12 JANUARY 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 2

Media Coverage

-- any Prevention Options -- Antibody Related ResearchSTI VaccinesHIV VaccineCombination PreventionMale and Female CondomsCureGeneralHormonal Contraceptives and HIVHPV VaccinesLubricantMicrobicidesMultipurpose Prevention TechnologiesPrEPTherapeutic VaccinesTreatmentVoluntary Medical Male Circumcision

• An ‘unsustainable’ model: Drug makers signal interest in exiting vaccine development during crises

  Every few years an alarming disease launches a furious, out-of-the-blue attack on people….In nearly each case, major vaccine producers have risen to the challenge….Now, manufacturers are expressing concern about their ability to afford these costly disruptions to their profit-seeking operations.

  January 11, 2018

  General

  STAT News

• Boosting PrEP awareness among minorities in midwestern cities

  Compared with people living along the coasts in the United States, those who are at risk for HIV and living in Midwestern cities are not as aware of the HIV prevention regimen called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). A $3.4 million research grant aims to figure out how to change that.

  January 10, 2018

  PrEP

  POZ

• Growing concern over HIV risk from contraceptive injection

  The evidence that one of South Africa's most commonly used contraceptives‚ the Depo-Provera injection‚ increases the risk of contracting HIV is "accumulating". Yet Pfizer‚ the maker of the drug‚ continues to deny there may a problem.

  January 10, 2018

  Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Times Live

• 'Thinking about sex?' DC uses racy ad to promote anti-HIV drug

  Health officials hope the provocative campaign will increase awareness of a drug that reduces the risk of HIV by over 90 percent.

  January 10, 2018

  PrEP

  NBC

• Teva launches generic version of HIV medication Reyataz

  Teva Pharmaceuticals has announced that it will exclusively manufacture a generic version of the brand-name antiretroviral (ARV) medication Reyataz (atazanavir).

  January 9, 2018

  Treatment

  POZ

• CDC rejects censorship reports: 'There are absolutely no "banned" words'

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it “has not banned, prohibited, or forbidden” the use of certain words in official documentation, the agency director says in response to concerns from Senate Democrats.

  January 9, 2018

  General

  The Hill

• Zulu king calls for more men to get the snip

  Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has called for more men in KwaZulu-Natal to be circumcised as part of efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

  January 9, 2018

  Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision

  Times Live

• Once-a-week pill for HIV shows promise in animals

  Human trials of a once-a-week oral pill for HIV could start, after successful tests in pigs, claim US scientists. The slow-release tablet could free patients from having to take daily medication, they say. It looks like a normal capsule, but on reaching the stomach its coating dissolves and a special structure packed inside unfolds. This 4cm (1.5in) star-shaped scaffold stays in the stomach for seven days, steadily releasing its cargo of drugs.

  January 9, 2018

  Treatment

  BBC

• Asymptomatic STIs frequently occur among people with primary HIV infection

  Swiss cohort analysis published in Clinical Infectious Diseases…. found that condomless sex was more likely to occur among people with primary HIV infection than those with chronic HIV infection.

  January 8, 2018

  General

  BodyPro

• Hit that perfect beat

  French director Robin Campillo takes us behind the scenes of his film BPM (Beats Per Minute), about ACT UP Paris.

  January 8, 2018

  General

  POZ

• Why infectious diseases are making a comeback

  In short, the big story of humanity and infectious disease can no longer be pitched as a tale in which the singular rise of civilization caused a host of new diseases that were eventually overcome by the very ingenuity of advanced civilizations.

  January 8, 2018

  General

  Washington Post

• Usage remains low for pill that can prevent HIV infection

  From gritty neighborhoods in New York and Los Angeles to clinics in Kenya and Brazil, health workers are trying to popularize a pill that has proven highly effective in preventing HIV but which — in their view — remains woefully underused.

  January 8, 2018

  PrEP

  Seymour Tribune

• New long-acting, less-toxic HIV drug suppresses virus in humanized mice

  A team of Yale researchers tested a new chemical compound that suppresses HIV, protects immune cells, and remains effective for weeks with a single dose. In animal experiments, the compound proved to be a promising new candidate to enhance current HIV treatment regimens -- without increasing toxic side effects, the researchers said.

  January 8, 2018

  Treatment

  Science Daily

Published Research

-- any Prevention Options -- Antibody Related ResearchSTI VaccinesHIV VaccineCombination PreventionMale and Female CondomsCureGeneralHormonal Contraceptives and HIVHPV VaccinesLubricantMicrobicidesMultipurpose Prevention TechnologiesPrEPTherapeutic VaccinesTreatmentVoluntary Medical Male Circumcision

• What is new in perinatal HIV prevention?

  The findings from the IMPAACT PROMISE trial as well as other recent trial and observational findings suggest that while progress has been steady in reducing PMTCT worldwide, the goal of virtual elimination of pediatric HIV worldwide will require careful attention to optimizing safety of new regimens which are less dependent on maternal daily ART adherence and safer in preventing certain toxicities.

  February 1, 2018

  Treatment

  Curr Opin Pediatr

• Are HIV seroconversions among young men who have sex with men associated with social network proximity to recently or long-term HIV-infected individuals?

  The odds of seroconversion increased significantly with each additional recent HIV-infected individual in one's network [adjusted odds ratio = 12.96; 95% confidence interval: 5.69 to 29.50], but were not significantly altered by the number of long-term infected individuals in one's network.

  February 1, 2018

  General

  JAIDS

• mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology

  This Review provides a detailed overview of mRNA vaccines and considers future directions and challenges in advancing this promising vaccine platform to widespread therapeutic use.

  January 12, 2018

  HIV Vaccine

  Nature

• Functional Antibody Response Against V1V2 and V3 of HIV gp120 in the VAX003 and VAX004 Vaccine Trials

  VAX003 and VAX004 vaccinees generated V1V2- and V3-binding Abs and functional Abs after 3 to 4 immunizations, but subsequent boosts did not maintain these responses.

  January 11, 2018

  Antibody Related Research

  Nature

• Pentavalent HIV-1 vaccine protects against simian-human immunodeficiency virus challenge

  The RV144 Thai trial HIV-1 vaccine of recombinant poxvirus (ALVAC) and recombinant HIV-1 gp120 subtype B/subtype E (B/E) proteins demonstrated 31% vaccine efficacy. Here we design an ALVAC/Pentavalent B/E/E/E/E vaccine to increase the diversity of gp120 motifs in the immunogen to elicit a broader antibody response and enhance protection.

  January 5, 2018

  HIV Vaccine

  Nature

• Hormonal contraception and HIV-1 acquisition: Biological mechanisms

  Meta-analysis of these studies shows a significant association between DMPA use and increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition, raising important concerns. No association was found for combined oral contraceptives (COCs) containing levonorgestrel, nor for the two-monthly injectable contraceptive norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN), although data for NET-EN are limited.

  January 4, 2018

  Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Endocrine Reviews

Announcements