HIV & AIDS

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There’s No Scientific Evidence a ‘Gay Gene’ Exists

Publication of the largest-ever study of the roles of genes in homosexual behavior is fanning the debate over whether being gay is due to genes or environment.  First reported at a genetics conference in 2018, the study found five genetic variants associated with having a same-sex sexual partner (SN: 10/20/18). But those variants, called SNPs, don’t predict people’s sexual behavior, researchers report in the Aug. 30 Science.  “There is no ‘gay gene’ that determines whether someone has same-sex partners,” says Andrea Ganna, a geneticist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the University of Helsinki.  Family studies have suggested that genetics account […]

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Islatravir: A potential PrEP & HIV drug now being tested

There’s a new antiretroviral, from a new class of medication, currently being tested for both PrEP and HIV treatment. Named islatravir (formerly MK-8591), this Merck drug is showing promise as part of a novel drug delivery system and because of its long half-life, great potency and high barrier for resistance. Two presentations at the IAS 2019 conference in July shared Phase 2 study data on islatravir. Randolph Matthews, MD, PhD shared research of islatravir delivered through an under-the-skin implant, to test drug delivery at concentrations needed for the prevention of HIV. Professor Jean-Michel Molina, from Paris Diderot University, shared results from a […]

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FDA Backs Gilead’s HIV Prevention Drug Descovy for Use as PrEP

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday voted in favor of Gilead Sciences Inc’s combination drug to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection in men and transgender women who have sex with men. The treatment, Descovy, is a combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, and is already approved to treat chronic HIV. When asked to assess the efficacy of Descovy for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV in men and transgender women who have sex with men, a patient population that forms the largest component of the PrEP market, the panel voted 16-2 in favor. Related NBC OUT Generic HIV […]

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Undetectable = Untransmittable: An Encouragement to Treat HIV and Stigma Buster

In 1985, I was working in an STD clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, and was one of two HIV counselors doing pre-test and post-test counseling for people most likely getting the very first HIV test of their lives. There were NO anti-HIV medications available at that time, and the only ounce of hope you could impart to these newly infected people was that there appeared to be more HIV-positive (POZ) people not yet ill  than there were POZ persons who were having symptoms.  In 1985, untreated POZ people most likely had VERY high HIV viral loads (high amounts of active HIV virus in the […]

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U.N. Wants More Urgency in AIDS Fight as Gains and Funding Fade

The global fight against AIDS is stalling due to lower investment, marginalized communities missing vital health services, and new HIV infections rising in some parts, the United Nations warned on Tuesday. More than half of all new HIV infections in 2018 were among sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men, transgender people, prisoners and the sexual partners of these groups, according to a report by UNAIDS. Many of those populations did not get access to infection prevention services, it said. Progress in some countries has been “impressive,” the U.N. body’s report said, but others are seeing rising […]

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New Policies to Improve PrEP Access

As pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) gains acceptance, medical experts and policymakers are finding new ways to make this effective HIV prevention tool accessible to more people who could benefit. Last month the California Senate passed a bill that will allow pharmacists to provide PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) without a prescription. And in June, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that health care providers offer PrEP to people at risk of acquiring HIV, paving the way for broader insurance coverage. PrEP at the Pharmacy SB 159, co-authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), […]

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Man Serving 30 Years for Failing to Disclose his HIV Status Released

A man serving 30 years for not disclosing his HIV status to sexual partners has been released 25 years earlier. Former college wrestler Michael ‘Tiger Mandingo’ Johnson left Boonville’s prison, Missouri, yesterday (9 July). In 2013, Johnson was the protagonist of what many defined a racially charged trial. His case was also one of the most relevant in the ongoing discussion about the criminalization of HIV transmission. Criminalizing transmission ‘I feel great,’ Johnson told BuzzFeed as he left Boonville Correctional Center. ‘Leaving prison is such a great feeling.’ Police arrested Johnson, a black man, for ‘recklessly’ transmitting HIV to two men and exposing four […]

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US Government Gives Top Rating to PrEP and Self-testing HIV Kits

LGBTI advocates have welcomed new US government recommendations on PrEP and HIV testing. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) finalized its rating for PrEP, giving it an ‘A’ rating. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a proven HIV preventative treatment. The USPSTF also gave an ‘A’ rating to routine, voluntary HIV screening for people aged 15 to 65, all pregnant women, and people at high risk of acquiring HIV. The Affordable Care Act requires private insurers to cover preventive services recommended by the USPSTF with a grade of A or B with no cost-sharing. LGBTI advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said the rating will […]

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Trump Administration Restricts HIV Testing and Research with New Policy

On Wednesday (5 June), the Trump Administration implemented a new policy ending research done by government scientists using fetal tissue. This severely limits research done on HIV. According to the Washington Post, the Administration also canceled a university’s multi-million dollar laboratory contract. The university used fetal tissue in testing new HIV treatments. ‘Promoting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is one of the very top priorities of President Trump’s administration,’ the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement. The tissue used in such research comes from elective abortions. Many scientists and researchers say there are no other alternative approaches […]

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AIDS Drugs Prevent Sexual Transmission of HIV in Gay Men, Study Finds

A European study of nearly 1,000 gay male couples who had sex without condoms — where one partner had HIV and was taking antiretroviral drugs to suppress it — has found the treatment can prevent sexual transmission of the virus. After eight years of follow-up of the so-called serodifferent couples, the study found no cases at all of HIV transmission within couples. The study proves, the researchers said, that using antiretroviral therapy to suppress the AIDS virus to undetectable levels also means it cannot be passed on via sex, the researchers said. “Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men […]

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