13 MARCH 2020 VOLUME 22 ISSUE 10

Media Coverage

• HIV Incidence Declines Among Men, Women in Rakai, Uganda

  The rate of HIV is decreasing quickly among women and men in Rakai, Uganda, due in part to the scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcision, or VMMC, and ART, according to findings presented during CROI.

  March 12, 2020

  Treatment, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision

  Healio

• HIV Vaccine That Generates Broadly Neutralising Antibodies Passes First Safety and Proof-of-Concept Study in Humans

  The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2020) heard this week how scientists had, for the first time, devised a vaccine that induced human cells to generate broadly neutralising antibodies to HIV.

  March 12, 2020

  Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine

  aidsmap

• CDC Releases First HIV Surveillance Report Highlighting Trans People

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its latest data analyzing new HIV diagnoses, linkage to care, viral suppression, PrEP prescription, and more. The information reflects data all the way through December 2019, making it the most up to date report the agency has released this year around HIV.

  March 12, 2020

  General, PrEP, Treatment

  HIV Plus Mag

• Dolutegravir-Based HIV Treatment Is the Safest and Most Effective Choice for Pregnant Women

  Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral treatment was associated with a higher rate of undetectable viral load at delivery in pregnant women, results of the IMPAACT 2010 trial show. A regimen containing both dolutegravir and tenofovir alafenamide was associated with fewer pre-term births and neonatal deaths than efavirenz-based treatment.

  March 12, 2020

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• Two PEP Doses Spaced a Week Apart Protect Monkeys From Injected HIV; One Dose Might Work in Humans

  Six rhesus monkeys were completely protected from HIV infection by two oral doses of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), even when the virus was directly injected into them, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2020) heard yesterday.

  March 11, 2020

  General

  aidsmap

• Universal Test and Treat Strategies Reduce Vertical Transmission of HIV

  Universal test and treat strategies implemented in communities in Uganda and Kenya more than halved HIV infection and mortality rates among infants after 3 years and reduced vertical transmission rates to 0.5 percent among women with known HIV, according to findings from CROI.

  March 11, 2020

  Treatment

  Healio

• A Call to Arms: Under Attack, Pro-Vaccine Doctors Fight Back

  Providers who defend vaccines face online death threats and negative reviews from fake patients. Now the staid medical establishment is finally speaking out.

  March 10, 2020

  General

  New York Times

• HIV Incidence Fell by Three-Quarters in Australian Gay Men, With Strong Association With Treatment as Prevention

  HIV treatment as prevention, as measured in community-level viral suppression, was strongly associated with a large drop in the number of new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in Australia, even before PrEP was available. This study was presented by Dr Denton Callander from the University of New South Wales yesterday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2020).

  March 10, 2020

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• The 'London Patient,' Cured of HIV, Reveals His Identity

  A year after the “London Patient” was introduced to the world as only the second person to be cured of HIV, he is stepping out of the shadows to reveal his identity: He is Adam Castillejo.

  March 9, 2020

  Cure

  New York Times

• How Long Will It Take to Develop a Coronavirus Vaccine?

  On Monday, Donald Trump held a meeting in the White House to discuss his Administration’s response to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has spread to every continent except Antarctica. At the time there had been more than a hundred and five thousand cases reported in at least eighty-three countries, leading to more than thirty-five hundred deaths.

  March 9, 2020

  General

  The New Yorker

• A Recently Approved Gilead HIV Prevention Pill Is Not Cost-Effective and Price Should Be Cut in Half, Study Says

  The price of a Gilead Sciences (GILD) pill approved in the US last fall to prevent HIV would have to be cut nearly in half in order to be cost-effective because it has questionable benefits over an older, similar pill that will face lower-cost generic competition later this year, according to a new analysis.

  March 9, 2020

  PrEP

  STAT News

• GSK’s HIV Combo Treatment Meets Main Goal in Late-Stage Study

  GlaxoSmithKline PLC’s unit ViiV Healthcare said on Monday its two-drug regimen to treat HIV was as effective in patients given the treatment every two months, as when administered once a month. The drug, Cabenuva, the long-acting injectable two-drug regimen of antiviral compounds cabotegravir and Johnson & Johnson’s rilpivirine, met the main goal at the end of 48 weeks.

  March 9, 2020

  Treatment

  Reuters

• Esnart Sikazindu Advocates HIV Prevention

  Esnart Sikazindu’s stint with AVAC as a Fellow in 2020 is a step towards becoming an HIV prevention research advocate.

  March 6, 2020

  General

  Zambia Daily Mail

Published Research

• PrEP4Love: The Role of Messaging and Prevention Advocacy in PrEP Attitudes, Perceptions, and Uptake Among YMSM and Transgender Women

  Social marketing campaigns are promising interventions that have the potential to alleviate barriers to HIV prevention, particularly among MSM and transgender women (TW). Future research should evaluate the impact of these initiatives at multiple time points.

  April 15, 2020

  PrEP

  JAIDS

• PrEP Implementation Behaviors of Community-Based HIV Testing Staff: A Mixed-Methods Approach Using Latent Class Analysis

  A subset of HIV testing staff differentially discuss PrEP based on perceived client eligibility; others inconsistently talk to clients about PrEP. Targeted training based on PrEP implementation groups may be beneficial.

  April 15, 2020

  PrEP

  JAIDS

• Investigation of Presumptive HIV Transmission Associated with Hospitalization Using Nucleotide Sequence Analysis — New York, 2017

  Investigators of acute HIV infection in persons with recent health care exposure and no known risk factors for HIV might consider the possibility of health care–associated transmission and conduct nucleotide sequence analysis.

  March 13, 2020

  General

  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

• Engagement of Monocytes, NK Cells, and CD4+ Th1 Cells by ALVAC-SIV Vaccination Results in a Decreased Risk of SIVmac251 Vaginal Acquisition

  The recombinant Canarypox ALVAC-HIV/gp120/alum vaccine regimen was the first to significantly decrease the risk of HIV acquisition in humans, with equal effectiveness in both males and females. Similarly, an equivalent SIV-based ALVAC vaccine regimen decreased the risk of virus acquisition in Indian rhesus macaques of both sexes following intrarectal exposure to low doses of SIVmac251.

  March 12, 2020

  HIV Vaccine

  PLOS Pathogens

• Increases in HIV Testing Frequency in Australian Gay and Bisexual Men are Concentrated Among PrEP Users: An Analysis of Australian Behavioural Surveillance Data, 2013–2018

  Non-PrEP-using higher-risk men having less frequent tests reported lower risk than PrEP-users and non-PrEP-using men reporting two or more tests in the previous year. However, recent risk behaviour was not uncommon: nearly half reported condomless sex; one-fifth reported receptive condomless sex with ejaculation; over half reported group sex; one-quarter used drugs for the purposes of sex; and one-fifth had more than ten sex partners. Efforts are needed to encourage frequent testing and PrEP use among non-PrEP-users who are at higher-risk.

  March 11, 2020

  PrEP

  AIDS and Behavior

• The Role of HIV Asymptomatic Status When Starting ART on Adherence and Treatment Outcomes and Implications for Test and Treat: The Swiss HIV Cohort Study

  Despite concerns regarding lack of readiness, our study found no evidence of adherence issues or worse clinical outcomes in asymptomatic compared to symptomatic PLHIV starting ART.

  March 11, 2020

  Treatment

  Clinical Infectious Diseases

• Long-Acting BMS-378806 Analogues Stabilize the State-1 Conformation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Envelope Glycoproteins

  The envelope glycoprotein (Env) spike on the surface of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) mediates the entry of the virus into host cells and is also the target for antibodies. During virus entry, Env needs to change shape. Env flexibility also contributes to the ability of HIV-1 to evade the host immune response; many shapes of Env raise antibodies that cannot recognize the functional Env and therefore do not block virus infection. We found that an HIV-1 entry inhibitor, BMS-806, stabilizes the functional shape of Env.

  March 11, 2020

  HIV Vaccine

  Journal of Virology

• Participant Perspectives in an HIV Cure-Related Trial Conducted Exclusively in Women in the United States: Results from AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 5366

  The ACTG 5366 study showed that it is possible to recruit and retain women in HIV cure-related research and to embed participant-centered outcomes at strategic time points during the study. The findings could help in the design, implementation, recruitment and retention of women in HIV cure-related research and highlight the value of assessing psychosocial factors in HIV cure-related research participation.

  March 11, 2020

  General

  AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

• Increase in the Overall Level of Protected Anal Sex in Men Who Have Sex With Men in France: Results From the Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey Rapport Au Sexe, France, 2017–2019

  We observed an increase in the rate of protected anal sex, and a decrease in the rate of condom use. The implementation of PrEP may be one of the main driving forces behind these changes.

  March 11, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms, PrEP, Treatment

  AIDS Care

• Comparative Pricing of Branded Tenofovir Alafenamide–Emtricitabine Relative to Generic Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate–Emtricitabine for HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

  In the presence of a generic F/TDF alternative, the improved safety of F/TAF is worth no more than an additional $370 per person per year.

  March 10, 2020

  PrEP

  Annals of Internal Medicine

• Evidence for HIV-1 Cure After CCR5Δ32/Δ32 Allogeneic Haemopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation 30 Months Post Analytical Treatment Interruption: A Case Report

  The London patient has been in HIV-1 remission for 30 months with no detectable replication-competent virus in blood, CSF, intestinal tissue, or lymphoid tissue. Donor chimerism has been maintained at 99 percent in peripheral T cells. We propose that these findings represent HIV-1 cure.

  March 10, 2020

  Cure

  Lancet HIV

• What If My Dad Finds Out!?: Assessing Adolescent Men Who Have Sex with Men’s Perceptions About Parents as Barriers to PrEP Uptake

  Results indicated a majority of AMSM had heard of PrEP and most reported their parents would be unsupportive of their taking PrEP. Teens perceived their parents would likely be angry, accusatory, and punitive if PrEP use was discovered, and that accessing PrEP independent of parents might increase their health autonomy, agency, and prevent awkward conversations about sex.

  March 10, 2020

  PrEP

  AIDS and Behavior

• Maternal Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Can Select for Neutralization-Resistant, Infant-Transmitted/Founder HIV Variants

  In this study, we found that maternal-plasma broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) responses can select for T/F viruses that initiate infection in infants. We propose that clinical trials testing the efficacy of single bNAb specificities should not include HIV-infected pregnant women, as a single bNAb might select for neutralization-resistant infant-T/F viruses.

  March 10, 2020

  mBio

• Validation of the HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Stigma Scale: Performance of Likert and Semantic Differential Scale Versions

  Both scales demonstrated high internal consistency. The Likert scale had substantially better construct validity and was selected as the preferred option. Scale scores demonstrated construct validity through association with constructs of interest: healthcare distrust, HIV knowledge, perceived proportion of friends/partners on PrEP, perceived community evaluation of PrEP, and perceived effectiveness of PrEP. The scale accounted for 25 percent of the total variance in reported willingness to be on PrEP, indicating the substantial role PrEP stigma may have on decisions to initiate PrEP.

  March 10, 2020

  PrEP

  AIDS and Behavior

• Interventions to Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents and Youth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review 2015–2019

  Adolescents and youth living with HIV have poorer antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence and viral suppression outcomes than all other age groups. Effective interventions promoting adherence are urgently needed. We reviewed and synthesized recent literature on interventions to improve ART adherence among this vulnerable population. We focus on studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where the adolescent and youth HIV burden is greatest.

  March 9, 2020

  Treatment

  AIDS and Behavior

• National Trends in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Awareness, Willingness and Use Among United States Men Who Have Sex With Men Recruited Online, 2013 Through 2017

  Our data show progress in use of PrEP among US MSM, but also reveal mismatches between PrEP use and epidemic need. We call for additional support of PrEP initiation, especially among young, non‐urban and uninsured MSM. Black and Hispanic MSM report levels of PrEP use no different from white MSM, but given higher HIV incidence for Black and Hispanic MSM, parity in use is not sufficient for epidemic control or health equity.

  March 9, 2020

  PrEP

  JIAS

• Anti-HIV-1 Antibodies: An Update

  This review gives an update on the current status of these antibody-based treatments for HIV-1, discusses their mechanism of action and the challenges in developing them, providing insight for their development as novel clinical therapies against HIV-1 infection.

  March 9, 2020

  Antibody Related Research, Treatment

  BioDrugs

• Putting Women in the Centre of the Global HIV Response Is Key to Achieving Epidemic Control!

  As we celebrate International Women's Day and the many successes that women have, and continue to achieve globally, we are also reminded of the many challenges that remain. HIV/AIDS continues to be one such challenge.

  March 6, 2020

  General

  JIAS

• “I Just Believe There Is a Risk” Understanding of Undetectable Equals Untransmissible (U = U) Among Health Providers and HIV-Negative Partners in Serodiscordant Relationships in Kenya

  Despite awareness that effective ART use eliminates HIV transmission risk, there is both a lack of in‐depth knowledge and conviction about the strategy among health providers and HIV‐negative partners in serodiscordant relationships. New strategies that go beyond communicating the science of U = U to consider the local social and clinical environments could maximize the effectiveness of U = U.

  March 6, 2020

  Treatment

  JIAS

• Social Representations of the Prevention of Heterosexual Transmission of HIV Among Young Africans From Five Countries, 1997–2014

  In the context of combination prevention, there is a need to disseminate an empowering cultural narrative that models successful use of HIV prevention strategies despite structural constraints and avoids blaming and stigma.

  March 6, 2020

  Combination Prevention

  PLOS One

Announcements