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Increased retention in HIV programs part of new guidelines

The Georgia Voice Editors
National
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Dr. Carlos del Rio

Despite an emphasis on greater HIV testing over the past two decades, an AIDS physicians association is calling for not only more testing, but better follow up to get people who are HIV positive into treatment programs.

On March 5, the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) issued a new set of guidelines that challenges how the medical establishment gets people into treatment programs and keeps them enrolled.

“These guidelines are the foundation of an evolving blueprint that practitioners and health systems can use as a resource to improve entry into and retention in HIV care as well as adherence to HIV treatments,” said Dr. Melanie Thompson, co-chair of the IAPAC Panel in a press release issued by IAPAC. Thompson is also Principal Investigator of the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta (ARCA).

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.