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AVAC: MDP 301 effectiveness trial finds no evidence that PRO 2000 microbicide reduces HIV infection

The Microbicides Development Programme announced earlier today that its MDP 301 effectiveness trial, which was conducted among almost 9,400 women in four African countries, found no evidence that the PRO 2000 microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection.

14 Dec 2009

Forbes examines ongoing discussions over HIV/AIDS drugs patent pools

Forbes examines the ongoing discussions between aid groups and drug manufacturers over the formation of an HIV/AIDS drugs patent pool to help drive down costs for developing countries.

13 Dec 2009

President Obama can still keep up his promise by establishing a well-resourced Global Fund for Education

Today is International Human Rights Day, commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states (in Article 26): "Everyone has the right to education [and] education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages."

11 Dec 2009

NCKUH and NHRI sponsor virology lab in Vietnam Children’s Hospital

A Virology Lab in Children’s Hospital No. 1 (CH1), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, sponsored by National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH) and National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) in Taiwan was launched on November 11th, 2009.

11 Dec 2009

GAA calls on Obama to fund for PEPFAR

International Human Rights Day -- At his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, this morning, President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of health and access to medicines for all people as a prerequisite to security. The President said:

11 Dec 2009

NIH awards $14.6M for Eukaryotic Pathogen Genome Database Resource expansion

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Georgia have been awarded a five-year, $14.6 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health, to expand and extend work on the Eukaryotic Pathogen Genome Database Resource, http://EuPathDB.org.

11 Dec 2009

BioWorld highlights the development of 97 drugs and vaccines to treat HIV/AIDS

BioWorld Today recently highlighted a new report published by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) that identifies 97 new drugs and vaccines in development to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions.

11 Dec 2009

Positive results from BioAlliance Pharma's acyclovir Lauriad phase III trial

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, today announces final positive results of its pivotal phase III clinical study in immunocompetent patients with recurrent herpes labialis (LIP Study) treated with acyclovir Lauriad®. Primary and secondary endpoints have been met with marked efficacy and good tolerance.

10 Dec 2009

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

The fiscal year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes funding for global health-related measures, "is moving on the Hill as part of a mammoth catch-all spending bill that's expected to move through both chambers this month," Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports. "

10 Dec 2009

Leaders and community activists create strategy to combat HIV/AIDS in African-Americans

African-American political leaders, union members, ministers and community activists are meeting Monday, December 14th to create and implement a strategy to combat the deadly HIV/AIDS virus in the African-American Community.

10 Dec 2009

ARTs safe without routine lab tests, Lancet study finds

A Lancet study published online Tuesday validates the safety of administering first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to patients with HIV without routine toxicity and efficacy lab tests, "[b]ut tests of immune-system function might still be a good idea to monitor the progression of the disease and guide the second year of treatment," HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports. Patients in Africa "often receive [HIV] drug treatment ... without routine laboratory monitoring," according to the article.

10 Dec 2009

Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers penalized for lacking health insurance

The Boston Globe: "Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the state's near-universal-coverage mandate.

10 Dec 2009

Washington Post, New York Times examine PEPFAR

The Washington Post examines the Obama administration's goal "to get the 'emergency' out of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief" and integrate HIV/AIDS programs more into the health infrastructure of recipient countries. A five-year strategy for PEPFAR was released last week.

9 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Illegal drug trade in E. Africa; Somalia humanitarian crisis; alcohol, IV drug use in Russia; HIV/AIDS in China; FBOs engage in HIV fight

"[D]ozens of people" from China's Henan province who contracted HIV/AIDS from blood transfusions "demonstrated in front of the country's health ministry in Beijing" to highlight the challenges facing Chinese AIDS patients, the Irish Times reports.

9 Dec 2009

USPTO grants CyDex Pharmaceuticals patent for Captisol

CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to the company entitled “Sulfoalkyl Ether Cyclodextrin Compositions and Methods of Preparation Thereof.” This patent, along with other previously issued technology patents, will provide broader protection for CyDex’s Captisol® technology until 2028.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Reuters: "Americans enrolled in the U.S. government-run Medicare health insurance program will now be covered for tests that screen for HIV, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the program for the elderly and disabled, said on Tuesday.

9 Dec 2009

INOVEM’s Inclusionware aids NWL PCTs in the ‘Get Better’ project

INOVEM, a British developer of collaborative and consultation technology, empowered the North West London Primary Care Trusts (NWL PCTs) to work together and engage with local communities more meaningfully in support of the ‘Get Better’ project.

9 Dec 2009

2009 Ward Burdick Award for UAB Director

The director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Metabolic Bone Disease has won the 2009 Ward Burdick Award for Distinguished Service to Clinical Pathology from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

9 Dec 2009

Human blood stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV and other chronic viral diseases

Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute and colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells - a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare covers HIV screening: AHF lauds CMS

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, today lauded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), for its decision earlier today to cover HIV testing for Medicare beneficiaries who may be at increased risk for HIV exposure (MSM, IDU) as well as women who are pregnant, and beneficiaries of any age that request to be tested. The decision is effective immediately.

9 Dec 2009