HIV & AIDS

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U.S. progress in HIV fight continues to trail many other rich nations

New HIV infections continue to ebb only modestly in the United States, while many other wealthy Western nations have posted steep reductions, thanks to more successful efforts overseas to promptly diagnose and treat the virus and promote the HIV prevention pill, PrEP. In a new HIV surveillance report published Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that new HIV transmissions declined by 12% nationally between 2017 and 2021, from 36,500 to 32,100 cases. By comparison, according to estimates by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, between 2015 and 2021, the annual infection rate plunged by more than 70% in the Netherlands, […]

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Tennessee blocked $8 million for HIV, now ends up with $13 million, stunning advocates

In a turnaround that has stunned and pleasantly surprised HIV advocates, Tennessee has gone from blocking $8.3 million in annual federal funds for HIV prevention, surveillance and treatment to including a new allotment of $9 million in the state budget approved Thursday to combat the virus. This development came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that it will circumvent the state government and continue providing about $4 million in HIV-prevention funds to Tennessee nonprofit groups, despite Gov. Bill Lee’s objections. The state has one of the nation’s most poorly controlled HIV epidemics. Lee previously singled […]

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Australia on track to become one of first countries in world to eliminate HIV

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A 10-year study has found that Australia could become one of the first countries to “virtually eliminate” HIV transmissions, with new infections decreasing dramatically.  The findings, published in Lancet HIV, showed that HIV infections decreased by 66 per cent between 2010 and 2019 in New South Wales and Victoria, while there was a 27 per cent rise in people accessing effective HIV treatment.  Increased access to HIV treatment and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) – the medication that prevents a person from contracting HIV – was cited as a key reason for decreased transmissions.  The journal also endorsed the public health strategy “treatment as […]

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Biden administration appeals judge’s decision that insurance companies don’t have to cover PrEP

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The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is appealing a judge’s decision to nullify a section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires insurance companies to cover the HIV prevention drug regimen PrEP.  Last week, U.S. District Juge Reed O’Connor struck down a section of the ACA requiring coverage of certain preventive health care services, which, in addition to PrEP, includes some cancer screenings, contraception, immunizations, and more. O’Connor’s decision leaves over 150 million people vulnerable to the added costs of this care.  A coordinated effort by right-wing media and lawmakers has decimated community-based programs addressing healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in Tennessee O’Connor’s […]

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Another survey with HIV long-term survivors. Have we learned anything new?

On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the Survivors of HIV Advocating for Research Engagement (SHARE) Board conducted a webinar highlighting the results of their survey “Aging with HIV: What do you need to thrive?” They sought to answer questions such as, “What are the key health-related questions/issues that research should address around HIV and aging?,” “What matters most to people aging with HIV?,” and “What health outcomes are of most relevance to people aging with HIV?” Sadly, the SHARE survey and report revealed nothing new.  Their overall conclusions were that:  It is notable that SHARE meant for the survey not only […]

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Federal Judge Bars ACA Mandate for Insurance Coverage of PrEP, a Critical HIV Prevention Medication

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled in Braidwood Management v. Becerra that the federal government cannot enforce many of the preventative care coverage requirements in the Affordable Care Act, notably including a requirement that employers provide insurance coverage for PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication that prevents the transmission of HIV. The judge ruled that the ACA mandate violates employers’ rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Read the ruling in the case, the final judgment after he granted a motion for summary judgment in September.  Adam Polaski (he/him pronouns), Communications Director at the Campaign for Southern Equality, said today:  “This is yet another example of blatant judicial overreach […]

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What’s new in HIV: Updates on long-acting injections for prevention & treatment

For many years, we’ve relied on daily oral medications to treat HIV and to prevent HIV. But long-acting injectable options for both PrEP and treatment are an exciting new strategy that may increase  acceptability, accessibility, and effectiveness. An injectable option is now available for both HIV treatmentand PrEP, and new research is showing how PrEP and treatment injections may transform our response to the epidemic.  Long-acting injections for prevention  Late in 2021, the FDA approved the first long-acting injectable option for PrEP. Named Apretude®, the medication is a long-acting version of the integrase inhibitor cabotegravir, and is delivered as an injection once every […]

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Tennessee shuns federal HIV funds

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While the country remains in shock after Tennessee’s recent ban on public drag performances, another, more insidious attack on the LGBTQ+ community has been underway in the state. A coordinated effort by right-wing media and conservative lawmakers has decimated community-based programs addressing healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in Tennessee, including efforts to combat HIV. In January, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) announced his administration was rejecting $8.8 million in federal funds provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for HIV prevention and treatment. Left unsaid was the fact that some of those dollars had made their way to […]

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PrEP’s promise to change the course of HIV has succeeded — but only for white gay men

A decade into the era of the HIV prevention pill, called PrEP, efforts to leverage its heralded power to curb new infections have stagnated in the United States. This shortfall is a key reason the nation lags far behind many others in combating HIV, with a national epidemic long plagued by racial inequities and only a modestly declining new infection rate.  “We are reaching a scientific crisis in HIV prevention,” LaRon Nelson, an associate professor of nursing and public health at Yale University, said last month at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. Nelson lamented the gulf […]

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Feds Seek Input on National PrEP Coverage

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The federal government is seeking public input concerning whether its Medicare department should cover HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and PrEP medication nationwide, including a new injectable drug that has been developed. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering whether it will cover HIV prevention pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs (PrEP) such as Apretude, a prescription injectable given every two months to individuals at risk of contracting HIV. As part of the analysis, CMS seeks comments from the public, particularly those that include scientific evidence. As of 2020, Medicare coverage for PrEP varies by state or county, but the average cost of […]

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