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HIV vaccine studies show promising results

The Georgia Voice Editors
National
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World AIDS Day vaccine hunt

World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, features the slogan “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, zero AIDS related deaths” for the years 2011 through 2015.

While it is unlikely the “zero” goal will be reached by 2015, three decades of HIV analysis has sparked a “renaissance” of medical research that is leading scientists in new directions in their search for an effective vaccine.

Dr. Wayne Koff, the chief scientific officer for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, started researching HIV shortly after the first cases began appearing some 30 years ago.

“We’ve seen in the last three or four years a plethora of data that we in the AIDS vaccine development field are calling a renaissance, and as someone who has been in the field since the beginning I don’t use that term lightly,” Koff said.

Would you pay $1,200 a month to prevent contracting HIV?

The Georgia Voice Editors
Health
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images/stories/7-16-12/truvada.jpg

The drug Truvada has been given its approval by the Food and Drug Administration today to be used as an option for reducing the risk of contracting HIV.

This is the first drug approved by the U.S. government to do so.

Truvada, made by Gilead Sciences, has been used by HIV patients on a daily basis with other drugs for years as part of regimen to keep the virus at bay. In studies, Truvada also proved that when taken in combination with the use of condoms the risk of HIV infection is greatly decreased

Don’t discount anti-HIV drugs as prevention tool for gay men

The Georgia Voice Editors
Your Voice
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To the Editor:

A robust discussion is underway about the potential use of anti-HIV drugs to prevent HIV infection (also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP).  Our study, called iPrEx, provided the first evidence that the daily use of PrEP with the FDA-approved HIV treatment Truvada can significantly reduce HIV infection risk in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women.

Recently, a private healthcare provider began a paid advertising campaign urging the FDA not to even consider approving PrEP — charging that MSM will stop using condoms if PrEP is permitted.

The pros and cons of PrEP use should be vigorously debated — but that debate should be based on facts, rather than the assumption that MSM will not act to protect themselves and others from infection. Here are the facts about the iPrEX study:

Tenofovir found safe among gay, bisexual men in new study

The Georgia Voice Editors
National
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A Phase II study of 400 gay and bisexual HIV-negative men who took tenofovir daily through pill form showed no serious safety concerns and could be a resource in the future for the prevention of the spread of the virus, according to researchers.

The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, was presented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, on July 23. The study was conducted by the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Fenway Community Health in Boston.

Tenofovir is an oral drug, also known by its brand name Viread. It is used alone or in combination with other antiviral drugs to treat HIV. Tenofovir is not a cure nor is it known for sure if it will prevent the spread of HIV to other people, according to the National Institutes of Health.