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Novel treatment for cancer based on protein from HIV-1 virus

Yissum, Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, introduces a novel method for treating cancer based on Vif, a protein isolated from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1). The method was invented by Professor Emeritus Moshe Kotler and Dr. Roni Nowarski from the Department of Immunology and Cancer Research at the Hebrew University.

9 Jul 2012

Family planning summit plans to ensure women’s unmet need for contraception is met by 2020

The London Summit on Family Planning takes place on July 11th. Led by DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the summit will announce an unprecedented global commitment to advancing the cause of family planning. The intent: to ensure that by 2020, 120 million women’s unmet need for contraception is met.

9 Jul 2012

UNN, UM establish firm foundation for mutual collaborations

A delegation from the University of Nigeria (UNN) has just completed a week in key laboratories and boardrooms at the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus exploring educational exchanges between the two universities.

8 Jul 2012

Research roundup: Crowded emergency departments, expensive HIV drugs, high deductible insurance plans

Skin In The Game: How Consumer-Directed Plans Affect The Cost And Use Of Health Care -- Consumer-directed health plans, which feature lower premiums and higher deductibles than traditional plans, are designed to reduce costs by discouraging unnecessary care. This brief describes a study of more than 800,000 households that switched from a traditional employer-based plan to a consumer-based plan.

7 Jul 2012

International AIDS Conference a call for global solidarity

Noting the 2010 reversal of the HIV travel and immigration ban allowing the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) to be held in the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) writes in a Huffington Post Blog opinion piece, "It is so exciting to host this conference at such a pivotal time in the history of the AIDS response," and adds, "At no other time in history has our global leadership been more important than it is right now."

7 Jul 2012

AHF calls for reasonable pricing of Gilead’s Quad AIDS drug

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in response to recent press reports regarding drug manufacturer Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s new four-drug HIV/AIDS pill, known as the "Quad," renewed its call for company to price the drug reasonably, particularly in light of the fact that it represents only a marginal improvement over existing medications.

7 Jul 2012

Haitian, U.S. governments sign Partnership Framework on health strategy

In this post on the State Department's DipNote blog, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten discusses the June 26 signing of the Partnership Framework to support Haiti's Health Strategy between the Government of Haiti (GOH) and the U.S. Government (USG).

7 Jul 2012

New HIV test results are 'preliminary' and need doctors' confirmation

In reports on two major public health issues, experts seek to remind people that the new HIV test offer only a preliminary result, so a confirmation from a physician is necessary, and a Kentucky health veteran works to stem the diabetes epidemic there.

7 Jul 2012

VOA profiles Vietnam Clinical HIV/AIDS Society

VOA News profiles the recently established Vietnam Clinical HIV/AIDS Society (VCHAS), among the first professional medical organizations of any type in Vietnam. VCHAS "was set up with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control through the Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative, as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief," VOA notes.

6 Jul 2012

FDA approves at-home HIV test, available in Oct.

The FDA has approved an at-home HIV test that gives results in under 40 minutes. The tests should be available in stores in October.

6 Jul 2012

GlobalPost examines adult male circumcision campaign in Swaziland

Noting "the United States wants to accelerate the pace of male circumcisions to support 4.7 million procedures in the developing world by the end of next year, up from one million at the beginning of this year," GlobalPost, as part of its AIDS Turning Point special report, examines the adult male circumcision campaign in Swaziland.

6 Jul 2012

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Goosby discusses PEPFAR on NPR's 'All Things Considered'

NPR's "All Things Considered" on Tuesday featured an interview of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby by host Robert Siegel. Goosby discussed PEPFAR's success at treating people living with HIV/AIDS in other countries, including Haiti, Rwanda, and Botswana, as well as the cost of treatment.

6 Jul 2012

NPR's 'All Things Considered' examines progress in treating AIDS in developing countries

NPR's "All Things Considered" examines HIV/AIDS treatment progress in developing countries, where the high cost of the "triple-drug regimens that were routinely saving the lives of patients in wealthier countries," and logistical issues, such as ensuring patients would take their medication on time, led some experts to say HIV treatment was "impossible" in the earlier years of the epidemic.

6 Jul 2012

Philippines experiencing increasing number of new HIV cases; Leaders say country should reconsider policies

"At a time when many countries are seeing their HIV infection rates level off or decline," health officials in the Philippines "have seen an unexpected surge in cases in the past several years, with a more than five-fold increase between 2007 and 2011, with 2,349 new cases last year," the Wall Street Journal's "Southeast Asia Real Time" blog reports, noting, "The total number of cases as of April 2012 is 9,396, compared to just 3,061 in 2007."

6 Jul 2012

Study: 13 zoonoses responsible for 2.4B cases of human illness per year

A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.

5 Jul 2012

AIDS battle: stretching use of anti-HIV drugs

A Johns Hopkins expert in the drug treatment of HIV disease and AIDS is spearheading an international effort to radically shift the manufacturing and prescribing of combination therapies widely credited in the last decade for keeping the disease in check for 8 million of the 34 million infected people worldwide.

5 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 5, 2012

Early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's statement that the health law individual mandate is a tax.

5 Jul 2012

New issue of 'Global Fund News Flash' available

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Tuesday released Issue 5 of its newsletter, the "Global Fund News Flash."

4 Jul 2012

Former President Bush in Zambia, Botswana to promote Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative to fight cervical cancer

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush are traveling in Zambia and Botswana this week to promote "the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative spearheaded by his foundation that seeks to expand cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa," CNN reports.

4 Jul 2012

New World Bank president says institution open to assisting high-income countries but gives no indication of refocusing

On his first day on the job, the World Bank's new president, Jim Yong Kim, said Monday "that the institution would be open to offering technical assistance to crisis-plagued high-income countries like Greece," the New York Times reports.

4 Jul 2012