21 AUGUST 2020 VOLUME 22 ISSUE 32

Media Coverage

• Black Scientists Matter

  It's important to recognize that beneath overt racism are subtle forms of structural and institutionalized racism that have existed for a very long time, unabated, across communities—in homes, hospitals, churches, schools, governments, and so many other institutions—throughout the Western world. Now, societies are being provoked to ponder fundamental questions about racism. What about the scientific world? Do Black scientists matter?

  August 21, 2020

  General

  Science Magazine

• DC Is Close to Ending the HIV Epidemic, but COVID-19 May Get in the Way

  The District has reached new milestones in its effort to end a decades-long HIV epidemic, according to a report released Thursday, with a reduction in new cases and the overwhelming majority of those who have the virus in effective treatment.

  August 20, 2020

  General

  Washington Post

• HIV Funding in the South Is Critical in the Face of COVID-19, Racism

  The racism and biases impacting Black and Brown people at this moment have been an obstacle to HIV/AIDS progress for decades. Nowhere is this more evident than the US South. The second annual Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, taking place today, August 20, provides an opportunity to closely look at this situation.

  August 20, 2020

  General

  Advocate

• Opinion: Lessons From the HIV Epidemic Can Teach Us Resilience in the Face of COVID-19

  In many ways, COVID-19 is the newest iteration of a decades-long struggle for equality and justice: too often, the most vulnerable are stigmatized, denied access to care, and left out of key decisions that directly impact their health.

  August 19, 2020

  General

  Devex

• A Vaginal Ring to Prevent HIV Was Given a Positive Opinion by a European Drug Regulator. Here’s What You Need to Know About It

  On July 24, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion on the dapivirine vaginal ring for use by cisgender women ages 18 and older in developing countries to reduce the risk of HIV. The ring is an important user-controlled option for women who choose not to, or are unable to, use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

  August 18, 2020

  Microbicides

  The BodyPro

• Eswatini Becomes First African State to Meet UN’s 2030 Targets on HIV/AIDS

  Despite facing the world’s highest HIV prevalence, Eswatini has made the remarkable achievement of being the first African nation to surpass the UN 2030 target of 95–95–95.

  August 18, 2020

  General

  Daily Maverick

• China Just Approved HIV-Preventing Drug Truvada for PrEP Use – Finally – in a Stunning Victory for Activists

  China has finally approved the HIV-preventing drug Truvada for PrEP use after a lengthy campaign by activists. The country is currently developing a strategy to roll out PrEP nationwide following pilot projects in six cities in 2018 that provided the drug on a temporary basis.

  August 17, 2020

  PrEP

  Pink News

• After a Ground Breaking Study on Contraceptives and HIV, What Have We Learned?

  A year after the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes study, researchers say policymakers must renew their focus. A policy brief by the World Health Organisation highlights the need for better HIV & STI (sexually transmitted infections) testing, and action for better clinical and prevention services, particularly among women accessing contraceptives.

  August 15, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms, Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Health-E News

• UnitedHealthcare Spurns Gilead’s Newer PrEP Drug Descovy As Truvada Generic Looms: Report

  UnitedHealthcare has a history of limiting HIV drug costs, including offering cash incentives to patients who opt for low-priced regimens. Now, in a potentially major blow to HIV giant Gilead Sciences, the insurer has set its eyes on one of the California drugmaker’s new therapies.

  August 14, 2020

  PrEP

  Fierce Pharma

• South Africa’s Poor Scramble for Anti-HIV Drugs Amid Virus

  When her regular clinic ran out of her government-funded HIV medications amid South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown, Sibongile Zulu panicked. A local pharmacy had the drugs for $48, but she didn’t have the money after being laid off from her office job in the shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

  August 11, 2020

  Treatment

  Associated Press

• Chicago Study Suggests Knowledge of PrEP Is Not Crossing Over to Women

  A study of women, largely young and Black, attending a Chicago emergency department and an STI clinic, found low levels of knowledge of PrEP, even in a city where there have been PrEP campaigns targeting women and heterosexual men as well as members of the LGBT+ community.

  August 10, 2020

  PrEP

  aidsmap

Published Research

• Condom and Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019

  Results underscore the need for public health professionals to provide quality sexual and reproductive health education and clinical services for preventing unintended pregnancy and STDs/HIV and decreasing disparities among sexually active youths.

  August 21, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms, Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

• Foreign Assistance or Attack? Impact of the Expanded Global Gag Rule on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Kenya

  Organisations reported critical funding loss as they were forced to choose between US government-funded projects and projects supporting safe abortion. This resulted in the fragmentation of sexual and reproductive health and HIV services, and closure of some service delivery programmes. The expanded GGR’s effects transcended abortion care by also disrupting collaboration and health promotion activities, strengthening opposition to sexual and reproductive health and rights in some segments of Kenyan civil society and government.

  August 20, 2020

  General

  Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters

• Early Exposure to Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies May Trigger a Dynamical Switch From Progressive Disease to Lasting Control of SHIV Infection

  Here, we elucidate the mechanism using mathematical modeling and analysis of in vivo data. We predict that early bNAb therapy suppresses viremia, which reduces exhaustion of cytotoxic effector cells, and enhances antigen uptake and effector stimulation. Collectively, these effects drive infection to lasting control. Model predictions based on these effects fit in vivo data quantitatively. ART controls viremia but does not improve effector stimulation, explaining its weaker ability to induce lasting control post-treatment.

  August 20, 2020

  Antibody Related Research

  PLOS Computational Biology

• Accelerating Progress Towards the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: A Narrative Review

  A wide range of effective strategies exist to improve PMTCT access, uptake and retention. Programmes should carefully consider, prioritize and plan those that are most appropriate for the local setting and best address existing gaps in PMTCT health services.

  August 20, 2020

  Treatment

  JIAS

• Prevention and Treatment of SHIVAD8 Infection in Rhesus Macaques by a Potent D-Peptide HIV Entry Inhibitor

  This paper characterizes a D-peptide HIV entry inhibitor, CPT31, in rhesus macaques. This nonhuman primate animal model provides the most robust evaluation of an in vivo antiviral prior to human trials. As described here, CPT31 is a promising HIV drug candidate because of its high potency and breadth, long half-life, and strong activity in this macaque model (both as a preventative and therapeutic agent). The efficacy data described here complete CPT31’s preclinical studies, with clinical trials scheduled to start this year.

  August 20, 2020

  General

  PNAS

• Uptake and Impact of Facility-Based HIV Self-Testing on PrEP Delivery: A Pilot Study Among Young Women in Kisumu, Kenya

  In this pilot evaluation in Kenya, about one‐third of women using PrEP opted for HIVST over provider‐initiated testing, and those choosing HIVST spent less time in the clinic and were generally satisfied with their experience. HIVST in PrEP delivery is feasible and has the potential to simplify PrEP delivery and give clients testing autonomy. Additional studies are needed to explore optimal HIV retesting strategies in PrEP delivery, including the use of HIVST in PrEP at a larger scale and in different settings.

  August 20, 2020

  PrEP

  JIAS

• Recommendations From Black Sexual Minority Men: Building Trust to Improve Engagement and Impact of HIV/STI Research

  Four distinct themes related to trust-building within the broader community emerged: (1) authentic engagement with the community, (2) increased transparency of the research process, (3) capacity building of research staff from the community, and (4) a balance of research and action. Strategies for researchers to build community trust were identified that are related to, but slightly distinct from, common discussions in the community engaged research literature that are centered more specifically on trust-building within community-academic partnerships.

  August 19, 2020

  General

  Health Promotion Practice

• A Review of Current Strategies Towards the Elimination of Latent HIV-1 and Subsequent HIV-1 Cure

  Recent advances hold promise for the ultimate cure of HIV infection. A systems-level approach that fully recapitulate the dynamics and complexity of HIV-1 latency in vivo and applicable in human therapy is prudent for HIV eradication to be more feasible. Future studies aimed at achieving a prolonged HIV remission state are more likely to be successful if they focus on a combination strategy including the block and kill, and stem cell approaches. These strategies propose a functional cure with minimal toxicity for patients.

  August 19, 2020

  Cure, Treatment

  Current HIV Research

• We Are All Women: Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusion of Transgender Women in HIV Treatment and Support Services Designed for Cisgender Women

  Both trans and cis women identified the desire for gender affirmation, a feeling of safety (specifically space without men), and potential community building within a care and healing context as powerful facilitators of an inclusive all-women care environment. At the same time, they recognized that tensions do exist between idealized visions of such an environment, deep-seated sentiments and behaviors among some cis women toward trans women, and the practical realities of creating the optimal spaces for all women.

  August 18, 2020

  General

  AIDS Patient Care and STDs

• Women Are Less Likely to Be Tested for HIV or Offered PrEP at Time of STI Diagnosis

  In patients diagnosed with bacterial STI outside of sexual health clinics, gaps in HIV prevention exist. HIV screening, multi-site STI screening, and discussion of PrEP were particularly infrequent among women.

  August 17, 2020

  PrEP

  Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Taking the Daily Grind Out of HIV Prevention

  Despite the proven efficacy of daily oral PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV infection) in high-risk populations – like men who have sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users, serodiscordant couples, and sex workers – adherence and continuation rates decline over time, thereby reducing PrEP's public health impact. Contributing to this decline, and to low levels of PrEP initiation, are the burden and stigma associated with taking a daily PrEP pill or, for MSM only, a 2+1+1 on-demand oral regimen.

  August 15, 2020

  PrEP

  EBioMedicine

• Implementation of Universal HIV Testing and Treatment to Reduce HIV Incidence in Botswana: the Ya Tsie Study

  With universal HIV testing and relatively simple linkage activities, it was possible to achieve one of the highest reported population levels of HIV diagnosis, linkage to care, and viral suppression globally and to reduce population HIV incidence by about one-third over a short period of time (

  August 14, 2020

  Treatment

  Current HIV/AIDS Reports

• Review of Preventative HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials in South Africa

  Four concepts were investigated for efficacy: rAd5-gag/pol/nef showed increased HIV acquisition in males, subtype C ALVAC/gp120/MF59 showed no preventative efficacy, and the trials for the VRC01 monoclonal antibody and Ad26.Mos4.HIV/subtype C gp140/ aluminum phosphate are ongoing. Future trials are planned with DNA/viral vector plus protein combinations in concert with pre-exposure prophylaxis, and sequential immunization studies with transmitted/founder HIV envelope to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies.

  August 14, 2020

  HIV Vaccine

  Archives of Virology

• Perceptions of Contraception Services Among Recipients of a Combination HIV-Prevention Interventions for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa: A Qualitative Study

  Interventions to improve parental/caregiver and sexual partner support for the use of contraception services by AGYW, as well as efforts to expand the provision of contraception services on the school premises are urgently needed. Future interventions should incorporate multi-level approaches to address structural and contextual barriers to access and use of contraception services to gain maximum effect.

  August 14, 2020

  Combination Prevention

  Reproductive Health

• Factors Associated with Being PrEP-Naïve Among a US National Cohort of Former-PrEP and PrEP-Naïve Participants Meeting Objective Criteria for PrEP Care

  There were significant differences between PrEP-naïve and former-PrEP users across multiple demographic variables, in addition to PrEP-related and psychosocial variables. Factors associated with being PrEP-naïve included younger age, sexual identity other than gay/queer, lower perception of candidacy for PrEP care, less willingness to take PrEP, lower access to PrEP care, and individual-level barriers such as health- and provider-related concerns. Programs and policies designed to address uptake and persistence of PrEP should be aware of these differences.

  August 13, 2020

  PrEP

  Archives of Sexual Behavior

• Lessons From the Evaluation of the South African National Female Condom Programme

  Data highlight the role of providers as gatekeepers to FC access in public and non-public sectors and provide support for further FC programme expansion in SA and globally.

  August 13, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms

  PLOS One

• Awareness, Willingness, and Perceived Efficacy of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males

  We analyzed baseline data from the MyPEEPS Mobile study, a multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile behavioral HIV prevention intervention. A substantial proportion (68.2 percent) of study participants (ages 13–18) had previously heard about PrEP, and an overwhelming majority (90.8 percent) reported willingness to take PrEP, to prevent HIV. On the other hand, only about one third (34.6 percent) of participants indicated that taking a daily HIV pill would be “very” or “completely” effective in preventing HIV when having sex without a condom.

  August 12, 2020

  PrEP

  Journal of Urban Health

• Uptake and Retention on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Key and Priority Populations in South-Central Uganda

  PrEP uptake was high, but retention was very low especially among those at the highest risk of HIV: fisher folk, sex workers and truck drivers and adolescent girls. Research on reasons for PrEP discontinuation could help optimize retention.

  August 12, 2020

  PrEP

  JIAS

• Regular Use of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Causes Thinning of the Superficial Lining and Apical Distribution of HIV Target Cells in the Human Ectocervix

  DMPA users have a less robust epithelial layer and a more apical distribution of HIV target cells in the human ectocervix, which could confer a higher risk of HIV infection. Our results highlight the importance of assessing intact genital tissue samples to gain insights into HIV susceptibility factors.

  August 11, 2020

  Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Journal of Infectious Diseases

• Consistent Condom Use Among Men Who Pay for Sex in Sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical Evidence From Demographic and Health Surveys

  Empirical evidence from this study suggests that consistent condom use during paid sex encompasses complex social and demographic characteristics. The study also revealed that demographic characteristics such as age, wealth quintile, education, and religion were independently related to consistent condom use for paid sex among men.

  August 10, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms

  PLOS One

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