Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

***New Kind of Antiretroviral, KP-1461; Clinical Trial Recruiting.
Interview with Stephen Becker, M.D.
    KP-1461, an experimental HIV drug already in a phase II trial,
works so differently from other antiretrovirals that at first glance
it looked like science fiction, and we found it hard to take
seriously as a current possibility today. In fact this drug is highly
credible, and based on elegant science that goes back at least 25
years. KP-1461 is the only antiretroviral in human use or testing
that can eradicate HIV from laboratory cell cultures. No one knows
how it will work in people -- but we might know by the second quarter
of 2008, when the current phase II trial could be complete. AIDS
Treatment News interviewed Dr. Stephen Becker, a leading AIDS
physician and researcher who is now vice president of clinical
development at Koronis Pharmaceuticals, in Seattle, Washington.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/09/kp-1461.html

We sent this alert separately, because of its potential importance.

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org/now  (for Daily Alerts)
www.aidsnews.org

Below is today's news delivered by email, so you can see what it
looks like, if you choose to subscribe by email instead of visiting
the site. You can subscribe at the same site, http://
aidsnews.blogspot.com, to get a similar email almost every day.

You can click the underlined titles for more information on each
story. But for now there is an extra step with email, since the first
click just gets you to the same story on the blog, then you need to
click the title again to get to the original article. We are trying
to fix this glitch.

It may be easier to just visit the blogspot site, above, when you
want to read the news; then one click will get you to the original
article. Our site is free, ad-free, and registration-free.

John



AIDS Treatment News - daily alerts
The curiosity of IL-15
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 03:11 PM CDT
"Mice deficient for the cytokine interleukin-15 are unexpectedly
protected from sepsis. Orinska and colleagues show that
interleukin-15 signals intracellularly in mast cells and limits their
recruitment of neutrophils to clear the infection."

There is considerable interest in the role of IL-15 in HIV.

[Original technical article available to subscribers to Nature.]



Pfizer's Selzentry (Maraviroc) Tablets, Novel Treatment for HIV,
Approved by FDA
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 02:57 PM CDT
Maraviroc (now spelled Selzentry, not Celsentri) approved by FDA;
first approved drug in new class of CCR5 inhibitors.


Monogram Biosciences (MGRM) Lauches Trofile Co-Receptor Tropism Assay
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 02:40 PM CDT
This test is used to see if a patient's HIV uses the CCR5 co-receptor
for entry. If so, the newly approved miraviroc (Selzentry) may be an
appropriate antiretroviral.


Libya: Medics Dispute Still Haunts Libya
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 02:21 PM CDT
A detailed history of the notorious case appeared today in This Day
newspaper, Lagos, Nigeria.


Publix to offer 7 popular prescription antibiotics for free
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 12:08 PM CDT
This new step in commercial access shows what can be done with a good
business model. The drugs are cheap and the publicity is invaluable.

Of course this model won't scale up very far; the next company to do
it won't get the same attention. But still it illustrates the
strategy of finding a better model, instead of forcing a bad one on
people.


India: Chennai court rejects Novartis patent challenge
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 11:36 AM CDT
Novartis said it is unlikely to appeal.


Salome’s Secret
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 11:59 AM CDT
It has been known for some time that certain prostitutes did not get
HIV despite thousands of exposures -- yet they were not immune, as
they could get HIV later after they retired from sex work but were
exposed to the virus again. An article in POZ shows that this finding
is not just a curiosity, but a key opportunity for research toward
developing future microbicides (and possibly treatments as well).

The POZ story also illustrates the "rhetoric of HIV, rhetoric of
silence around it, the rhetoric of stigma” as a field of study and
action.


Zimbabwe: Government Now Providing Free ARVs
Posted: 06 Aug 2007 07:55 AM CDT
"The Government is now providing free anti-retroviral drugs to people
on the public ARV programme after waiving payment of a nominal fee"


HIV and Hepatitis.com publishes many reports from the IAS Conference
in Sydney, for example:
Posted: 05 Aug 2007 05:03 PM CDT

* Efficacy and Safety of Etravirine (TMC125) in Treatment-experienced
HIV Patients: 24-week Results from the DUET-1 and DUET-2 Trials -
8/03/07

* Once-daily Ritonavir-boosted Fosamprenavir (Lexiva) or Atazanavir
(Reyataz), Both with Tenofovir/emtricitabine in Treatment-naive
Patients: 48-week Results of the ALERT Trial - 8/03/07
* Experimental Integrase Inhibitor Elvitegravir Has Additive to
Synergistic Interactions with Other Antiretrovirals in vitro and No
Relevant PK Drug Interaction with Darunavir/ritonavir or Tipranavir/
ritonavir - 8/03/07
* "Lipodystrophy" Is Not What It Used to Be: Data from the Swiss HIV
Cohort Study - 8/03/07
* Effects of Tipranavir/ritonavir Compared to Lopinavir/ritonavir on
Changes in Body Composition and Metabolic Parameters in Treatment-
naÔve Patients - 8/03/07
* Switching to Truvada More Effective than Epzicom Due to Abacavir
Hypersensitivity - 7/31/07
* Emtricitabine/tenofovir (Truvada) versus Zidovudine/lamivudine
(Combivir), Both in Combination with Efavirenz (Sustiva): 3-year Data
- 7/31/07
* Experimental CCR5 Antagonist INCB009471 Shows Sustained Anti-HIV
Activity in Early Clinical Trial - 7/31/07
* Risk of Skin Cancer Elevated in People with HIV - 7/31/07
* PrEP and Timed Intercourse for Conception in Serodiscordant Couples
- 7/31/07
* Methamphetamine Use Associated with Lower CD4 Cell Counts in People
with HIV - 7/31/07
* CCR5 Antagonist Maraviroc (Celsentri) Not Quite as Effective as
Efavirenz but Better Tolerated in Treatment-naive Patients - 7/27/07
* Experimental Integrase Inhibitor Raltegravir Achieves HIV Viral
Load Reductions Comparable to Sustiva and Shows a More Favorable
Lipid and Tolerability Profile in Treatment-naÔve Patients - 7/27/07
* 48-week Efficacy and Safety of Darunavir (Prezista) Boosted with
Ritonavir versus Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) in Treatment-
experienced HIV Patients: The TITAN Trial - 7/27/07
* Safety and Efficacy of Experimental CCR5 Antagonist Vicriviroc in
Treatment-experienced HIV Patients: 48 week Results of ACTG 5211 -
7/27/07
* Treating HIV-Infected Infants Early Helps Them Live Longer - 7/27/07
* HLA-B*5701 Genetic Testing Effectively Predicts Which Patients Are
at Risk for Abacavir (Ziagen) Hypersensitivity Reactions - 7/27/07
* Impact on Efficacy and Lipid Profiles of Saquinavir/ritonavir
(Invirase) vs Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra): The Gemini Study at 24
Weeks - 7/24/07
* Experts Disagree about Prospects for HIV Cure - 7/24/07
* Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) Monotherapy Suppresses HIV Viral Load
in HIV-1-treatment-naÔve Patients: 48-week Results of IMANI-2 - 7/24/07
* New Maturation Inhibitor May Be More Potent than Bevirimat (PA-457)
- 7/24/07


The Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs in Serving Low-
Income Medicare Beneficiaries Following the Implentation of Medicare
Part D
Posted: 05 Aug 2007 04:30 PM CDT
This 15-page detailed report could help you if you are on the
Medicare Part D drug benefit. Download the "issue brief" on this page.


Metabolic Complications in HIV-Infected Patients
Posted: 05 Aug 2007 04:16 PM CDT
This program offers continuing medical education credit for
physicians -- but anyone can use it (free registration required on
the site).

"Learning Objectives

"Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
* Explain the epidemiology of cardiovascular risk factors in HIV-
infected patients
* Discuss the associations between specific antiretroviral agents and
metabolic complications and the implications of these data for
treatment strategies
* Describe approaches to the management of hyperlipidemia, insulin
resistance, and body fat perturbations in HIV-infected patients"





--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Check out our daily-news alert service at
http://aidsnews.blogspot.com (that's .com not .org).

For example, this afternoon the FDA approved maraviroc, Pfizer's CCR5
drug (now spelled Selzentry; it changed today from Celsentri); the
FDA also approved the Trofile test from Monogram Sciences, to test
for CCR5-tropic HIV. Also, we noted a major story published in
Nigeria today, on the Bulgarian nurses recently released from Libya.

Our alerts focus mainly on medical and scientific news, but also
consider access, prevention, and policy issues. Our mission is to
make it easier for people to keep up with current AIDS developments.

Our new site is free, ad-free, and registration-free.

John

PS: You can get the news three ways: by visiting the site above, by
once-a-day email, or by RSS.

We will send a copy of today's email after this message goes out, so
that you can see what it looks like.

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:


--> New every day: Our daily news feed at www.aidsnews.org/now



--> Online Fundraising New Ideas
Fundraising isn't working well today and needs new "business models."
This writer developed a series of designs from a new approach to
ecommerce: online financial accounts that can <i>reproduce</i> at
their owner's command, creating new accounts that can <i>inherit</i>
any number of capabilities, and <i>evolve</i> in grassroots community
use (the idea is confusing at first because it is so different from
current practice). From this basic idea come potential fundraising
innovations that you never heard of before. In this series of four
separate articles we put some of them on the table for public
discussion and use. All our work is rights-free.  [See the next four
articles below.]


*** Activism and Online Fundraising: Overview
    Why is fundraising so hard when millions of people want to help,
and have plenty of surplus money between them -- thousands of times
what AIDS and health activism would need? How could we provide better
opportunities for giving?
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/fundr-overview.html

*** "Fundathon": Toward Massively Multiplayer Online Fundraising Games
    Fundraising campaigns could be elaborate local or global contests
or games to raise money for good causes -- showing financial results
instantly, costing almost nothing, and letting donors, teams and
individual fundraisers make their mark.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/fundr-fundathon.html

*** Selling Digital Art in Bulk through Prepaid URLs
    Suppose a major donor anywhere in the world could sponsor tens of
thousands (or any number) of copies of a song, video, or any other
digital "content" -- letting tens of thousands of people in social
networks just click to download free, with no registration ever,
instantly paying the artists or a cause by the act of free
downloading itself. And each sponsor can deliver a message to the
thousands of anonymous end users who download from his or her
contribution. We show how independent artists could market globally
at no expense if people care about their work -- offering an
alternative to corporate monoculture. Or they could donate their
digital art to an organization that sells it this way to raise funds.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/fundr-url.html

*** Financial Accounts That Can Reproduce, Inherit, and Evolve
    Here we show the power of this idea, and some unusual business and
fundraising models it will make possible.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/fundr-reproduce.html

*** Major International AIDS Society Conference in Sydney, Australia,
July 22-25
    Watch for treatment and prevention research news late this month,
and following.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/ias-sydney.html

*** Is Cure Possible for HIV?
    The c-word is coming back due to new research, after a decade of
banishment.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/cure-research.html

*** AIDS Search Engine Wanted: What to Do Now?
    Simply adding 'HIV' to your search works pretty well to make any
online search AIDS-related.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/search-engine.html

*** AEGIS: AOL Blocked Email; RSS Is Better Than Email for News
    RSS works better than email for receiving or distributing online
news, and AEGIS has suggested that its email users switch.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/rss-better.html

*** Sex and Drugs: New Government Data on U.S. Sexual Behavior, Drug Use
    The most accurate information available provides a reality check
in this highly politicized area.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/07/sex-drugs.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** New Approach to Mental Health: Interview with Jeff Hoeltzel,
Community Living Room
     A Philadelphia program for people with a mental health diagnosis
who are HIV-positive has won national recognition. We interviewed its
creator for ideas and approaches others can use. Photos.
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/clr-philadelphia.html

*** AIDS Treatment News Current-News Alerts, www.aidsnews.org/now
     We select newspaper articles, medical-journal abstracts, and
other online reports and information -- and provide the headlines and
links all in one place, often on the first day the news appears. It's
free, with no need to register or subscribe.
Full article: www.aidsnews.org/now

*** FUZEON: Avoiding Injection-Site Reactions
     The FDA changed the FUZEON prescribing information to help avoid
this common and unpleasant side effect of the drug.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/fuzeon-isr.html

*** Sustiva: Revised Drug-Interaction Information
     The FDA added new drug-interaction warnings to the prescribing
information for Sustiva (efavirenz).
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/sustiva-interactions.html

*** Prisoner Death Rate Very High Immediately After Release
     During the first two weeks after release, prisoners in Washington
State had 129 times the death rate from drug overdose, compared to
other state residents -- probably because they did not know how much
less drug they could tolerate, after taking little or none of it
prison. Cardiovascular disease, homicide, suicide, cancer, and
traffic accidents also caused excessive deaths.
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/prisoner-deaths.html

*** Herzenberg Wins Kyoto Prize for Cell Sorter
     The inventor of the machine used to count T-cells, collect stem
cells, and measure or collect many other rare cells was awarded the
prestigious Kyoto Prize for advanced technology, at a ceremony in Japan.
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/herzenberg-kyoto.html

*** Contest for Best Video Game Concept Against AIDS, Deadline March 16
     The Kaiser Family Foundation and mtvU announced a contest for the
best concept for a Web-based video game "to help raise awareness
about HIV/AIDS among 15-24 year olds in the U.S. and to promote
personal action in response to the epidemic."
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/game-concept.html

*** AIDS Treatment News Current-News Alert Service: You Can Help Us
Improve It
     This 7-question survey will help us improve our new service at
www.aidsnews.org/now. We most want to know if you would prefer
separate feeds for certain categories of news.
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/alert-survey.html

*** AIDS News Feeds: The Future
     How news feeds can advance biomedical research -- as well as
helping people follow specialized news.
Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/02/news-future.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Daily News Alerts Selected by AIDS Treatment News:
www.connotea.org/group/aidsnew
     Now you can follow treatment news as it happens at AIDSNEW, a
free service of AIDS Treatment News. We select important, quality
reports in medical journals, AIDS treatment sites, and the general
press, and publish Web links to them, all in one place at
www.connotea.org/group/aidsnew -- often on the first day the news is
available anywhere. No need to subscribe, register, or log in. Just
visit http://www.connotea.org/group/aidsnew, scroll down, and click
any of the titles for more information. You can use almost any
computer and Web browser. [2006-12-17]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/alerts/

*** Resveratrol: Why It Matters in HIV
     Large doses of resveratrol (found in small amounts in red wine)
made headlines recently for extending the lifespan of mice on an
unhealthy diet. This and other substances found in some wines and
foods may protect against cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and
improve the functioning of mitochondria in cells (which could reduce
certain adverse effects of HIV or the drugs used to treat it).
[2006-12-16]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/12/resveratrol-hiv.html

*** Lung Cancer: Very High Death Rate with HIV, Huge Reduction
Possible with CT Screening for Early Diagnosis
     Lung cancer has a high death rate, especially with HIV in one
group of patients studied recently. Researchers are finding that most
of the fatalities are due to late diagnosis; as many as 80% of the
deaths from lung cancer in the general population might be prevented
by CT screening to find the tumors early. The patients with HIV were
often relatively healthy, so doctors did not suspect that they had
cancer. [2006-12-16]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/12/lung-cancer.html

*** U.S. Guidelines: Adult/Adolescent Revision Published October 10,
2006; Perinatal October 12; Pediatric October 26
     Three U.S. HIV treatment guidelines were revised in October.
[2006-12-16]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/12/us-guidelines.html

*** AIDSNEW Treatment Alerts: Appendix
     Here are details on our AIDSNEW service (see first article,
above) that most users will not need to know. [2006-12-17]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/12/alerts-appendix.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Fast Treatment Alerts from AIDS Treatment News
     AIDS Treatment News announces a free bookmarking site where you
can follow current treatment developments as they occur, all in one
place.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/11/news-alerts.html

*** World AIDS Day: Events Listing for December 1, 2006
     Online calendar announces local World AIDS Day events around the
world.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/11/world-aids.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

**** AIDS Information Overload: What You Can Do Now
    New software called Connotea, free and available to everyone,
could connect people immediately with the most important work and
resources in a wide variety of medical, scientific, service, and
activist fields.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/information-overload.html

*** Integrase Inhibitor MK-0518: Merck Opens Expanded-Access Program
    Patients resistant to at least one drug in all three oral classes
may qualify for this new kind of antiretroviral -- which still must
be combined with other active drugs.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/mk-0518-ea.html

*** Long-Term Non-Progressors -- International Study Recruiting
    The Elite HIV Controller Study wants a single blood sample from
long-term non-progressors anywhere.[
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/non-progressor.html

*** ICAAC Conference In San Francisco, September 27-30
    This 12,000-person antibiotics conference has significant updates
on HIV treatment research this year.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/icaac-2006.html

*** Retroviruses Conference: Important Deadlines Soon
    Community Educator application deadline October 12; abstract
deadline (for doctors and scientists) October 3; Community Press
application deadline December 8; others deadlines.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/retroviruses-deadlines.html

*** Genetic Testing May Avoid Abacavir Hypersensitivity Reaction
    An experimental genetic test may almost eliminate the
hypersensitivity reaction, which occurs in about 5% of patients
starting abacavir, by identifying those at risk in advance.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/genetic-testing.html

*** Toronto AIDS Conference: Calm Surface Deceptive?
    The August 2006 Toronto conference of about 25,000 people had no
major controversies -- but serious concerns about problems and
inadequacies in the response to the global epidemic.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/09/toronto-conference.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Prezista (Darunavir, TMC-114) Approved; May Be Important
Treatment Advance
    A major new antiretroviral has been approved, for patients
resistant to more than one protease inhibitor. There is no
information yet on risk/benefit compared to standard treatments for
first-line use. Tibotec, which developed the drug and is now part of
Johnson & Johnson, showed price restraint and avoided setting a new
record high price, which other companies have done.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/prezista-approved.html

*** Study Finds 3,000,000 Years of Life Saved by HIV Treatment in the
U.S.
    A research study published 25 years after the first report of AIDS
found that at least 3,000,000 years of life have been saved in the
U.S. by AIDS treatment. The study and accompanying editorial are free
online from the Journal of Infections Diseases.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/life-saved.html

*** Vaccine Improves Survival in Monkey Tests
    A vaccine tested at the U.S. NIAID clearly improved the survival
of monkeys, a benefit not predicted by T-cell and viral load tests.
It was predicted by measurements of memory T cells in the first few
months of infection -- giving important insights into how HIV disease
develops, and how to test HIV vaccines early so that only the best
candidates will go into large human trials.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/vaccine-survival.html

*** XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, August 13-18, 2006;
Record Number of Abstracts: India, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil,
Uganda Strongly Represented
    India had the 2nd most abstracts accepted at the International
AIDS Conference; Nigeria was 4th, Uganda 7th, and France 12th. We
list the top 21 countries and number of accepted abstracts.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/2006-abstracts.html

*** AIDS History Research: New ArchiveGrid Available     FREE THROUGH
FRIDAY, JUNE 30
    A newly available online service allows anyone to locate private
historical collections at more than 3,000 institutions, mostly in the
U.S. A search for "ACT UP" found 61 collections of papers, videos,
and other materials.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/archivegrid-
available.html

*** Improving Medical Communication Online
    Medicine has not made full use of online information -- and doing
so might save thousands of lives. Part I looks at what has been most
successful online in other fields, for background on how medical
information could be improved.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/medical-online1.html

*** Brain Drain Adds To AIDS Crisis in Developing World
    Thousands of desperately needed doctors and other medical
professionals leave poor countries because no one there can pay them,
or provide safe and effective working conditions. Many go to English-
speaking countries that do not train enough medical professionals
themselves -- such as the U.S., where a quarter of the doctors are
foreign trained.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/brain-drain.html

*** Brazil: Gilead Cuts Tenofovir Price in Half
    A U.S. activist campaign, centered in the San Francisco area near
Gilead's headquarters, helped get this major price reduction for
Brazil's model HIV treatment program.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/tenofovir-price.html

*** AIDS Treatment News Returns
    After five months we are publishing again.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/06/atn-returns.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Major United Nations Meeting, Major Demonstration This Week in
New York
    At the United Nations a four-day series of meetings will evaluate
successes and failures so far in implementing the historic
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, adopted five years ago by 189
countries, and will plan for the future. For the first time, a person
known to have HIV will address the United Nations General Assembly.
Major controversies exist, mainly because the starting draft document
of this meeting lists lofty goals in a way that will not lead to
action. On the first day of the meeting, a demonstration sponsored by
12 organizations and endorsed by over 70 more will call for better
access to treatment and prevention.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/05/ungass-review.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Bad Law in Congress This Week: Call Now
    Call your representative Tuesday January 31 or early Wednesday
February 1 to oppose huge cuts in Medicaid (Medical Assistance, Medi-
Cal, or other names). [2006-01-30]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/01/medicaid-cuts.html

*** Medicare Prescription Nightmare: Overview January 28, 2006
    Hundreds of thousands of patients at least are having trouble
getting their Medicare Part D prescriptions filled. Some states have
provided emergency relief. This article -- which applied only to
persons eligible for MediCARE -- explains some of the major problems
and what is being done to relieve them, and suggest online and
telephone resources for information and answers to questions.
[2006-01-30]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/01/medicare-nightmare.html

*** FDA, Companies Test RFID Tracking to Prevent Drug Counterfeiting
    The U.S. has an apparently growing problem with fake, counterfeit
drugs entering the mainstream drug supply, and being fraudulently
sold at full price in regular pharmacies and hospitals; some have no
active ingredient, or too little, or substitute a cheap drug for an
expensive one. The FDA has asked the manufacturers to develop
technology to track all shipments electronically as they move through
the distribution chain; currently, RFID (radio frequency
identification) is the preferred method for doing so. This article
explains what is happening, and why we do not believe that this use
of RFID is a privacy threat -- though other privacy issues are among
the most important questions we face today. [2006-01-30]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/01/rfid-tracking.html

*** Online "Smart Accounts" That Can Reproduce and Inherit: For
Artists, Fundraisers, and Others
    An accidental invention for selling online newsletters could help
artists and service organizations raise money. [2006-01-30]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/01/smart-accounts2.html

*** Buyers' Club List, December 2005
    Each year AIDS Treatment News publishes an updated list of buyers'
clubs. [2006-01-30]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2006/01/buyers-clubs.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Special Tax Break for Major Donors to Charities -- Only Through
December 31
     Attention fundraisers: Major donors might eliminate 2005 income
tax through large gifts by December 31.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/tax-break.html

*** TMC125: New Results, Large Phase III Trial Begins
     New data, new trials on "2nd generation" experimental NNRTI much
less subject to viral resistance than efavirenz or nevirapine.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/tmc125-phase3.html

*** Integrase Inhibitors: First Clear Success in Human Trial
     Ten-day trial showed clear reduction of viral load in volunteers.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/integrase-inhibitors.html

*** CCR5 Entry Inhibitor Problems: No Clear Answers Yet
     This new class of antiretrovirals is alive and well despite
recent problems.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/ccr5-problems.html

*** Failure of Tenofovir + Abacavir + 3TC Combination; Full Report
Published, More Insight
     Many researchers suspect that low genetic barrier to resistance
allowed HIV to adapt to this seemingly powerful three-drug combination.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/regimen-failure.html

*** XVI International AIDS Conference, August 2006 in Toronto;
Deadlines Approaching; Reduced Registration Fees
     Important deadlines start February 22 for the world's largest and
oldest AIDS conference.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/international-conference.html

*** AIDS Vaccine History on PBS Documentary; DVD, Book Available
     Excellent 56-minute documentary explains HIV vaccine research to
non-technical audience.
   http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/vaccine-documentary.html

*** C2EA (Campaign to End AIDS): Statewide Organizing after the
November Caravans
     "The next step is state-wide coalitions in all 50 states, Puerto
Rico and Washington, D.C."
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/c2ea-statewide.html

*** International Drug Access: NGOs Urge Countries "Reject Bad Deal
on Medicines"
     The World Trade Organization may make permanent drug-export rules
that have failed to help a single patient in the two years they have
been in effect.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/wto-export.html

*** Prison Health Crisis -- What You Can Do
     Some basics on informing oneself and helping others, in prison or
after release.
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/12/prison-health.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now Online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Modern HIV May Be Slightly Less Virulent, Laboratory Study Suggests
     We use this well-publicized research finding as a starting point
for discussion of different kinds of immune-based therapy.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/less-virulent.html

*** Major U.S. Treatment-Access Problems Likely: Inadequate Political
Response
     2006 could be the worst year for U.S. access to HIV medical care
since the development of lifesaving drugs. Our community needs to
respond more effectively to this threat.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/access-problems.html

*** Retroviruses Conference Deadlines Start October 2005
     If you are going to the Retroviruses conference February 5-9 in
Denver, you must pay attention to deadlines that start in October.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/retroviruses-
deadlines.html

*** U.S. Treatment Guidelines: New Version, October 2005
     The new edition has a small number of revisions, which may be
most important to treatment-experienced patients.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/treatment-
guidelines.html

*** New California Law: Insurers Cannot Deny Organ Transplants Solely
Because of HIV
     California has become the first state to decide that a health
insurer cannot refuse to pay for a liver or other organ transplant
solely because the patient has HIV.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/transplant-hiv.html

*** One-Day HIV Treatment Meeting Near Boston, November 11
     This meeting on new drugs, treatment strategies, and clinical
trials will include talks by leading HIV physicians and researchers.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/sfac-meeting.html

*** HIV Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings: Call for Information
     AIDS Treatment News needs fact sheets for people with HIV in
resource-limited settings, such as developing countries, where many
drugs and tests commonly used in rich countries are not available.
Despite vast geographical and political differences in treatment and
access, some critically important background and suggestions can be
provided to people directly, or for local experts and organizations
to change as they wish. We are asking readers for advice on what has
proved useful.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/resource-limited.html

*** Got Medicare? What People Living with HIV Need to Know about the
New Medicare Drug Benefit-– "Part D" - Starting January 1, 2006
     Here is practical background on the new drug benefit, for persons
on Medicare or eligible for it -- including details on who can
qualify for the major low-income help in paying the fees.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/medicare-d.html

*** ALERT: Two Weeks to Save Key Programs for People with HIV/AIDS
     Call Congress this week on Medicaid, AIDS programs [Action alert
from C2EA, others].
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/save-medicaid.html

*** Online-Payment, Fundraising Design Moved
     Our design for online financial accounts that can reproduce,
inherit potentially hundreds of automatic services and options, and
evolve independently for fundraising and other purposes has moved to
www.smart-accounts.com
   Full AIDS Treatment News article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/10/
smart-a.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Hurricane Katrina HIV-Related Information
     We compiled some Web links and telephone numbers for HIV-relevant
information, especially on medical care. Check online at
www.aidsnews.org/katrina/ for the latest version.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/katrina/

*** Communication in a Disaster: Success of Text Messages
     Text messages on cell phones got through when other communication
was out -- as it has in other disasters. Governments, companies, and
individuals should build on this success for future emergencies.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/katrina/#communication

*** Katrina: Disaster Notes
     Notes on race, on how to respond when government does not, on
ineffectual fundraising, and on misleading "official" figures.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/09/disaster-notes.html

*** Campaign to End AIDS Postpones Most Caravans, Some Events
     The Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) postponed many but not all of its
scheduled events, at the request of local organizers affected by
Hurricane Katrina.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/09/c2ea-katrina.html

*** U.S. Conference on AIDS Will Go Forward in Houston; New
Scholarships, September 16 Deadlines
     The National Minority AIDS Council extended the registration
deadline and announced new scholarships in response to the disaster,
and decided to go forward with its U.S. Conference on AIDS in
Houston, September 27 to October 2.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/09/usca-katrina.html

*** Medicare HIV Fact Sheet: Caution re January 2006
     About 20 percent of people in HIV care are on Medicare, and will
need to decide on a Medicare drug plan by January 2006. It will be
especially important for those who are also on Medicaid to avoid
interruption of treatment in early 2006, when Medicaid will no longer
cover their drugs and people might not be signed up for the Medicare
drug benefit in time. A revised two-page fact sheet from the Kaiser
Family Foundation provides a brief overview of the Medicare program
-- helpful background for understanding the additional information
needed for selecting a plan.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/09/medicare-kaiser.html

*** PA-457, New Kind of Antiretroviral: Ten-Day Clinical Trial Results
     A new kind of antiretroviral, called a maturation inhibitor,
worked well in reducing viral load in a ten-day trial with HIV-
positive volunteers.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/09/pa-457.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online  at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) -- New National Mobilization
     A new campaign seeks to empower AIDS activism by organizing
networks in every U.S. state and territory; already it has trained at
least 100 volunteers. Seven caravans will travel to Washington, DC to
raise awareness across the country, and take part in five days of
action in Washington, October 8-12, 2005.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/07/end-aids.html

*** Major Treatment Conference in Rio, July 24-27
     The IAS Conference on Pathogenesis and Treatment has rapidly
become an important international meeting; the third conference is
happening in Rio de Janeiro.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/07/ias-rio.html

*** New Publications: Announcements in AIDS Treatment News
     We are starting a new section to tell our readers about articles
and other materials that may be important to them. In this issue we
look at medical-journal articles, but we will include other kinds of
publications in the future. The last three articles noted below
examine industry influence and other problems affecting medical
journals and what they publish.
   In this issue:
   * Major Study of "Discordant" Response -- Viral Control but
Incomplete CD4 Response
   * Immunology Study Finds Decreased Activation Markers Related to
Better Viral Control
   * Four Antiretrovirals Reduced to Three After 48 Weeks
   * UK HIV Liver Transplant Guidelines Published
   * HIV Protease Inhibitors vs. Malaria
   * Hepatitis C and Unsafe Sex: There Is Some Risk
   * "Medical Journals Are an Extension of the Marketing Arm of
Pharmaceutical Companies"
   * Major Medical Journals Will Require That Randomized Trials Be
Registered
   * Journal Will Require Clinical Trials to Summarize Earlier Results
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/07/new-publications.html

*** Fundraising New Idea: Online Payment "Smart Codes" That Can
Reproduce
    While exploring better ways to sell information online, we
developed a design that we believe will be important in online
commerce generally -- financial accounts each with its own Web
control center, allowing each account to have its own settings for
dozens or hundreds of options and services offered by the server, and
also to reproduce children accounts without limit, through any number
of generations. Each new account will inherit the options and
services of its parent, and allow owners to make inherited changes if
they wish -- leading to family trees of related accounts that can
evolve through practical use. This article shows how organizations
can let people give as much or as little as they choose, without
breaking out of the moment to do all the steps usually necessary to
pay money.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/07/smart-codes.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Tipranavir (Aptivus): Approval Cautiously Recommended
    A new protease inhibitor active against most HIV that is resistant to
other protease inhibitors is likely to be approved in the U.S. soon,
after an 11-3 vote of an advisory committee.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/tipranavir-fda.html

*** ADAP Status Now: What You Can Do
    This short review of the current state of the AIDS Drug Assistance
Program tells how you can get involved.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/adap-now.html

*** Medicaid: Out-of-Pocket Expenses and Access to Care
    A 27-page report by the Kaiser Family Foundation examined 13
different studies showing how increased out-of-pocket costs keep people
out of care.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/medicaid-access.html

*** Lexiva: Blood Levels Not Lowered When Taken Simultaneously with
Nexium
    A study suggested that the two drugs might be used together, without
lowering the blood level of Lexiva. But the timing of the doses may be
critical.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/lexiva-nexium.html

*** New Conference for Frontline Clinicians, September 15 - 18
    Ten government agencies are organizing a four-day clinical conference
for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals involved in
HIV treatment.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/conference-us.html

*** Medical Innovation Prize Fund: New Idea in Drug Development
    This proposal, now introduced in Congress as HR 417, would replace
current drug marketing with system better designed to reward effective
innovation. All drugs would be treated as generics immediately when
approved by the FDA, and patent holders would be rewarded from a $60
billion a year award fund for innovations that actually led to better
health.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/innovation-fund.html

*** Medical Innovation and Patent Gridlock
    Is today's sheer multitude of biological patents (especially on
genetics of human beings or human pathogens) killing medical innovation
-- in addition to generating prohibitive prices for vital medical care?
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/06/patent-gridlock.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Involuntary Weight Loss: Interview with Lisa Capaldini, M.D.
     This short overview looks at some of the major considerations in
treating involuntary weight loss of people with HIV, in 2005.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/weight-loss.html

*** Medicaid Cuts Alert
     Here are some of the real problems of cutting cost by denying care,
instead of by improving the U.S. healthcare system, one of the most
inefficient in the world.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/medicaid-cuts.html

*** Adult HIV Treatment Guidelines Updated
     The U.S. HIV treatment guidelines were changed to include new drug
safety and interaction information, and to include a table on obtaining
new antiretrovirals not yet approved but available through expanded
access (which only includes tipranavir at this time).
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/hiv-guidelines.html

*** In-Depth Medical Reports on the Retroviruses Conference
     The Clinical Care Options site now has six training modules
summarizing practical information for physicians, from the Retroviruses
conference in February.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/cco-reports.html

*** IOM: Nevirapine Study Is Reliable
     The Institute of Medicine re-analyzed the key study that first
showed prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission by single-dose
nevirapine. The IOM released a 150-page report concluding that the
study was properly conducted and its results are valid.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/iom-nevirapine.html

*** DHEA Access Threatened?
     DHEA came close to being totally banned in the U.S. in January 2005,
when a new law aimed at steroids in sports took effect. Even doctors
would not have been able to prescribe DHEA, and medical research on its
uses would have become far more difficult. A potentially important
treatment could have been lost for a long time -- and could still be
lost unless people are vigilant.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/05/dhea-access.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** HIV Travel Restrictions: Where to Find Help Navigating Them
     Here are places to look if you need to find out about HIV travel
restrictions and testing requirements of countries around the world.
For example, a database of all countries is now being maintained in
Europe, and made available through the Web in English, German, and
French.
     Full article:
http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/travel-restrictions.html

***Tipranavir: FDA Advisory Committee Will Meet May 19, Hear Experts,
Public Comment
     At a one-day public meeting in Gaithersburg, Maryland (near
Washington D.C.), the FDA will hear from experts and members of the
public on tipranavir, an important new protease inhibitor expected to
be approved soon.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/tipranavir-hearing.html

***Sculptra Facial Treatment: New Physician Locator
     Dermik, the maker of Sculptra (a treatment for facial lipoatrophy,
called New Fill in some countries) has created a database to help
patients find physicians in their area who use the product. Our
announcement also points to information from the recent Retroviruses
conference on preventing the problem in the first place and avoiding
the need for the treatment, by switching antiretroviral regimens if
lipoatrophy starts to develop.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/sculptra-doctors.html

*** FDA AIDS Announcements, First Quarter 2005
     Here are the eight announcements from the AIDS list serve of the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, from January through March 2005.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/fda-announcements.html

*** Uganda Study Found That Death Reduced HIV Prevalence; Did the
Public Take Home the Wrong Message?
     Uganda has had a remarkable decline in HIV prevalence, and the
question of what caused this decline is controversial. An intensive
study of the Rakai region of Uganda from 1994 - 2003 found that much of
the decreased prevalence resulted from death of people with HIV. But
the incidence of new HIV infections was low throughout this study and
did not change greatly, suggesting that the real cause of the success
was a large reduction in new infections before the study began. The
early data presented at the February 2005 Retroviruses conference also
showed increasing use of condoms, and some backsliding on reducing the
number of sexual partners. But neither change was big enough to greatly
affect the incidence of new infections, at least in the aggregate data
across the 50 villages studied. In summary, the big reduction in HIV
prevalence occurred because of changes that happened before this study,
not those measured within it. Therefore the new information does not
contradict reduction in the number of sexual partners as a major cause
of Uganda's success.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/uganda-rakai.html

*** Virginity Pledge Did Not Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections
     A major U.S. study of sexually transmitted diseases in young people
found that virginity pledges were associated with behaviors that would
seem to be protective, and yet had no benefit in preventing disease.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/virginity-pledges.html

*** Prison Health Care: New York Times Series Brings Attention
     A three-part series and an editorial in The New York Times, the
result of a year's investigation, has brought attention to the bad
medical care in prisons in the U.S. -- deficiencies that kill prisoners
and allow epidemics to spread. The wrong funding arrangements,
incentives to make money by reducing care, and the huge growth in the
number of prisoners in the U.S. are major causes. We also comment on
shortage of social space as a potential root cause of prison and other
problems.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/04/prison-healthcare.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Kidney, Liver Transplant Study for People with HIV
     A study of liver and kidney transplants for persons with HIV, at 19
U.S. transplant centers, is open to new patients. Those who may need a
transplant later might benefit by getting into the system in advance to
avoid delays. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/kidney-liver.html

*** HIV "New Strain" Story: For More Information
     AIDS community groups have brought together background documents,
explanatory writeups, and other information about the media stories
that resulted from what is still a single, ambiguous case. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/hiv-strain.html

*** HIV: More Voluntary Testing Recommended
     Two research articles and an editorial in the New England Journal of
Medicine recommend routine HIV testing for most of the U.S. population.
The goal is to start treatment early when it can be more effective --
and also to reduce transmission from the hundreds of thousands of
Americans who do not know they have HIV. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/testing-needed.html

*** Early Medicaid Treatment: Bipartisan Bill in Senate with 32
Cosponsors, Could Cut HIV Deaths on Medicaid in Half
     A bill to allow states to treat HIV early under Medicaid, instead of
waiting for disabling illness, could prevent half of the HIV deaths in
that program. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/early-treatment.html

*** Tat Inhibitors, A New Approach: Interview with Olaf Kutsch, Ph.D.
     An important potential target for antiretrovirals is the HIV protein
Tat (produced by the virus and essential for infection, but is not used
by the human body). Years ago, a Tat inhibitor worked well in the
laboratory but failed in patients. Modern biotechnology may have shown
why -- and how to screen for drugs more likely to work. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/tat-inhibitor.html

*** If the Condom Breaks: New U.S. Guidelines for Non-Occupational
Exposure to HIV
     Finally there are U.S.-government guidelines for prevention of
non-occupational HIV exposure, for example after rape or accident.
[2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/condom-breaks.html

*** Global Good News: Many More Treated
     A combination of financing from rich countries, determination and
effort by local governments, effective teamwork, and successful
scale-up of treatment access despite obstacles, has doubled the number
of people receiving treatment in sub-Saharan Africa (and also in East,
South, and Southeast Asia) in six months. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/global-treatment.html

*** FDA Advisory on Nevirapine
     The FDA summarized existing warnings against ongoing nevirapine
treatment in women with a CD4 count over 250, due to a greatly
increased risk of serious liver toxicity. (The warnings do not apply to
single-dose nevirapine, which does not cause this problem.)
[2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/fda-nevirapine.html

*** Conferences and Meetings Calendar, 2005
     We list some important AIDS treatment-related conferences for March
through December 2005. [2005-02-28]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2005/02/conferences-2005.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Behind "AIDS Breakthrough" Headlines, December 2004: Important
Research, Not So New
     The mid-December press reports about an AIDS drug breakthrough were
exaggerated, but the research described is important. It concerns the
development of a class of related experimental drugs that work like
efavirenz or nevirapine, but appear to be more powerful and much less
subject to resistance.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/dapy-drugs.html

*** Warning: Do Not Combine Reyataz and Prilosec
     The combination has been found to reduce blood levels of the
antiretroviral to about a quarter of what they should be.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/reyataz-prilosec.html

*** India Changes Patent Law to Meet WTO Treaty, Making New Medicines
Less Available to Most Citizens, Other Countries
     India changed its pharmaceutical patent law to conform to the
U.S.-European system, just ahead of a Jan. 1 World Trade Organization
deadline -- meaning that most new medicines (patentable in 1995 or
later) will be priced out of reach of the great majority of people in
India -- and in Africa and other poor regions as well.
     "The real issue for the multinational corporations is not the
poor-country markets, which are financially small and unattractive, but
the poor-country examples. How would thousands of people in rich
countries, especially the U.S., be persuaded to accept death from
cancer and other diseases because they cannot pay tens of thousands of
dollars a year for a new generation of treatments that could save their
lives -- if companies in India could manufacture and sell the same
treatments for a small fraction of the price?"
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/india-patent.html

*** Africa: Children's Access to Prophylaxis May Improve After Medical
Study, New WHO Recommendations
     On November 22, 2004, days after The Lancet reported that the cheap
antibiotic co-trimoxazole (Septra, Bactrim, and other brand names) had
dramatically reduced death in a group of Zambian children with HIV, the
World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS and UNICEF released a statement
recommending the drug for all children with HIV symptoms in poor
countries. But activists say the global health authorities' seemingly
quick action came years -- even decades -- late, and it will take a lot
more work to actually deliver the drug's lifesaving promise.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/africa-prophylaxis.html

*** Treatment Interruption: Most Patients Could Not Maintain Immune
Control
     Some patients treated very early with an experimental protocol (that
stopped and restarted antiretroviral treatment when certain conditions
were met) were able to stop antiretrovirals entirely and control their
viral load without the drugs for at least 90 days. But after two years,
only three of fourteen were still able to control the virus without
treatment.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/early-interruption.html

*** Retroviruses Conference Reminder: You Must Complete Housing Process
to Attend
     Those accepted for the retroviruses conference in February must
complete the housing-registration process even if they do not need
housing, or their registration will be cancelled.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/retro-housing.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Nevirapine Misinformation: Will It Kill?
     Summary: In mid December 2004 three Associated Press stories created
widespread doubts about nevirapine, a well-known, critically important
drug that can prevent HIV in many of the 1,800 babies now infected
every day by their mothers in childbirth. The media allegations that
went around the world grew out of a bitter personal and personnel
dispute between two employees at the U.S. National Institutes of
Health. No new information about nevirapine was released; doctors know
that it still has the same risks and benefits after the newspaper
stories as before. But many experts fear that the emotions released by
the worldwide misinformation will result in many HIV-positive mothers
getting no treatment and unnecessarily infecting their children with
HIV. Here is background that has been missing in many of the news
reports. [December 31, 2004]
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/12/nevirapine-ap.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** Saving AIDS Conferences Online: Interview with Sister Mary
Elizabeth, Founder of AEGiS
     Some of the most important AIDS conferences are not online, and even
the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the conference organizers do
not have a paper or electronic copy of the abstracts presented. Some
may be lost forever. But they could be saved if a copy can be found,
and you might be able to help. Here we interview the founder of AEGIS
(www.aegis.org), the well-known AIDS database that has done critically
important work in preserving conferences as well as making AIDS news
and other information available around the world.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/aegis-conferences.html

*** Warning on Two Specific 3-Drug Regimens: Viread + Didanosine +
Either Sustiva or Viramune
     Two more three-drug antiretroviral regimens have unexpectedly failed
to control HIV in many patients. But some related regimens do seem to
be working well.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/bad-regimens.html

*** New Treatment Guidelines Published October 29
     This edition of the guidelines includes information for special
populations, as well as other changes to HIV treatment recommendations.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/new-guidelines.html

*** Retroviruses Conference: Community Deadlines, Nov. 23
     Those planning to attend the Retroviruses conference in Boston in
February must pay attention to its many deadlines.
   Full article:
http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/retroviruses-deadlines.html

*** World AIDS Day, December 1: Women and Girls
     While the U.S. fights over abstinence vs. condoms, neither one is an
option for many women, due to sexual violence -- throughout the world,
from a fifth to half of all girls and young women report that their
first sexual experience was forced. Women are twice as likely as men to
be infected through a single act of unprotected sex. In parts of
Africa, more than a third of all teenage girls have HIV. But going to
school is protective. These are just a few of the facts about HIV and
gender that need to be more widely known.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/aids-day.html

*** Prison Health Care: Activist Campaign Targets Hepatitis, HIV Care
for Prisoners, and Continuity of Care After Release
     A new activist group wants to force medical practices in prisons to
meet national standards for treatment and care, especially for
hepatitis C and HIV.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/prison-health.html

*** After the Election
     It is too early to know exactly how the recent elections will affect
people with AIDS. But clearly the community will have to do more to
improve and support advocacy for treatment and care, and for policies
that work.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/11/after-election.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

***  New Fixed-Dose Once-a-Day Starting Regimens: Interview with Cal
Cohen, M.D.
     A leading AIDS physician looks at the advantages and disadvantages
of once-a day treatment with two new fixed-dose combinations of
previously approved drugs, for patients who are first starting
antiretrovirals.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/cohen-fdc.html

*** Depression: Louganis and Allen to Speak at Forums in New York, and
San Francisco Oct. 27
     Diver Greg Louganis and actor Chad Allen spoke in New York at a
public forum to raise awareness of depression in the gay community.
They will speak again in San Francisco.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/louganis-allen2.html

*** Warning Against Using Erythromycin (Even Orally) While Using
Protease Inhibitors or Certain Other Drugs
     A study of medical records found that combining the antibiotic
erythromycin with strong inhibitors of the liver enzyme CYP3A increased
the risk of sudden death from cardiac causes -- probably by abnormally
raising the blood levels of erythromycin.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/erythromycin-warning.html

*** Kaletra Monotherapy Controversy: AmfAR Publishes Overview
     The possibility of using Kaletra alone for selected patients instead
of three or more antiretrovirals has led to controversy among HIV
physicians, reviewed in a short article published by the American
Foundation for AIDS Research.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/kaletra-monotherapy.html

*** Access to NIH-Funded Research Information -- Public Comment Period
to November 16, 2004
     The U.S. National Institutes of Health has proposed making reports
of NIH-funded research freely available six months after their
commercial publication. We show why this proposal is a step forward but
far from a solution to the problem. We also refer readers to a
micropayment idea we developed that might ease some of the remaining
problems.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/access-nih.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

***** Depression: Louganis and Allen to Speak at Forums in New York,
San Francisco
 On October 11 in New York and October 27 in San Francisco, diver Greg
Louganis and actor Chad Allen will speak at a forum to raise awareness
of depression in the gay community.
 Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/10/louganis-allen.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

*** ADAP Activists Needed in All U.S. States and Territories
     Despite recent short-term improvement, the AIDS Drug Assistance
Program needs activist attention nationally to prevent thousands of
Americans from going without the treatment they need.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/adap-needed.html

*** ACT UP: Enormous Worldwide Attention to New York Demos
     Hundreds of major newspapers and broadcast media worldwide covered
AIDS and debt demonstrations around the Republican National Convention
in New York.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/actup-rnc.html

*** Medical Information from Bangkok Conference: Clinical Care Options
Site
     An excellent Web site, primarily for medical professionals but
freely available to anyone, summarizes what doctors need to know from
the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/cco-bangkok.html

*** AIDSVote: Election Information and Activism
     A coalition of over 200 AIDS organizations is supporting a platform
of policies for controlling the AIDS epidemic both in the U.S. and
globally. It is encouraging voter registration, including absentee
registration of people with AIDS when necessary, so that they will not
miss voting due to illness.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/aidsvote.html

*** Elections: Widespread Misinformation on Who Can Vote
     Due to persistent misinformation about voter qualifications in
Pennsylvania, we looked up the facts on the official state Web site.
Other states face similar problems.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/voter-info.html

*** Nutrition: Call for Information -- What Has Been Most Helpful to
You?
     You can help us prepare nutrition information by telling us what has
worked best (or not worked) for you.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/nutrition-call.html

*** Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Rally, Washington DC October 5
     Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana organization, is
organizing a rally in Washington to urge the federal government to stop
preventing doctors from prescribing marijuana as medicine.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/asa-hhs.html

*** Empty Antibiotic Pipeline Critically Endangers Public: IDSA Report
     A huge decrease in the number of fundamentally new antibiotics --
driven by commercial not scientific problems -- seriously threatens
public health in the near future, as bacteria develop resistance to the
existing drugs, and previously treatable infections will often be
fatal.
     Full article:
http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/antibiotic-pipeline.html

*** Clinical Trials: Philadelphia Hospitals Combine to Form "Supersite"
and Reduce Delays
     Major medical research institutions in Philadelphia are working
together to allow pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials
in multiple institutions with a single contract and single approval,
reducing paperwork and preventing unnecessary research delays.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/trial-supersite.html

*** AIDS Treatment and Related Conference Calendar (Starting September
2004)
     Here are meeting dates and Web links for upcoming conferences most
likely to interest our readers.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/09/conferences-2004.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online at AIDS Treatment News:

[Note: Several of the following seven announcements include important
information that has not circulated widely in the community. JSJ]

*** Chronically Depressed Women with HIV Almost Twice As Likely As
Others to Die from AIDS-Related Causes; Those with Mental-Health
Services Had Half the Death Rate of Those Without
     New study strongly correlates mental state with HIV disease outcome,
and shows the importance of mental-health services.
   Full article:
http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/depressed-progression.html

*** Cambodia Stops Important Tenofovir Prevention Trial
     A study that could open the door to pharmacological HIV prevention
until a vaccine is available was stopped in Cambodia, after sex workers
objected to lack of health insurance after the trial.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/cambodia-tenofovir.html

*** Hepatitis C Co-Infection: Two Major Studies Published
     Two large trials showing successful treatment of hepatitis C in
persons with HIV were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/hepatitis-nejm.html

*** FDA Approves Two Combination Pills, Epzicom and Truvada; Comment on
Commercial Race to Once-a Day-Nucleosides
     Two combinations of currently available drugs, dosed for once-daily
use, were approved by the FDA. We are concerned about too fast a rush
to once a day.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/epzicom-truvada.html

*** Smarter Clinical Trials for Faster Drug Development
     New studies are using modern technology early, to get important
dosing, safety, and efficacy information about a new drug, starting
with the first volunteer who takes it.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/smarter-trials.html

*** Retroviruses Conference Date Set
     The 2005 Retroviruses conference will be February 22-25 in Boston.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/retroviruses-2005.html

*** HIV Treatment and Immunology Research: Current Ideas
     Here are some leading scientific ideas for developing new kinds of
HIV treatments.
   Full article:
http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/08/immunology-pathogenesis.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online:

*** Bangkok Conference, July 11-16; Getting News Online
    Here are some Web sites for following news from the big international
conference in July in Bangkok, Thailand.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/bangkok-online.html

*** U.S. Researcher Starts Treatment Fund in Uganda: Interview with
David Bangsberg, M.D., M.P.H.
    $400 a year will save a life in Uganda. A U.S. scientist who works
there has created a fund that has guaranteed five years of treatment
for ten people so far.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/bangsberg-uganda.html

*** President Bush on AIDS: More Questions Than Answers
    The president spoke on AIDS June 23 in Philadelphia. His comments
looked great in headlines, but details raised major questions.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/bush-philadelphia.html

*** Abstinence, Abstinence-Only, Faith-Based, and the Psychology of
Stigma
    If abstinence is 100% effective in preventing sexual transmission,
why does abstinence-only not work well? And what is the personal
psychology of the stigma that prevents individuals, communities, and
nations from protecting themselves against the epidemic? We offer some
fairly obvious analysis that has been largely overlooked in public
discussion.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/abstinence-stigma.html

*** Medical Marijuana: Important Vote Coming, You Can Help
    Congress will vote soon on an amendment to stop Attorney General
Ashcroft's crusade against medical marijuana, in states where laws
recognize medical use. This amendment received 152 votes in Congress
last year.
    Vote likely Wednesday July 7!! Contact your representative before
then.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/hinchey-rohrabacher.html

*** ADVAX, New DNA Vaccine in Human Trial; HIV-Negative Volunteers
Needed in New York City or Rochester, NY Areas
    HIV-negative volunteers are needed for an important vaccine trial.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/advax.html

*** Drug Resistance Workshop (June 2004) Summary Available
    Two in-depth reports give readers a summary from the International
HIV Drug Resistance Workshop, which occurred this year in Tenerife,
Canary Islands, Spain.
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/resistance-workshop.html

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online:

*** New Medicare-Approved Prescription Drug Discount Card
     Patients who are on Medicare and have income under 135% of Federal
poverty level and are not on Medicaid probably should obtain one of the
new Medicare discount cards that became available on June 1, 2004,
because all these cards include $600 annual credit for
prescription-drug purchases for persons within that income limit.
Unfortunately this program is complex, no one yet knows how it will
work in practice, and after choosing a card one is locked in until
November 15. The most difficult part of the choice of which card to get
may involve how it interacts with other programs, including ADAP, and
pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/medicare-card.html

*** Institute of Medicine Urges Restructuring of U.S. Low-Income HIV
Treatment and Care
     The U.S. could prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths by creating a
comprehensive HIV care program. It would be administered by the states
under Federal standards of patient care and physician reimbursement,
and replace Medicaid (for persons with HIV), ADAP, and much of Ryan
White as well.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/iom-hiv.html

*** ADAP Crisis National Call-In Alert, Starting June 14
     Over 1600 people are currently on waiting lists to receive
antiretroviral treatment through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program -- a
crisis predicted for over a year. In the next few weeks, Congress will
consider funding for next year. Starting now and during the summer it
will be important for people to talk to their representatives and let
them know why this program is important.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/adap-alert.html

*** Inexpensive Air Filter for Allergy Relief
     We found a low-cost, efficient way to make homes more comfortable
for many people, especially during hay-fever season. [2004-06-12]
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/air-filter.html

*** Grants for Innovative Treatment, Vaccine, or Microbicide Research,
Application Deadline July 31
     GlaxoSmithKline is offering research grants to scientists for
certain innovative projects involving the development of HIV treatment,
vaccines, or microbicides.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/research-grants.html

*** Bangkok AIDS Conference May Be Largest Ever, July 11 to 16
     The XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok next month is
expecting 15,000 attendees and may be the largest AIDS conference ever.
Anyone can receive free daily email updates during the conference, and
many other reports will be presented later. Unfortunately the Bush
Administration told about 80% of the U.S. government scientists
expecting to go that they will not be sent.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/bangkok.html

*** Ronald Reagan Remembered
     Here is a transcript of the first public mention of AIDS in the
Reagan White House, after 200 people had died.
     Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/06/reagan

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Now online:

*** TMC125: Important One-Year Trial Now Recruiting in U.S.
    An new NNRTI that greatly reduces HIV resistance to this major class
of drugs is now recruiting at about 50 U.S. medical centers. It is
active against virus resistant to efavirenz and nevirapine. [2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/tmc125.html

*** Gonorrhea: New Treatment Recommendations for Gay Men, MSM
    On April 30, 2004 the U.S.  CDC changed the gonorrhea treatment
recommendation for men who have sex with men, due to development of
resistance to the oral antibiotics otherwise preferred. [2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/gonorrhea.html

*** May 20 "Time's Up!" AIDS Protest in Washington D.C.
    Rallies at the Democratic and Republican headquarters will call for
more serious attention to the disease that is now the leading cause of
death worldwide for all people age 15 through 59. [2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/protest.html

*** How to Network Action Alerts, So That Others Can Help
    Future political action alerts will travel gracefully through
existing networks of familiarity and trust, being re-focused as needed
for each audience -- so that supporters you may never know can help
your effort be successful. Most alerts today do not work this way. We
explain why not, and show how to make action alerts work better.
[2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/action-alerts.html

*** Online Glossaries of HIV/AIDS Terms
    Here are four English glossaries, and three Spanish glossaries, that
explain AIDS-related medical terms. [2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/glossaries.html

*** Checking Your Drug Interactions
    Here are three HIV-related Web sites and one printed document that
you can use to check for some of the interactions between HIV drugs and
other drugs you are using at the same time. Some of them also have
information on known interactions between AIDS-related drugs and some
herbal treatments or foods. [2004-05-18]
    Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/05/drug-interactions.html


*** AIDS TREATMENT NEWS
    To subscribe to these alerts, send email to subscribe@...
(and follow the confirmation instructions you will receive from Yahoo).
We send about five emails a month, and will keep your address
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    OK to forward this email unchanged. You may also send one or more of
the announcements above (without sending them all).
    For more information see www.aidsnews.org

--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org

Starting May 2004, AIDS Treatment News will email summaries and links
to the full text of new articles, instead of emailing the whole
article. All articles will still be free on our site --
www.aidsnews.org -- with no registration required. We are making this
change so that we can report news immediately, improve our newsletter
by getting statistics on what our readers want, and change online
articles when necessary to reflect new information.

To avoid excessive email we will collect the summaries and send about 5
email announcements per month -- not on a fixed schedule, but when
important news happens.

If you received this message on April 27, 2004 then you are already
subscribed to the AIDS Treatment News email list, and do not need to do
anything to continue getting these announcements. If you ever want to
unsubscribe, send a blank email to unsubscribe@...

We welcome comments and  suggestions. Send  them to
aidsnews@... -- and please begin your Subject line with the
word Suggestion,  to make sure your message comes to our attention.

To provide a complete record  through 2004, we are sending summaries
and links, below, for articles already published in AIDS Treatment News
this year.




*** Clinton Foundation Negotiates $140/Year HIV Treatment, But U.S.
Won't Buy
    The Clinton Foundation, World Bank, UNICEF, and the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced that they could
negotiate prices as low as $140 per year for triple-combination
antiretroviral therapy. But the Bush Administration is refusing to buy
generic medicines for its major HIV treatment program.
   Full article: http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/clinton140.html


*** Atherosclerosis Risk Increased with HIV; Treatment Effects Unclear
    A major report on heart disease and HIV found that HIV infection
itself is associated with increased risk, independently of other
factors like age, cholesterol, and smoking. Another major report did
find differences among antiretrovirals, but the information is hard to
summarize.
   http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/atherosclerosis.html


*** Atazanavir (Reyataz): New Recommendations If Combined with
Tenofovir (Viread) -- and Warning on Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra
    The FDA published new information on drug interactions that patients
taking Reyataz should know.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/reyataz.html


***Abacavir Hypersensitivity Reaction Predicted by Genetic Test
    Researchers in Australia found an accurate test to predict who cannot
tolerate Ziagen (abacavir). This is still a research test, not in
general use.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/abacavir.html


*** Update on Sculptra (New-Fill) Hearing
    An FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended approval of this
facial treatment for people with HIV -- with restrictions to prevent
general cosmetic use, pending data to justify such approval.
   http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/sculptra.html


*** Lessons from Two "Triple Nuke" Failures (New Training Module)
    A CME (continuing medical education) module for physicians explains
the problem with two antiretroviral regimens that failed last year.
Several possible causes for the failure had been proposed. Now it
appears that the problem was too low a genetic barrier to HIV
developing certain resistance mutations.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/triplefailures.html


*** Retroviruses Conference: Summaries for Physicians
    This collection of CME trainings for physicians gives an in-depth
review of major reports from the Retroviruses conference (February 8-11
in San Francisco), focusing on what HIV physicians need to know.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/retrosummaries.html


*** Medicines for the World: A Way Forward
    For poor and middle-income countries we should negotiate large sales
involving many countries, with all the interests at the table. Large
deals and public consensus could make it viable for companies to
develop treatments for diseases affecting poor regions.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/03/medicinesforworld.html


*** Atazanavir (Reyataz) New Recommendation with Tenofovir (Viread);
Warning with Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra
    On March 19 the FDA notified the public of new prescribing
information and precautions for atazanavir (brand name Reyataz), if
taken in combination with tenofovir (Viread) -- and warned of risks
with Viagra or similar drugs.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/atazanavir.html


*** Action Alerts: Please Improve Them for Networking
    Political action alerts could be much more effective if they were
designed to be shared -- to be easily picked up by other interested
organizations and sent to their members, or to other people and
organizations that listen to them. From our experience we suggest five
ways to make existing action alert work this way.
   http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/alerts.html


*** FDA Advisory Hearing on New-Fill (Sculptra), March 25, 2004 in
Gaithersburg, Maryland
    The FDA will discuss U.S. approval for New-Fill, a facial treatment
that Americans have had to go abroad for, although it is approved in
Europe and has been used by about 100,000 people worldwide. Those who
want to speak at the hearing should notify the FDA by March 15.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/sculptra.html


*** Antiretroviral Pipeline: New-Drug Reports from Retroviruses
Conference
    The three experimental drugs most discussed at the important 11th
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (\ 8-11, San
Francisco) were: BMS-488043, a new kind of entry inhibitor; Reverset, a
nucleoside analog active against most resistant viruses; and Schering
D, which blocks viral attachment to the CCR5 co-receptor on the cell.
    Other compounds discussed included PA-457, SPD-754,  GW873140,
GW678248, SN1212/1461, TMC114, TNX-355, PRO140, UK-427,857, AK602,
KRH-2731, mifepristone (RU-486), and chloroquine.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/newdrugs.html


*** Nevirapine Precautions Published
    New instructions tell physicians who is most at risk for rare but
serious side effects when starting this important drug -- for example,
women with a CD4 count above 250.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/nevirapine.html


*** Micronutrient Supplementation Shows Promise in Placebo-Controlled
Trial
    A supplement containing 33 vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
seemed to help persons with HIV. This trial was organized by Jon
Kaiser, M.D., who has specialized in combining mainstream and
complementary HIV treatments, and is based in part on the work of
Marianna Baum, Ph.D., who has studied nutritional deficiencies in
persons with HIV.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/micronutrient.html


*** Lipodystrophy: Conference on Imaging Technologies in Clinical
Management, Montreal, April 2-3, 2004
    This new conference with leading HIV physicians will look at DEXA and
other imaging technologies to measure the effects of lipodystrophy on
the abnormal wasting or accumulation of body fat.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/lipo.html


*** "Poppers," Some Other Drugs, May Increase HIV Infection Risk
    Users of amphetamines ("crystal"), hallucinogens, or inhaled nitrites
("poppers") had higher rates of HIV infection than non-users,(1) in an
analysis of the Vaxgen trial data presented at the 11th Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 8-11, 2004.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/poppers.html


*** New Testing for Very Early HIV Diagnosis
    Because persons newly infected with HIV may be especially infectious
before the body has created antibodies to partially control the
infection, there is a new public-health push to also look for the virus
itself in routine HIV testing. North Carolina has used this approach
statewide for over a year, and discovered the first indications of a
new HIV epidemic among college students, especially African-American
men. Results were reported at the recent Retroviruses conference.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/earlytest.html


*** Prison HIV and Hepatitis C Sites
    Of the hundreds of good Web sites on HIV, hepatitis C, and prison
issues, AIDS Treatment News has chosen about 40 to help you get started
in finding the information or resources you need. Annotated links are
at:
    http://www.aidsnews.org/prison/


*** Improving AIDS Conferences with Online Information
    Today, scientists and others arrive at major conferences without
knowing whom they should meet and talk to outside of their own field.
The whole medical-research enterprise is damaged when researchers miss
these connections. The key to improvement is to have the main data
presentations online, allowing conferences to focus on exploration and
discussion, instead of lectures that must rush through the new data. We
outline many other advantages, such as allowing researchers to update
their online presentations before or after the conference if they wish.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/02/online.html


*** Institute of Medicine Calls for Universal Health Insurance by 2010
    On January 14, 2004 the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM)
called for the U.S. to implement universal health care by 2010.
Currently 43,000,000 Americans are uninsured, and lack of health
insurance causes 18,000 unnecessary deaths each year in the U.S. Eighty
percent of the uninsured are members of working families -- but a
quarter of U.S. workers are not offered health insurance at all, and
few Americans can afford to buy the expensive individual policies.
These and dozens of other facts in the new report will help anyone who
is making a case for change.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/01/IOM.html


*** Remembering Greg Smith
    In 1990 Greg Smith was sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly
threatening and biting a prison guard while having HIV. For 13 years he
advocated for better prison health care, and was often visited and
helped by members of ACT UP Philadelphia and other prison activists. He
died in prison in November 2003. On January 29 about 75 members of ACT
UP Philadelphia held a memorial demonstration at the home of the
sentencing judge in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2004/01/GregSmith.html

*** "Shy" Study Suggests New Treatment Mechanism [December 2003]
    A study found that socially inhibited persons with HIV did much
worse than others virologically. The researchers suspect that the
biochemistry of chronically high anxiety could increase the growth of
HIV; if so, these effects might be controlled with drugs already
approved for other purposes. This  theory should be easy to test in
small clinical trials. If confirmed, it might lead to a new kind of
treatment to reduce viral load and disease progression for some
patients.
    http://www.aidsnews.org/2003/12/Shy.html


--
John S James
AIDS Treatment News
www.aidsnews.org