HIV & AIDS

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Controversial PrEP Drug with Less Potential Side Effects Coming Soon

A new drug to prevent HIV could hit markets very soon. The results of the world’s biggest ever HIV prevention studies revealed the drug, Descovy, was as good as Truvada when it came to preventing HIV. Truvada and generic versions of it are used around the world as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). For two years, pharmaceutical giant Gilead has conducted the DISCOVER trial. The trial measured the efficacy of Descovy as a potential new PrEP drug. The study conducted across 50 sites in the United States, enrolled 5,387 cis men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans women at risk […]

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HIV-preventing PrEP Drugs Aren’t Reaching Black Gay Men

The uptake of HIV-preventing PrEP drugs by gay and bisexual men faces a huge racial disparity in the US, experts have warned. The news comes from research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which was presented at an HIV conference on Friday (March 8). PrEP use faces ‘huge disparity’ between ethnicities The research presented by the CDC’s Dr Teresa Finlayson found that between 2014 and 2017 there was a 500% increase in the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis among gay an bisexual men “who are at substantial risk for HIV infection.” However, the surge in use has not been uniform across ethnicities. […]

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35 Percent of ‘High-risk’ Gay and Bisexual Men Take PrEP in US

35 percent of gay and bisexual men in the US who are considered at “high risk” of contracting HIV took PrEP in 2017, according to new research. PrEP – or pre-exposure prophylaxis – is taken by people who do not have HIV, but who may be at risk of contracting the infection. The medication significantly reduces a person’s chances of getting HIV. The new research was presented in Seattle this week at the 2019 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, an annual HIV/AIDS conference, according to NBC News. The research – which was based on 8,000 interviews across 20 American cities […]

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Allowing Insurers to Dictate Therapies Harms People Living with HIV

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J When Herbert* moved to San Francisco, he left friends, family, and his doctor behind. He lost access to the combination of HIV medications that had kept him healthy and prevented him from transmitting the virus to others. He was relieved when he found a provider who was able to kick-start his HIV treatment using a highly potent, durable combination of drugs to fight back against the virus. That treatment was an emergency intervention that would not otherwise be first-line, and served as a “bridge” to the preferred longer-term therapy that his doctor would prescribe based on lab results and […]

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10% of HIV Cases in Gay/bi Men Linked to Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Infection

One in ten new cases of HIV in gay and bisexual men are linked to gonorrhea and chlamydiainfection. That’s the conclusion of a modelling study highlighted by the NCSD (National Coalition of STD Directors) in the US. The journal, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, published the research this week. Both sexually transmitted infections can increase the risk of HIV transmission taking place: a fact known for some time. However, with rates of both gonorrhea and chlamydia rising in the US, health experts are concerned how this may impact public health advances in tackling HIV. Between 2013-2017, the US saw a 22% increase in chlamydia. Gonorrhea diagnosis shot up by […]

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How Do We Define “Undetectable” in HIV Prevention?

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J In HIV treatment and prevention, we oftentimes use the term “undetectable” as a way to measure the success of a person’s HIV treatment. People who get and stay undetectable not only improve their health, but eliminate the possibility of transmitting HIV to others. This concept was recently celebrated in an important article in the Journal of the American Medical Association by authors at the National Institutes of Health. Chris Hall, MD But what does undetectable mean, in these conversations? How do we define who’s undetectable—and who’s not? In the simplest definition of undetectable, the amount of virus in a person’s blood […]

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High Rates of Undiagnosed Infection Among Black Trans Women

J Black transgender women have one of the highest rates of HIV of any population in the U.S., with one study estimating an HIV prevalence rate of 56%. Yet the extent to which Black trans women are able to access HIV testing, treatment and care has not been well characterized. HIV and epidemiology data oftentimes lump relatively small numbers of trans women in with a much larger community of men who have sex with men—obscuring the experiences Black trans women have getting diagnosed and linked to care. Now, a recent study highlights the startling disparities Black trans women experience in HIV diagnosis and care. In a […]

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Planned Parenthood Introduces New Programs for Gay Men and Trans People

Planned Parenthood, the 102-year-old organization providing sexual health care, is expanding their mission. The organization is introducing programs specifically for gay men and trans people. Tell me more For gay men, Planned Parenthood (PP) is now offering PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). This is a type of regimented medication to prevent HIV infection. ‘We’ve just started doing PrEP fairly recently,’ Phebe Brandt, a Philadelphia-based Planned Parenthood clinician, told Philadelphia Gay News. ‘We do all the counseling around it,’ Brandt continues. ‘We do all the testing that’s necessary, we actually provide prescriptions. And if people don’t have insurance and need to go through the program […]

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‘Overwhelming’ Evidence HIV Undetectable = Untransmittable Say US Experts

HIV positive people with an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV. That’s the unequivocal conclusion from one of the leading health agencies in the US. Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) undertook a review of recent research. Their conclusion is simple: Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). It’s the same message now backed by over 300 health agencies all around the world. The results of the NIAID review were published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). One of the reports co-authors is NIAID Director, Dr Anthony Fauci. He is widely regarded as […]

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Major Breakthrough: Scientists Succeed in Destroying HIV-infected Cells

Scientists have announced a potential major breakthrough in finding new HIV treatments. French researchers have revealed they have successfully destroyed cells infected with HIV. The scientists at Paris’ Institut Pasteur used metabolic activity inhibitors to eliminate ‘resevoir’ cells. Antiretroviral drugs are unable to completely remove the virus. Even when HIV is brought down to undetectable levels, a small amount of the virus is latent within certain cells. The virus can also multiply if people stop taking their medication. The virus remains in reservoirs, the CD4 lymphocyte immune cells, which are the main targets of HIV. Eliminating these hidden reservoirs of […]

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