could make HIV prevention even more accessible and easier to take? We spoke with a few providers and experts to see what’s currently on the horizon for HIV treatment and prevention.
January 1, 2019 — Positively Aware
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