Category Archives: HIV and AIDS Treatment
A New Wave of HIV Anti-retroviral Therapy?
Scientists from across the world have done research on what appears to be a promising addition to the different forms of HIV Anti-retroviral therapy. Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes AIDS, and is at the forefront of research in many fields. One of the most interesting topics of research is anti-retroviral […]
HIV/AIDS Research: Potent HIV Antibodies Spark Vaccine Hopes
For the past 25 years researchers have been searching for a vaccine against HIV, with almost no luck. However, a recent discovery has brought them closer to a vaccine. Researchers have identified the “most powerful, broad-acting antibodies yet” to fight against multiple strains of HIV. “Broadly neutralizing antibodies” (bNAbs) are not very common. Only six […]
Healthcare Workers Exposed to HIV/AIDS
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV can be transmitted through the exchanging of bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal discharge, and breast milk. Means of transmission include sexual contact with an infected person, sharing of needles or syringes with an infected person, or through blood […]
Benefits of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is commonly used among health care workers and other individuals who believe they have recently been exposed to HIV. PEP can actually prevent HIV infection in some individuals, but according to a report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, even when PEP fails to prevent the infection it may […]
CDC Expands HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis Recommendations
A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes some recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use of post-exposure prophylaxis in people exposed to HIV in a nonoccupational setting. Similar to the guidelines following occupational exposures, the CDC recommends prophylaxis beginning within 72 hours after the initial exposure with […]
Nevirapine Warning on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
HIV-negative persons taking antiretrovirals for postexposure prophylaxis–prevention of infection immediately after a needlestick or sexual exposure to HIV–should avoid using nevirapine except in unusual situations, according to recommendations published in the January 5 MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nevirapine has not been officially recommended […]
Researchers Decode HIV Genome
Scientists at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNCCH) have opened up many possibilities into treatment of HIV by decoding the entire structure of the HIV genome. Until now, only small portions of the genome could be studied; however, by using their own technology they were able to view the genome aerially. They discovered […]
Gilead, Johnson & Johnson to Develop Once-Daily HIV Pill
A new once-daily pill to treat HIV will be developed under a deal announced Thursday by Gilead Sciences and Johnson & Johnson. The new antiretroviral would contain J&J’s experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, TMC278, and Gilead’s Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir). In the agreement, Gilead said it will pay development costs of up to $100 million […]
WHO Approves Cervical Cancer Vaccine Cervarix
The World Health Organization has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Cervarix, paving the way for UN agencies and partners to buy the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for poor countries worldwide. Certain HPV strains are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Of the 280,000 cervical cancer deaths globally, more than 80 percent occur in developing countries. Screening […]
FDA Approves Expanded Use Of HIV Drug
Merck announced on Thursday that the FDA has approved expanded use of its HIV drug, Isentress, Reuters. Isentress has been FDA-approved since 2007, but was limited “to use in patients who had drug-resistant strains or were failing on other therapies, also in combination with other HIV drugs. Now it can be used in all adult […]
