11 MAY 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 19

Media Coverage

• Patients on PrEP trial still in the dark after charity leading NHS study closes

  Thousands of patients on a “groundbreaking” NHS trial into HIV prevention remain in the dark about its future after the charity leading the research closed unexpectedly….“It is worrying that trial participants are being left out of the loop on something that may very directly affect their HIV prevention plans.”

  May 10, 2018

  PrEP

  Huffington Post UK

• Is Ending the HIV Epidemic Possible, and if so, how? IAPAC Meeting in Geneva Takes Stock of Progress and the Road Ahead

  Last week, about 100 health care providers, researchers, and advocates gathered to discuss progress and challenges in turning the tide on the HIV epidemic across the globe at the "Controlling the Epidemic" Summit organized by the International Association of Providers in AIDS Care (IAPAC).

  May 10, 2018

  Combination Prevention, General

  The Body Pro

• Lancet editor calls for suspension of UNAIDS head

  The editor-in-chief of the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, has joined calls for UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé to be suspended after his controversial handling of sexual assault accusations.

  May 10, 2018

  General

  Health-E

• Rise in other diseases, threat to fight against HIV/AIDS

  Professor John Idoko, the newly elected President of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) has said in the past decades, there were rise in other diseases that have direct or indirect relationships with HIV/AIDS.

  May 10, 2018

  General

  GhanaWeb

• Govt assures of funding HIV & AIDS as new infections increase by 21 per cent

  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given an assurance that the government will provide the political leadership and ensure sustained funding to reduce new HIV infections to the barest minimum.

  May 10, 2018

  General

  Business Ghana

• Terrence Higgins Trust launches free HIV self-testing programme

  Terrence Higgins Trust have launched a HIV self-testing programme for gay/bisexual men and trans women. Britain’s leading HIV and sexual health organisation will supply the free kits (provided by BioSure) for people who wish to test themselves in the privacy of their own homes. The results also come back within minutes.

  May 10, 2018

  General

  Gay Times

• HIV may increase the risk of skin cancer

  People living with HIV may have an increased risk of some types of skin cancer, Danish researchers report in the online edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

  May 9, 2018

  General

  aidsmap

• Youth urged to create digital solutions to help tackle HIV and AIDS

  As disruptive technologies continue to emerge in Rwanda and across the African market in general, young innovators have been challenged to create digital innovations that can help tackle health epidemics such as HIV and AIDS.

  May 9, 2018

  General

  The New Times

• The charity leading the HIV PrEP drug trial will leave the project amid ‘concern’ over finances

  A charity heading an NHS trial into HIV prevention medication is set to step back from the project amid “concern” over the state of its finances.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP

  iNews

• Patients sue Gilead, saying drug company intentionally delayed safer HIV medicine

  Two Southern California men filed suit against Gilead Sciences on Tuesday, saying they were harmed when the drug company intentionally delayed development of a safer version of a crucial HIV medicine so that it could continue to profit from its lucrative monopoly.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP, Treatment

  Los Angeles Times

• Tanzania starts trials for HIV preventive treatment

  The government of Tanzania has started trials of pills that can prevent one from contracting HIV, a senior official said on Wednesday.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP

  Xinhua

• Early PrEP uptake in Africa study gives support for possibility of wider acceptance

  Nearly a fifth of adults whose risk for HIV infection made them eligible for free PrEP — medicine to protect them from the virus — took the opportunity to start taking the drug within 30 days — the majority of them on the day it was offered, a study examining the impacts of health interventions across communities two East African countries found.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP

  Science Speaks

• Is Gilead’s entire HIV enterprise built on a false promise?

  A new analysis finds that Gilead Sciences’ updated version of its key antiretroviral tenofovir may not actually offer any safety benefits.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP, Treatment

  POZ

• Why are women in 'blesser-like' relationships more likely to contract HIV?

  Reproductive health doctor Tlaleng Mofokeng explains to Bhekisisa editor Mia Malan why age-disparate relationships make women more vulnerable to HIV.

  May 9, 2018

  General

  Bhekisisa

• Machines given to fight HIV/AIDS

  The county government's fight against HIV and AIDS has received a boost after an international organisation donated six testing machines worth Sh17.2 million. The machines, which determine the concentration of the virus in the blood, were donated yesterday by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

  May 9, 2018

  General

  Standard Media

• UTSA researcher identifies barriers impacting PrEP use among Latino gay and bisexual men in Texas

  A new study led by a UTSA researcher examines the social perceptions of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication to prevent HIV, among gay and bisexual men in Texas.

  May 9, 2018

  PrEP

  UTSA Today

• Toxic masculinity and the spread of HIV in Uganda

  Byaruhanga is part of a “positive living group” whose members support each other, share experiences and educate the wider community about HIV and sexual health. They have even started a small business together making and selling crafts. This group is part of a movement in Uganda that has helped to destigmatise the disease, but even individuals like Byaruhanga still uphold some less-than-progressive views.

  May 8, 2018

  General

  African Arguments

• How a T cell passes HIV sexually to a new host

  While it's well known that HIV is transmitted sexually, how the virus crosses genital mucus membranes to reach its targets in the immune system is less understood. Previous research has looked at biochemical measurements or morphology at various points during HIV transmission, but now researchers have constructed an in vitro model of urethral mucosa in order to view the process from start to finish.

  May 8, 2018

  General

  Science Daily

• HIV's ancient 'cousin' is ravaging Australia and could spread worldwide

  Central Australia is being ravaged by an epidemic of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, or HTLV-1…. he HTLV-1 virus weakens the immune system, increasing the chances that those infected will develop other illnesses, including HIV.

  May 8, 2018

  General

  The Hill

• Data is driving success in life-saving interventions for women and girls—why isn’t it driving policy?

  Data doesn’t always sway people in the right direction…. But as a researcher and women’s rights advocate at the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), I know that when data is centered, policies are driven by science, fueled by evidence and backed by truth.

  May 8, 2018

  General

  Ms. Magazine

• Scottish biotech boosts its CAR-T pipeline for cancer and HIV

  TC Biopharm has partnered with Scotia Biologics to produce tumor-specific antibodies for a new generation of safer CAR-T therapies against multiple types of tumors as well as viral infections such as HIV.

  May 8, 2018

  Antibody Related Research

  Labiotech

• Universal antibody drug for HIV-1 prevention and immunotherapy

  Scientists have invented a universal antibody drug against HIV/AIDS. By engineering a tandem bi-specific broadly neutralizing antibody, the team found that this novel antibody drug is universally effective not only against all genetically divergent global HIV-1 strains tested but also promoting the elimination of latently infected cells in a humanized mouse model.

  May 7, 2018

  Antibody Related Research

  Science Daily

• Key New Mexico clinic in HIV treatment to expand research

  Southwest CARE Center, a once-tiny New Mexico clinic at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research since its founding in 1996, is seeking to expand its research program….is looking for partnerships to delve into geriatric, pediatric, diabetes and primary-care research.

  May 6, 2018

  PrEP, Treatment

  Washington Times

• NNRTI resistance model AIDS treatment of HIV in Africa

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has a new way to identify cost-effective measures to address the increasing prevalence of drug-resistant HIV in sub-Saharan Africa through the use of a computer model of AIDS-afflicted populations.

  May 4, 2018

  Treatment

  Contagion Live

Published Research

• Five year neurodevelopment outcomes of perinatally HIV‐infected children on early limited or deferred continuous antiretroviral therapy

  Early locomotor delay in the ART‐Def arm resolved by five years. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at five years in HIV‐infected children on early time‐limited ART were similar to uninfected controls, apart from visual perception where HIV‐infected children scored lower.

  May 9, 2018

  Treatment

  JIAS

• Acceptability and feasibility of integrating point-of-care diagnostic testing of sexually transmitted infections into a South African antenatal care program for HIV-infected pregnant women

  Integration of point-of-care diagnostic STI screening into first-visit antenatal care services was feasible and highly acceptable for HIV-infected pregnant women.

  May 9, 2018

  General

  Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Accelerate progress—sexual and reproductive health and rights for all: report of the Guttmacher–Lancet Commission

  2018 Guttmacher–Lancet Commission proposes a new, comprehensive definition of sexual and reproductive health and rights, an associated essential package of health services, and outlines actions needed beyond the health sector to change social norms, laws, and policies to uphold human rights.

  May 9, 2018

  General

  Lancet

• Early adopters of HIV preexposure prophylaxis in a population-based combination prevention study in rural Kenya and Uganda

  PrEP implementation incorporating a population-based empiric risk score and self-identified risk, as well as rapid PrEP initiation, is feasible in rural East Africa. Strategies are needed to overcome barriers to PrEP uptake, particularly among women and youth.

  May 5, 2018

  PrEP

  Clinical Infectious Diseases

Announcements