11 JANUARY 2019 VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1

Media Coverage

• Reported cases of HIV in China are rising rapidly

  In November China’s Centre for Disease Control said that 850,000 people were known to be hiv-positive, 12% more than a year earlier and almost three times the number in 2010. An official study found that new cases of hiv among students aged between 15 and 24 rose by more than one-third every year in 2011-15, mostly as a result of gay sex.

  January 12, 2019

  General

  The Economist

• Meta-analysis finds high but variable STI rates in PrEP studies – is PrEP the cause or a potential solution?

  A new meta-analysis of 20 studies and roll-out projects of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in gay and bisexual men confirms very high rates of diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in study participants and PrEP takers.

  January 11, 2019

  PrEP

  aidsmap

• PrEP: HIV prevention drug trial to double, with 13,000 extra patients to benefit

  NHS England is providing cash to double the size of a trial of PrEP, which studies show is up to 99 percent effective in stopping HIV taking hold in the body when transmitted.

  January 10, 2019

  PrEP

  Independent

• Micro-level mapping in Zimbabwe identifies key HIV hotspots

  The micro-level data, generated to identify areas in the country where targeted HIV prevention and care services could have the greatest impact, has earmarked Bulawayo, Harare, Ruwa and Chitungwiza as priority areas.

  January 9, 2019

  General

  Avert

• DFID needs to keep pushing on AIDS, says HIV-positive MP

  The United Kingdom’s aid department must put more resources into fighting HIV/AIDS or risk seeing global progress backslide, according to politician Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who stood up in the House of Commons and revealed he was HIV positive late last year.

  January 9, 2019

  General

  Devex

• Addressing stigma that limits PrEP use for HIV

  The media was found to be both complicit in increasing stigma around pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and helpful in reducing it as an impediment to its use for HIV prevention, according to the results of new study.

  January 8, 2019

  PrEP

  MD Magazine

• Insurer agrees to cover people who use HIV-prevention medication

  The insurer Mutual of Omaha has agreed to stop refusing to provide certain types of coverage to Massachusetts residents who take a medication that prevents HIV, amid allegations of discrimination in two separate legal settlements announced Tuesday.

  January 8, 2019

  PrEP

  Boston Globe

• Dolutegravir monotherapy for HIV no longer recommended: Study

  Dolutegravir monotherapy should no longer be used as HIV maintenance therapy, according to Bart J.A. Rijnders, MD, PhD, and Casper Rokx, MD, PhD, both from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

  January 8, 2019

  Treatment

  Contagion Live

• ‘RAPID’ HIV Treatment Initiation a Success in San Francisco

  High rates of viral suppression are possible in vulnerable populations starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) immediately after they are referred to a clinic for treatment. One year after treatment uptake, 95.8% of patients in the Ward 86 ‘RAPID’ programme in San Francisco had achieved viral suppression, defined as a viral load below 200 copies per ml, despite high levels of substance abuse, housing instability and mental health problems.

  January 7, 2019

  Treatment

  Avert

• Six innovative models for PrEP services

  For pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to have a substantial public health impact, access to PrEP needs to be improved so that more people who would benefit from it receive PrEP. Services need to adapt and innovate. A series of recent articles, most of them published in a special issue of Sexual Health, outline a range of promising approaches.

  January 7, 2019

  PrEP

  aidsmap

• Hitch HIV prevention to a rolling wagon

  HIV is making a comeback, threatening to infect minority communities en masse. But our nation has yet to mount an adequate response.

  January 5, 2019

  PrEP

  The Hill

• HIV rate across Ireland rose by eight percent in 2018, figures show

  The number of people diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Ireland rose by 8 percent last year with 531 diagnoses in 2018, up from 492 the previous year.

  January 5, 2019

  General

  Irish Times

• South Africa Reports Successful Third-line HIV Treatment Programme

  People with resistance to first- and second-line antiretroviral drugs can still achieve high rates of viral suppression in the first year on third-line regimens according to a South African study published in the January issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

  January 4, 2019

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• HIV/AIDS: Nigerians tasked on Mother-To-Child-Transmission prevention

  The Federal Ministry of Health has tasked Nigerians on the need for collective efforts to prevent Mother-To-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS.

  January 4, 2019

  General

  Vanguard

• HIV in the Philippines: Why it must act fast to control growing epidemic, as advocacy groups lead the way

  While many countries, including in Southeast Asia, have seen a fall in new HIV infections, the Philippines has seen a sharp rise.

  January 3, 2019

  General

  South China Morning Post

• Air Force approves HIV prevention drug; Waiver still needed

  The US Air Force has approved the use of a medication designed to prevent HIV infection for pilots and aircrew, overriding an older policy that prohibited its use.

  January 3, 2019

  PrEP

  Military.com

• A life-saving pill few actually use

  A medicine to help prevent HIV infection exists, but millions at risk aren’t getting it.

  January 3, 2019

  PrEP

  Newsday

• HIV eradication goals stuck between perfect and realistic

  The landscape of HIV/AIDS therapy looks vastly different today than it did during the height of the epidemic 3 decades ago. For millions of people around the world, HIV is a chronic condition, not a death sentence. And yet, insofar as the goal of HIV research is eradication, the scientific community remains in a frustrating position: close enough to see the finish line, but with no idea how far away it is.

  January 3, 2019

  General

  MD Magazine

• Scientists Achieve the First Proof of Concept for an HIV Broadly Neutralising Antibody Vaccine in Monkeys

  In a step forward in the search for an HIV vaccine, Professor Denis Burton and colleagues from the Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California have manufactured an HIV vaccine that, with just one shot, induced six out of 12 monkeys to make antibodies that significantly delayed infection or (in two cases) even prevented it.

  January 2, 2019

  Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine

  aidsmap

• New HIV laws will let minors get tested without parental consent in the Philippines

  The HIV and AIDS Policy Act lapsed into law last week which advocates hope will strengthen the country’s response to its HIV crisis.

  December 31, 2018

  General

  Gay Star News

• Community-based HIV testing shows promise in Vietnam

  A new testing method for HIV has brought encouragement to researchers in Vietnam looking to curb the disease.

  December 31, 2018

  General

  UPI

• Zimbabwe: Can Zim end AIDS by 2030?

  National AIDS Council's monitoring and evaluation director Amon Mpofu believes Zimbabwe and Southern Africa can never end AIDS by 2030 unless the region comes up with tailor-made policies to address problems.

  December 29, 2018

  General

  All Africa

• HIV and AIDS: The highs and lows of 2018

  Climbing mountains, then falling off the other side: This year’s efforts in the fight against HIV saw victories and defeats.

  December 27, 2018

  General

  Advocate

Published Research

• HIV viral load and transmissibility of HIV infection: Undetectable equals Untransmittable

  In this Viewpoint, we examine the underlying science-based evidence supporting this important concept and the behavioral, social, and legal implications associated with the acceptance of the U = U concept.

  January 10, 2019

  Treatment

  JAMA

• Moderate-to-high levels of pretreatment HIV drug resistance in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

  There is evidence of increasing levels of pretreatment HIV drug resistance (PDR) in Southern Africa. We used data from two large population-based HIV surveillance studies to estimate prevalence of PDR in KwaZulu-Natal, the province with the highest HIV prevalence in South Africa.

  January 7, 2019

  Treatment

  AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

• Rapid boosting of HIV-1 neutralizing antibody responses in humans following a prolonged immunologic rest

  These results demonstrate that HIV-1 protein immunogens can elicit durable memory T and B cell responses, and that strong Tier 1 virus neutralizing responses can be elicited by a single booster dose of protein following a long immunologic rest period. However, we found no evidence that cross-clade boosting led to a significantly broadened neutralizing antibody response.

  January 7, 2019

  Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine

  Journal of Infectious Diseases

• Preferred product attributes of potential multipurpose prevention technologies for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections or HIV among US women

  MPTs in the form of injectables are most highly desired, but many women would use vaginal methods, highlighting the importance of developing different delivery methods. Women desire safety and emphasize contraceptive efficacy over infection prevention. MPT preferences must be considered during product development to promote future acceptance among young women in the U.S.

  January 7, 2019

  Multipurpose Prevention Technologies

  Journal of Women's Health

• Use of, and likelihood of using, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men in Europe and Central Asia: findings from a 2017 large geosocial networking application survey

  The majority of men using, or intending to use, PrEP appear to have a risk profile consistent with emerging guidance. A large proportion of these men are accessing PrEP outside of traditional healthcare settings, posing a challenge for routine monitoring.

  January 5, 2019

  PrEP

  BMJ

• HIV self-testing alone or with additional interventions, including financial incentives, and linkage to care or prevention among male partners of antenatal care clinic attendees in Malawi: An adaptive multi-arm, multi-stage cluster randomised trial

  The main findings of this trial were that, in Blantyre, Malawi, secondary distribution of HIVST kits to male partners by women attending antenatal care greatly increased the proportion of male partners who had an HIV test and, if combined with conditional financial incentives or a phone call reminder, significantly increased male linkage into post-test HIV care and prevention services.

  January 2, 2019

  General

  PLoS Med

• Dolutegravir monotherapy versus dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine for virologically suppressed people living with chronic HIV infection: the randomized non-inferiority MONCAY trial

  Because the risk of virological failure with resistance increases overtime, we recommend avoiding dolutegravir monotherapy as a maintenance strategy among people living with chronic HIV infection.

  January 2, 2019

  Treatment

  Clinical Infectious Diseases

• HIV prevention cascades: a unifying framework to replicate the successes of treatment cascades

  Building on a series of consultations, we propose an HIV prevention cascade that consists of three key domains of motivation, access, and effective use in a priority population. This three step cascade can be used for routine monitoring and advocacy, particularly by attaching 90-90-90-style targets.

  January 1, 2019

  General

  Lancet HIV

• Third-line antiretroviral therapy program in the South African public sector cohort description and virological outcomes

  A high proportion of third-line patients with follow-up viral loads are virologically suppressed.

  January 1, 2019

  Treatment

  JAIDS

• Civil society demand for accountability to achieve the 90-90-90 targets: Lessons from Eastern and Southern Africa

  The functions of civil society demand for accountability have played key roles in improving the AIDS response in several countries in East and Southern Africa. Dramatically scaling-up capacity for civil society advocacy is necessary in the near term to achieve global HIV goals.

  January 1, 2019

  General

  Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS

• Demand creation for primary biomedical prevention identifying lessons across interventions to inform daily oral preexposure prophylaxis programs

  Approaches to demand creation for primary prevention are dynamic and evolving. However, the lag between implementation and publication means that there is a paucity of PrEP-specific information. Insights from VMMC and other strategies can and must be considered as part of a more holistic approach to increasing demand for primary prevention interventions.

  January 1, 2019

  General

  Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS

• Lay provider HIV testing: A promising strategy to reach the undiagnosed key populations in Vietnam

  Our findings suggest that lay provider HIV testing is an effective approach to reach previously unreached at-risk populations, and, therefore, a critical addition to accelerating Vietnam’s attainment of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 goals.

  December 31, 2018

  General

  PLoS One

• High HIV incidence and low uptake of HIV prevention services: The context of risk for young male adults prior to DREAMS in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

  HIV incidence in men 20-29y was very high, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) should be considered in this population. Uptake of services was low. VMMC coverage increased dramatically from 2011 to 2015, especially among younger men, suggesting a demand for this service. Interventions designed with and for young men are urgently needed.

  December 28, 2018

  General

  PLoS One

• No change in health-related quality of life for at-risk U.S. women and men starting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): Findings from HPTN 069/ACTG A5305

  QOL (quality of life) in at-risk individuals starting candidate PrEP regimens in a clinical trial is similar to the general population and maintained over time. This finding did not vary among regimens or when adjusted for demographics, adherence, and substance use. Our findings are the first to show that starting a candidate PrEP regimen in at-risk HIV-uninfected U.S. women and men was not associated with significant changes in QOL.

  December 26, 2018

  PrEP

  PLoS One

• Defining rights-based indicators for HIV epidemic transition

  This rights-based indicator framework should both track the factors driving the HIV epidemic and measure our progress from a highly stigmatized epidemic that generates discrimination and human rights abuses to a rational, evidence-informed, and rights-based response that respects the dignity and rights of those living with and vulnerable to HIV.

  December 21, 2018

  General

  PLoS Med

• Primary care physician attitudes and intentions toward the use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in adolescents in one metropolitan region

  In this study of primary care physician attitudes toward PrEP prescribing for adolescents, physicians identified numerous barriers to providing PrEP. Addressing these barriers may increase adolescents' access to PrEP.

  December 18, 2018

  PrEP

  J Adolesc Health

• Applying the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills model to understand PrEP intentions and use among men who have sex with men

  Research is needed to determine targets for interventions to increase pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake. Structural models generally supported the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills (IMB) model: knowledge, stigma, and self-efficacy were directly associated with use, and attitudes, stigma, and descriptive norms had indirect effects on use via self-efficacy. The IMB model may be useful when developing PrEP interventions for MSM.

  December 15, 2018

  AIDS and Behavior

Announcements