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Antiretroviral therapy as an aid to HIV prevention

The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy may reduce the incidence of HIV in individuals and populations but has been overlooked by public health as a prevention strategy, write Dr. Julio Montaner and colleagues in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

30 Jun 2008

Zinc finger technology brings personalized HIV therapy a step closer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and collaborators are using minute, naturally occurring proteins called zinc fingers to engineer T cells to one day treat AIDS in humans.

30 Jun 2008

NIAID announces grants to stimulate food allergy research

Twelve investigators have received grants totaling $5 million over two years to lead high-impact, innovative studies of food allergy, a significant public health concern.

30 Jun 2008

New rapid tests for drug-resistant TB for developing countries

People in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) will get a faster diagnosis -- in two days, not the standard two to three months -- and appropriate treatment thanks to two new initiatives unveiled today by WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, UNITAID and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).

30 Jun 2008

Watson Pharmaceuticals launches generic version of dronabinol

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that, under a supply agreement with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Watson has launched the authorized generic version of dronabinol in the 2.5, 5 and 10 mg once daily dosage strengths.

30 Jun 2008

New approach to HIV vaccine research taps Rochester expertise

A new national effort to create a vaccine against HIV will include work by a University of Rochester Medical Center rheumatologist who is an expert on a portion of the immune system that has sometimes gotten short shrift in the fight against HIV.

30 Jun 2008

Jamaica will not decriminalize, regulate commercial sex work, Prime Minister says

Jamaica will not decriminalize and regulate commercial sex work in the country, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said recently in response to a suggestion from a Ministry of Health and Environment official, the Jamaica Observer reports.

26 Jun 2008

Sen. Reid says he will try to bring PEPFAR legislation to Senate floor on Wednesday

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said that he will attempt to bring legislation that would reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to the Senate floor on Wednesday, CQ Today reports (Graham-Silverman, CQ Today, 6/24).

26 Jun 2008

U.S. should lift HIV/AIDS-related travel restrictions, opinion piece says

Since 2003, the U.S. through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has "extended a helping hand to" HIV-positive people living outside the country, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) write in a Washington Times opinion piece.

26 Jun 2008

Workshop aims to help Muslim leaders in Yemen address HIV/AIDS, reduce stigma

The Interaction in Development Foundation and the United Kingdom-based nongovernmental organization Pogressio in coordination with a local religious council in Sana'a, Yemen, recently held a three-day workshop for 25 Muslim religious leaders and health guides aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS-associated stigma and discrimination, the Yemen Observer reports.

26 Jun 2008

Rising food prices in Ethiopia dangerous for people living with HIV/AIDS

Food prices in Ethiopia, which have risen by 40% in the past year as a result of drought and the global food crisis, are having a detrimental effect on HIV-positive people in the country -- who may be weak, unable to work and shunned by their communities -- IRIN/Plus News reports.

26 Jun 2008

Red Cross says African AIDS epidemic equates to a disaster

According to a new study by the Red Cross the AIDS epidemic in southern Africa is so severe that it should be classed as a disaster comparable to floods or famine.

26 Jun 2008

New mathematical model describes the structure of proteins

Proteins are the workhorses of our cells. They help to digest our food, are at the core of our immune system, and literally shape our body from top to toe. Proteins also play an important role in biotechnology in the form of enzymes, which are important in the creation of anything from pharmaceuticals to bread, washing powder and much more. Their possibilities are virtually without limit.

25 Jun 2008

Ranbaxy receives tentative approval to manufacture Valganciclovir hydrochloride tablets

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), announced today that the company has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Valganciclovir Hydrochloride Tablets, 450 mg. Total annual market sales for Valganciclovir HCl Tablets were $239 million (IMS - MAT: March 2008).

25 Jun 2008

NIAID creates HIV vaccine discovery branch

To accelerate the translation of basic discoveries about HIV into advances in vaccine design and evaluation, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formed a new Vaccine Discovery Branch within the Vaccine Research Program in the Division of AIDS (DAIDS).

25 Jun 2008

Technique for analyzing the function of microRNAs wins Barenholz Prize for Hebrew University student

A unique technique for analyzing the function of microRNAs developed by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem doctoral student has led to the discovery of a new mechanism by which viruses evade the human immune system. This discovery has important implications for human intervention in the battle between viruses and humans.

25 Jun 2008

Florida HIV/AIDS advocacy groups, health departments to increase HIV awareness among minorities

HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and health departments in Florida are planning several events aimed at increasing awareness about HIV among minorities ahead of National HIV Testing Day, which is scheduled for Friday, the Naples Daily News reports.

24 Jun 2008

Treating genital herpes does not reduce eisk of HIV

Treating genital herpes does not reduce the risk of HIV, according to a study published on Friday in the journal Lancet, the AP/Newsweek reports (Cheng, AP/Newsweek, 6/19). Herpes simplex virus-2 has been shown to increase the risk of HIV by as much as threefold, so the researchers examined whether treating HSV-2 might reduce the risk of HIV, Bloomberg reports.

24 Jun 2008

Delaware House approves bill that would mandate HIV testing for accused sex offenders

The Delaware House recently approved a bill (HB 424) that would require HIV testing for sexual assault defendants under certain circumstances, the AP/Bethany Beach Wave reports.

24 Jun 2008

Mozambique Business Association launches program that aims to address HIV/AIDS in workplaces

The Confederation of Business Associations in Mozambique recently launched a program called ECOSIDA to address issues related to HIV/AIDS in the workplace, SAPA/iAfrica.com reports.

24 Jun 2008