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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - July 2024
HIV In My Day
July 31, 2024 - Collection - University of Victoria Libraries - HIV In My Day is a collection of oral history interviews with long-term HIV survivors and their caregivers conducted between 2017 and 2020 in British Columbia by a team of community-based researchers and peers. These interviews focus on participants’ experiences of the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
This collection includes a combination of video, audio, and transcripts of the different interviews.
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What will it take to win the fight against Aids?
31 July 2024 - VOA Africa - In this edition of Straight Talk Africa host Vincent Makori looks at the UNAIDS report on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and discusses ways to go forward. For the first time in the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the sharpest decline in new infections has been achieved in sub-Saharan Africa, but infections are rising in parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Latin America. Vincent is joined by Angeli Achrekar, deputy executive director for the Programme Branch of UNAIDS and Chip Lyons president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $68 Million to Improve Access to HIV Care for Women, Infants, Children and Youth
July 31, 2024 - Department of Health & Human Services | HHS.gov - Announcement Made at Morgan State University in Baltimore at the Latest Stop on HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative Tour; Morgan State Recently Became the HRSA Coordinating Center for Research on Maternal Mortality Disparities
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced more than $68 million in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding to provide family-centered medical care and essential support services for women with low incomes, infants, children, and youth with HIV. This announcement supports and advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s National HIV/AIDs Strategy.
Shirley Young continues son's legacy by helping expand AIDS care
JUL 30, 2024 - CBC News - Young is starting a fund to help expand the Dr. Peter Centre's services across Canada
At 91, Shirley Young remains an active volunteer at the Dr. Peter Centre, the Vancouver-based health-care facility that specializes in care for people with HIV/AIDS established in memory of her late son.
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American study finds promising results when people with HIV undergo coronary bypass surgery
July 30, 2024 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - People with HIV are at increased risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke
Coronary bypass surgery outcomes were compared in 613 people with and 3,119 without HIV
Researchers found similar rates of death (2%) in people from both groups
People with HIV are at heightened risk for cardiovascular disease—heart attack, stroke and the need for cardiovascular surgery. These issues arise because over the long-term HIV infection is associated with an increased risk for chronic inflammation and excess activation of the immune system.
When used as directed, HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, ART) helps suppress the amount of HIV in the blood. This viral suppression helps to reduce levels of HIV-related inflammation and immune activation. However, these issues are not completely resolved with ART.
McMaster trial receives $6.7M to test if a smallpox vaccine can provide protection against mpox post-exposure
July 29, 2024 - By Adam Ward - McMaster University - Researchers with McMaster University are leading a clinical trial that will assess whether a smallpox vaccine can provide protection against mpox after someone has come in contact with the infection.
The Smallpox vaccine for Mpox Post-Exposure Prophylaxis: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (SMART) will launch in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries beginning in August after receiving US$4.9 million ($6.7 million) in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
“This randomized trial will assess the effectiveness of the Bavarian Nordic smallpox vaccine in reducing the incidence of mpox and its associated complications post-exposure. This question is of paramount importance, and it needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency,” says Mark Loeb, the principal investigator of the trial and professor with McMaster’s Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine.
Allied Health Sciences Professor Uses mHealth Tools to Improve HIV and Substance Use Prevention Efforts in Malaysia
July 29, 2024 - By Danielle Faipler - UConn Today - University of Connecticut - Prof. Roman Shrestha has won a $3.4M grant to optimize a smartphone app to improve access to health care for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Malaysia
Recent data shows rates of new HIV cases are on the rise in Malaysia, particularly among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).
This increase has been attributed in part to chemsex, which refers to the intentional use of psychoactive substances before or during sexual activity. Chemsex has been identified as a global public health issue for its likelihood to elevate HIV risk and other health issues like sexually transmitted infections (STIs), addiction, violence, and suicide and suicidal ideation, among others.
GBMSM who engage in chemsex oftentimes encounter obstacles within health care settings to accessing traditional evidence-based harm reduction services, including HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV/STI treatment, and syringe services programs. Additionally, the criminalization of drug use and same-sex sexual behavior in Malaysia further impedes access to these essential services. Moreover, even when such services are accessible, they often lack the necessary support tailored to the specific needs of GBMSM involved in chemsex.
MAC, MAF Want Integrated Approach To Combat Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS Epidemics
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29, 2024 - By CodeBlue - The Malaysian AIDS Council and Malaysian AIDS Foundation call for a cohesive response to the hepatitis and HIV/AIDS epidemics with integrated screening and diagnosis, combined treatment for co-infected people, and unified public health campaigns.
The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) are commemorating World Hepatitis Day 2024 by calling for a unified and holistic approach to tackle the intertwined epidemics of hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.
On this crucial day, it is imperative to highlight the intersection of these two public health crises and advocate for comprehensive strategies to address them collectively. This year’s theme for World Hepatitis Day—”It’s Time for Action”—reflects this commitment.
The connection between hepatitis, particularly hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV/AIDS is well-documented.
People living with HIV (PLHIV) are disproportionately affected by hepatitis due to shared transmission routes, such as intravenous drug use and unprotected sex.
New HIV strains in Saskatchewan lead to faster progression of illness
Jul 26 2024 - The Canadian Press - CBC - 'It's almost as if the virus is nastier,' lead author of new study says
Mutated strains of HIV circulating in Saskatchewan are leading to faster-developing AIDS-related illnesses in the Indigenous population, new research has shown.
The research from the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Simon Fraser University was presented at the 2018 AIDS Conference in Amsterdam on Thursday. It showed that the strains of HIV in Saskatchewan have high levels of immune-resistant mutations compared to ones in other areas of Canada and the United States.
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Receives Political Leadership Award in her Name from International AIDS Society
Munich, Germany - July 26, 2024 - Congresswoman Barbara Lee - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, today received an award from the International Aids Society in Munich, Germany that recognizes the extraordinary contributions of elected officials who have demonstrated significant political leadership and commitment in the fight against AIDS. The award was named in honor of Congresswoman Lee as its first recipient.
Presented biannually, this award seeks to celebrate elected officials who embody unwavering dedication, courage, and compassion in the political arena. This award is also a call to action for current and future political leaders to persist in the fight against AIDS and will be presented at every future International AIDS Society conference.
Beatriz Grinsztejn of Brazil is the new President of the International AIDS Society
Jul 26, 2024 - IAS - International AIDS Society - At the closing of AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, the International AIDS Society welcomed Beatriz Grinsztejn from Brazil as IAS President and Kenneth Ngure from Kenya as President-Elect. The IAS leadership also expressed deep gratitude to Sharon Lewin from Australia who stepped down as IAS President and assumed her role as Immediate Past President.
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A seventh case of HIV cure reported at AIDS 2024
25 July 2024 - World Health Organization - During the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024), being held in Munich, Germany, a new case of long HIV remission was reported and fuels optimism for an eventual HIV cure.
In 2007, Timothy Brown, the so-called first Berlin patient, was the first person to be considered cured of HIV. He underwent a stem cell transplant to treat leukaemia from a donor carrying a rare genetic mutation CCR5-delta 32, which is known to provide genetic resistance to HIV – making his reconstituted immune cells (CD4 cells) unable to be infected with HIV.
Although Timothy died due to recurrent leukaemia in 2020, the success of his treatment has led to four other people following similar treatments and being in sustained remission. One additional case reported in 2023 has been treated with a non-HIV resistant stem cell transplant (taken from a donor who does not carry this mutation) and is also in prolonged HIV remission.
The new case (1) presented at AIDS 2024 is a 60-year-old German man living with HIV who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and underwent a blood stem cell transplant in 2015 from a donor with the CCR5-delta 32 mutation. However, the stem cell donor had a single instead of a double CCR5-delta 32 mutation, which is an important difference, as the cells were not fully immune to HIV. He stopped his antiretroviral treatment in late 2018 and since then, HIV has not been found in multiple samples, including biopsies of intestinal tissue and ultrasensitive viral techniques.
Novel human lung organoids can form lifelike models for tuberculosis infection, and might be used to test efficacy of anti-TB drugs
July 25, 2024 - PLOS Pathogens - Article Title: Advances in an In Vitro Tuberculosis Infection Model Using Human Lung Organoids for Host-Directed Therapies
Tackling viral hepatitis is key to reducing liver cancer toll
Stockholm, 25/07/2024 - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, on 28 July, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) highlights the ongoing public health challenges posed by hepatitis B and C infections, major risk factors for liver cancer in Europe.
“The power to prevent cancer is within our reach. By intensifying efforts, we can speed up elimination of hepatitis B and C viruses, which cause increased rates of liver cancer across Europe. Early testing, prompt linkage to care, enhanced prevention measures, such as hepatitis B vaccination and comprehensive harm reduction programs, are key elements towards elimination of these viruses.” said Piotr Kramarz, ECDC Chief Scientist.
Dr. Amy Acton, LeVar Burton, Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera named panelists for Inamori Ethics Prize symposium on moral imperatives in public health
July 25, 2024 - Case Western Reserve University - Join 2024 Inamori Ethics Prize award-winner Dr. Anthony Fauci
In our increasingly interconnected world, the ongoing risk of communicable health conditions to human life demands organized and equitable public health efforts to combat known and emerging local and global health threats.
But how best to tackle such critical needs and balance individual autonomy with preventing public harm? How should we care for those who take care of us? How can we advance research and regain the trust of historically marginalized groups? What role should the United States play in the world’s healthcare plans?
These and other issues will be discussed this fall at Case Western Reserve University’s Inamori Ethics Prize Symposium, featuring panelists Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Amy Acton, Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera and LeVar Burton, a celebrated American actor, director, producer, writer and advocate.
“Addressing Moral Imperatives in Public Health, Locally and Globally” will be held Sept. 19, 12:30-2 p.m. at the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple-Tifereth Israel at Case Western Reserve.
Tulane study says new drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain
July 25, 2024 - by Leslie Tate - Tulane University - An experimental drug originally developed to treat cancer may help clear HIV from infected cells in the brain, according to a new Tulane University study.
For the first time, researchers at Tulane National Primate Research Center found that a cancer drug significantly reduced levels of SIV, the nonhuman primate equivalent of HIV, in the brain by targeting and depleting certain immune cells that harbor the virus.
Published in the journal Brain, this discovery marks a significant step toward eliminating HIV from hard-to-reach reservoirs where the virus evades otherwise effective treatment.
Gilead Presents Research Data Across Its Broad and Innovative HIV Treatment Portfolio and Pipeline
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)- July 25, 2024 - Gilead- – New 5-Year Clinical and Real-World Data Reinforce Biktarvy ® as a Long-Term Treatment Option for a Diverse Range of People with HIV, Including Those with Comorbidities –
– Investigational, Once-Daily, Once-Weekly and Twice-Yearly Dosing Frequencies Across Administration Methods Aim to Expand Options, Advance Public Health and Help Address Unmet Needs in HIV Treatment –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the presentation of key data from its innovative HIV treatment portfolio and research pipeline, including a broad range of investigational and marketed agents with varied dosing frequencies and administration methods. The findings presented at the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) reflect a portfolio and future-looking pipeline focused on person-centered drug development strategies to help address unmet needs in HIV treatment.
“People are at the center of all we do in HIV treatment research at Gilead. We strive to support people with HIV throughout their lifetimes, with research to maximize the impact of current treatment options and diligent work to develop treatment options for the future,” said Jared Baeten, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Virology Therapeutic Area Head. “Durable viral suppression is the primary goal of HIV care and treatment, resulting in longer, healthier lives for people with HIV and, when undetectable, eliminating the risk of transmitting the virus to partners. Long-term success includes rigorous innovation so that each person can be on the right treatment for them that will support long-term treatment outcomes.”
At international AIDS conference, “every stone has a name and a story”
July 25, 2024 - World Council of Churches - WCC - In the busyness of AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, people of faith met for a moment of silence, reflection, and prayer under the theme “Sustaining Hope for All: Remembering, Celebrating, and Praying for a Future without AIDS.”
The service, held at the Kulur-Etage, a short walk from the conference centre, was coordinated by the Interfaith Health Platform, of which the World Council of Churches is a member. Participants received greetings from local faith leaders: Dean Björn Wagner of the Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Munich-Freising; Bishop Thomas Prieto Pera, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria; and Musa Celik, chairman of the Alevi community for Bavaria.
Rev. Edwin C. Sanders II, Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, USA, invited those present to bring forward a stone and say aloud the name of someone who has died from AIDS-related illnesses whose memory they honour and love. The growing pile of stones was a silent testimony of the lost lives and the pain of 40 years of the pandemic.
Breaking research on the use of race in prenatal screens, health outcomes of HIV-exposed children could advance healthcare for underserved populations
Newswise - CHICAGO - July 24, 2024 - Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) - Findings to be presented at ADLM 2024
In a new study, researchers have demonstrated that there is an insufficient basis for incorporating race in prenatal screening for birth defects. In a second, separate study, researchers have found that HIV-exposed uninfected children are at higher risk for health problems compared to uninfected, unexposed children. Both of these studies will be presented today at ADLM 2024 (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo) and could help to improve medical care for Black pregnant patients and HIV-exposed uninfected children, respectively.
Statement from IAS President Sharon Lewin on full results from PURPOSE 1 trial of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention
24 July 2024 (Munich, Germany) – IAS - International AIDS Society - 24 July 2024 (Munich, Germany) –– Today at AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, at a session beginning at 10:30 CEST, Linda-Gail Bekker presented full results from the PURPOSE 1 trial of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention. The results confirm that lenacapavir demonstrated 100% efficacy for HIV prevention in cisgender women.
Following is a statement on the results from Sharon Lewin, President of IAS – the International AIDS Society, AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair and Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
“These data confirm that twice-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention is a breakthrough advance with huge public health potential. If approved and delivered – rapidly, affordably, and equitably – to those who need or want it, this long-acting tool could help accelerate global progress in HIV prevention. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of young women in South Africa and Uganda who volunteered to be part of this study.
Full Efficacy and Safety Results for Gilead Investigational Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention Presented at AIDS 2024
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)- July 24, 2024 - Gilead - – PURPOSE 1 Data Showed Zero Infections and 100% Efficacy and Superiority of Lenacapavir to Background HIV Incidence and Daily Truvada ® for PrEP –
– If Approved, Lenacapavir Would be the First and Only Twice-Yearly PrEP Choice and Could Address Critical Gaps in Uptake and Adherence for Individuals Who Need or Want PrEP –
– Gilead Commits to Prioritizing Swift Access and Enabling Efficient Paths for Regulatory Approval of Lenacapavir for PrEP in High-Incidence, Resource-Limited Countries –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced full efficacy and safety results from its pivotal, Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 trial. Detailed data from the trial’s interim analysis announced in June showed that lenacapavir, the company’s twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, demonstrated zero infections, 100% efficacy and superiority to background HIV incidence for the investigational use of HIV prevention in cisgender women (women assigned female at birth). Lenacapavir also demonstrated superior prevention of HIV infections when compared with once-daily oral Truvada (emtricitabine 200mg and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg; F/TDF).
The new data provide details on the efficacy, safety and tolerability of twice-yearly lenacapavir injections; drug adherence among trial participants, including poor levels of adherence to daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and high levels of adherence to lenacapavir; and demographic and behavioral characteristics of trial participants, including pregnant women and adolescents.
The data are being presented at a special late-breaking session at the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany and were published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Exploratory analysis associates HIV drug abacavir with elevated cardiovascular disease risk in large global trial
July 24, 2024 - National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Findings add to body of evidence on cardiovascular risk factors for people with HIV.
Current or previous use of the antiretroviral drug (ARV) abacavir was associated with an elevated risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with HIV, according to an exploratory analysis from a large international clinical trial primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There was no elevated MACE risk for the other antiretroviral drugs included in the analysis. The findings will be presented at the 2024 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany.
Live from #AIDS2024: Addressing Structural Barriers and HIV Criminalization
July 24, 2024 - HIV gov - Day 3 of #AIDS2024 started off with a plenary on addressing structural barriers in the HIV/AIDS response. Robert Suttle, Janet Butler-McPhee, and Francisco Ruiz join HIV.gov's Miguel Gomez to share their perspectives on outdated HIV criminalization laws.
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Lenacapavir: Discussing the Latest Research at #AIDS2024
July 24, 2024 - HIV gov - HIV.gov hosted a discussion on the findings of the PURPOSE 1 study where the safety and efficacy of lenacapavir as long-acting injectable PrEP among cisgender women. Brian Minalga facilitated the talk with Dr. Carl Dieffenbach from NIAID, Tori Cooper from HRC, and Dr. Jono Mermin from CDC.
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NIH's Carl Dieffenbach and Louis Shackelford Discuss the Latest HIV Science from #AIDS2024
July 23, 2024 - HIV gov - Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS at NIH's NIAID, joins Louis Shackelford of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network to discuss the research from AIDS 2024. They discussed the new Berlin patient, who is the 7th person cured of HIV, bNabs, and ways to improve the delivery of long-acting PrEP for HIV prevention.
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We can change the future of HIV by learning from the past
July 23, 2024 - By Deborah L. Birx, M.D. & Hannah Johnson - George W. Bush Institute - There’s new hope in the global fight against AIDS, thanks to a promising new drug that has proven to be successful in preventing HIV infection among some of those at the highest risk. But as we work together to bring these tools forward let’s redouble our efforts expanding what we know works.
As health officials, advocates, and experts meet this week in Munich, Germany, for the world’s largest convening on HIV/AIDS, we encourage them to learn from the past. They must double down on data-driven programming, identify gaps and bring in new tools to address them, and increase civil society engagement and partnerships, the primary methods the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has used to save 25 million lives over the past 21 years.
The new drug can enhance PEPFAR’s prevention programming, allowing individuals to discreetly receive prevention treatment only twice a year. That makes it a great new tool in our arsenal for those at the highest risk of contracting HIV. The drug proved to be 100% successful in preventing HIV infection among women and girls ages 16 to 25 in Uganda and South Africa.
MSF calls on Gilead to make groundbreaking HIV prevention drug lenacapavir affordable for all
23 July 2024 - MSF South Africa - Today at the International AIDS Conference, a coalition of activists, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), called for immediate global action to break Gilead’s monopoly on lenacapavir in response to new data showing that generic lenacapavir can be produced at a price of one thousand times less than Gilead’s price of $42,250 (R771,20) per year. With mass production, costs for generic lenacapavir are estimated to be initially $100 (R1825.48) per year, with further reductions to $40 (R730.19) per year as demand increases.
The PURPOSE 1 trial has shown the safety and 100% efficacy of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), in stopping HIV acquisition among cisgender adult and adolescent women. Worldwide, there are 1.3 million infections every year, with one new HIV infection every 24 seconds. Gilead has released no details about their plans for global access—beyond one statement. 25% of all new HIV infections are in Russia, Brazil, Philippines, Ukraine, and Thailand, all countries Gilead routinely excludes from licensing deals.
An isolated viral load test may generate false positive results for people using long-acting PrEP
July 23, 2024 - National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Analysis from large NIH study offers new insight on clinical utility of current U.S. testing algorithm.
Current or previous use of the antiretroviral drug (ARV) abacavir was associated with an elevated risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with HIV, according to an exploratory analysis from a large international clinical trial primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There was no elevated MACE risk for the other antiretroviral drugs included in the analysis. The findings will be presented at the 2024 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany.
HIV stigma in healthcare settings: need for increased knowledge among healthcare workers and improved facility-level guidelines
Stockholm, 23 July, 2024 - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) have released a report assessing HIV-related stigma and discrimination within healthcare settings in Europe and Central Asia, revealing significant gaps in knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention among healthcare workers. This lack of knowledge is associated with higher levels of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, hampering efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of Ending AIDS by 2030.
One in four healthcare workers lacked knowledge on the concept of "undetectable equals untransmittable" (U=U) which means that people with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus to others. Forty-four percent lacked knowledge on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and almost sixty percent lacked knowledge on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Less than a third of the respondents had correct knowledge on all three statements concerning HIV transmission and prevention.
Someone died from untreated AIDS every minute last year: UN
July 23, 2024 - CTV NEWS - Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, over nine million weren't getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the UN said in a new report launched Monday.
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Grandmothers for Africa gear up for annual Island cycling fundraiser
Jul 22, 2024 - Ben Fenlon - Vancouver Island Free Daily - Participants can ride a regular bike, e-bike, stationary bike or take on the epic 3-day cycle from Campbell River to Victoria
Vancouver Island's Grandmothers for Africa are getting ready to saddle up for charity.
The women ride their bicycles to raise vital funds to support grandmothers and their families in Africa affected by HIV and AIDS.
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Leaders welcome advances in HIV science while warning of growing threats to progress at 25th International AIDS Conference
22 July 2024 (Munich, Germany) – IAS - International AIDS Society - 7th known individual cured of HIV and a successful trial of a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot announced at conference against backdrop of rising global authoritarianism, attacks on science, and threats to global health funding
More than 10,000 participants are expected to attend AIDS 2024, , the 25th International AIDS Conference, the world’s largest gathering of people living with, affected by, and working on HIV, taking place in person in Munich, Germany, and virtually from 22 to 26 July.
“We’ve seen incredible breakthroughs at AIDS 2024, including a new case of long-term HIV remission and a promising twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV,” Sharon Lewin, IAS President and AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair, said. “While these advances are cause to celebrate, science doesn’t happen in a vacuum. All around the world, regressive policies, attacks on human rights, the spread of misinformation, cuts to global health funding, and waning trust in international institutions are roadblocks to progress. To end HIV as a threat to public health and individual well-being, we need an evidence-based HIV response and a political climate that respects science.”
The theme of AIDS 2024 calls on the global community to Put people first!
“Putting people first means that whether in the design of clinical trials or implementing new policies and programmes, people living with and affected by HIV must be not just beneficiaries but actors driving our efforts,” Lewin said. for future research.
New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now
GENEVA/MUNICH, 22 July 2024 - UNAIDS - A new report released today by UNAIDS shows that the world is at a critical moment that will determine whether world leaders meet their commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The report, The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads, brings together new data and case studies which demonstrate that the decisions and policy choices taken by world leaders this year will decide the fate of millions of lives and whether the world’s deadliest pandemic is overcome.
Whilst the end of AIDS is within our grasp, this decade, currently the world is off track. Globally, of the 39.9 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million, nearly a quarter, are not receiving life-saving treatment. As a consequence, a person dies from AIDS-related causes every minute.
Leaders pledged to reduce annual new infections to below 370 000 by 2025, but new HIV infections are still more than three times higher than that, at 1.3 million in 2023. And now cuts in resourcing and a rising anti-rights push are endangering the progress that has been made.
“World leaders pledged to end the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030, and they can uphold their promise, but only if they ensure that the HIV response has the resources it needs and that the human rights of everyone are protected,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “Leaders can save millions of lives, prevent millions of new HIV infections, and ensure that everyone living with HIV can live healthy, full lives.”
Decriminalization of LGBTQ+ people saves lives
GENEVA, 19 July 2024 - UNAIDS - Joint Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima
As courts and parliaments in a number of countries are in the midst of considering the legal framework around the rights of LGBTQ+ people, we highlight that punitive laws against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people violate human rights and undermine public health.
Such laws cost lives.
Laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people must be consigned to history – and a growing number of countries are doing just that.
The big – and very welcome – global shift is away from criminalization. Over two-thirds of countries now do not criminalize LGBTQ+ people.
Improving HIV treatment for children and adolescents - the right way
July 18, 2024 - University of Basel - Globally, around 2.6 million children and adolescents are currently living with HIV, the majority of them in Africa. These young people are much more likely to experience treatment failure than adults. Experts long assumed that testing for viral drug resistance could improve treatment in cases where treatment has failed. However, a research team led by the University of Basel now shows that it is much more important to support the patients in taking their medication regularly.
The fight against HIV has made great strides over the past few decades. Antiretroviral drugs keep the virus at bay, preventing it from reproducing in the body and from being transmissible to others. However, there are variants of the virus that have become resistant to these medications. In high-income countries, doctors therefore test the virus for resistance mutations if a particular antiretroviral therapy is failing to take effect.
International HIV strategies and care aided by data from IU-led cohort in East Africa
Jul 18, 2024 - by Kelsey Cook - Indiana University - There is no cure for human immunodeficiency virus, which affects millions of people across the globe. But understanding the sustainability of long-term HIV care and treatment strategies — particularly in low- to middle-income countries where the continuity of care is difficult — is critical to helping those individuals lead long and healthy lives.
Constantin Yiannoutsos, a professor of biostatistics at the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis, has spent much of his career focused on compiling, analyzing and understanding data around HIV and AIDS. He makes sense of data and translates it into actionable information for decision-makers. His work has informed evidence-based decision- and policy-making for some of the most influential organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization.
Panel Issues First Guidelines to Prevent Anal Cancer in People With HIV
July 18, 2024 - By Elizabeth Fernandez - UC San Francisco - New recommendations for screening and treatment are based on the results of a major national study led at UCSF.
Results from a national study led by UC San Francisco informed the first guidelines at the federal level in the U.S. to detect and treat anal cancer precursor lesions in people with HIV to reduce the risk of developing anal cancer.
The guidelines were published on July 9 by a panel of experts in HIV care, utilizing findings from the Anal Cancer/HSIL Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) trial led by Joel M. Palefsky, MD, a professor of medicine in the UCSF Infectious Disease Division. The ANCHOR study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted by the AIDS Malignancy Consortium.
The ANCHOR trial, conducted at 25 clinical sites around the country and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022, found that routine screening for and removal of precancerous anal lesions could significantly reduce the risk of anal cancer, in much the way that cervical cancer is prevented in women.
amfAR Greenlights New HIV Cure Studies with Grants Totaling $1.2 Million
July 18, 2024 - amfAR - Three researchers will test the ability of a pair of cancer drugs and broadly neutralizing antibodies to attack latent HIV, the main barrier to a cure.
amfAR has announced a slate of new grants awarded to researchers targeting the HIV reservoir, the main barrier to a cure. The grants were awarded to: Michael Peluso, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco; Adam Spivak, MD, of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Yiming Yin, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital.
While many people living with HIV today and taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy consistently maintain low to undetectable levels of virus, cessation of treatment will in most cases cause latent HIV to activate and come roaring back. Eliminating the HIV reservoir is thus the holy grail of HIV cure research.
NIH renews five-year grant for UAB’s Center for AIDS Research
July 18, 2024 - by Teresa Hicks - UAB | The University of Alabama at Birmingham - The National Institutes of Health renewed a $9 million five-year grant for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for AIDS Research located in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
Alabama is one of the highest HIV-burdened areas in the United States, with only 73 percent of diagnosed people receiving care and 63 percent being virally suppressed.
The HIV epidemic 40 years on: 5 essential reads on breakthroughs, blind spots and new challenges
July 18, 2024 Nadine Dreyer - The Conversation - In June 1981 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rare form of pneumonia in young gay men in California. Although they didn’t know it at the time, these were the first documented cases of AIDS.
In 1983, HIV – the virus responsible for AIDS – was isolated by virologists from the Institut Pasteur.
Since then 85.6 million people have become infected with HIV and 40.4 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
In the early years the disease was known as the “gay plague” because it only seemed to affect homosexual men.
We now know that HIV is far from being a “gay” disease.
BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS study reveals Treatment as Prevention® combined with targeted Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis can STOP HIV/AIDS®
Vancouver, BC - July 18, 2024 - Bristish Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) - New research, published in Lancet HIV, shows that providing antiretroviral treatment to all people living with HIV and preventive treatment to individuals at high-risk of contracting HIV reduces deaths and new HIV infections by more than 90%
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) has released a new research study showing that the made-in-BC HIV Treatment as Prevention® (TasP® ) strategy coupled with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has dramatically reduced premature HIV/AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections in British Columbia, Canada.
The study, published in Lancet HIV, looked at the impact of three milestones in the fight against HIV – the introduction of highly effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1996, TasP® in 2010, and PrEP in 2018.
ART suppresses the amount of HIV in biological fluids, such as semen or blood, to undetectable levels. As a result, People Living with HIV (PLWH) are no longer infectious and can enjoy a near normal lifespan, free of AIDS. TasP® expands access to free ART to all people immediately after an HIV diagnosis. PrEP refers to the use of two antiretroviral drugs taken daily to prevent HIV infections among individuals at high risk of contracting HIV
First-of-its-kind HIV cure case among scientific highlights at AIDS 2024
18 July 2024 (Munich, Germany) – IAS - International AIDS Society - New global HIV projections and advances in STI and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis also unveiled ahead of AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference
A unique HIV cure case will be among the scientific highlights of AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, which will take place in Munich, Germany and virtually from 22 to 26 July.
For the first time, scientists will share information about the “next Berlin Patient”, who appears to be the world’s seventh person cured of HIV following a stem cell transplant. This is the first HIV cure case in which the donor had a single, rather than double, CCR5-delta32 mutation, which could have promising implications for future research.
2024 Elisse Zack Award
for Excellence in HIV and Rehabilitation
Nominations for the 2024 Elisse Zack Award for Excellence will be accepted until August 17, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. EDT
2024 Le Prix Elisse Zack d’excellence en
réadaptation pour le VIH
Les candidatures au Prix Elisse Zack 2024 d’excellence en réadaptation pour le VIH seront acceptées jusqu’au 17 août 2024 à 17h HNE
CTN+ to lead Canada’s HIV and STBBI clinical trial infrastructure with $25 million investment from CIHR
July 17, 2024 - The CTN | CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network - On July 12th, 2024, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) announced a $25 million investment in the CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBIs) Clinical Trials Research (CTN+), a re-imagined clinical trials network built on legacy and impact. CTN+ will facilitate the design, conduct, and dissemination of equitable, community-informed, scientifically rigorous, and timely research across disciplines, infections, and key populations across all regions of Canada. This modernized network will provide the evidence and tools needed to eliminate HIV and STBBIs as public health threats nationally and beyond.
CTN+ builds upon the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) originally established in 1990 as a cornerstone of the federal AIDS strategy. Under the leadership of National Director Dr. Marina Klein at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, CTN+ will expand to encompass all STBBIs, bringing great potential to share learnings from HIV across infections, tackle common challenges, and advance research more effectively.
Prestigious MERIT Grant Funds Research on How the Immune System Can Banish HIV
July 17, 2024 - Weill Cornell Medicine - Weill Cornell Medicine has received $4.2 million to study how the immune system in some people infected with HIV can keep the virus under control, which could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for thwarting or eliminating HIV. Dr. Brad Jones, associate professor of immunology in medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine, was awarded a MERIT grant from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The “Method for Extending Research in Time” (MERIT) grant provides outstanding investigators longer-term support for high-risk, high-reward experiments that could lead to major breakthroughs. Fewer than five percent of funded NIH investigators are selected to receive the prestigious award.
A Personal Farewell to Aidsmap from the Activist Who Was There
Mark S. King | Jul 17 2024 | My Fabulous Disease - The abrupt closing of aidsmap.com, the stalwart HIV/AIDS information and resource site in the United Kingdom, has sent a mortal shudder through the ranks of those with a history in the HIV arena. The loss is incalculable.
It is also a very personal milestone for people like Gus Cairns, an HIV survivor and journalist who discovered his powers of activism, and his identity as a leader, through his work with aidsmap and the groups that preceded it.
Gus is a master storyteller, and his remembrances on social media about his years in the thick of HIV drama, triumphs and losses are dishy and fascinating. His behind-the-scenes tales literally chart the history of HIV treatment, PrEP, and U=U and bring a lot of its most important figures to life.
Why am I talking? Gus should tell you himself. Here is the posting Gus shared on social media about his life in the movement and the role aidsmap played in it. Enjoy.
Montreal HIV research network to tackle 'explosion' in STIs in new trials
Jul 17, 2024 - Morgan Lowrie - The Canadian Press - CBC - Syphilis cases more than doubled in recent years along with increase in HIV
A Montreal-based HIV/AIDS research network is expanding its scope in response to a dramatic rise in rates of some sexually transmitted infections.
Read more...
Llama Nanobodies: A Breakthrough in Building HIV Immunity
ATLANTA - Jul 16, 2024 - by Noelle Toumey Reetz - Georgia State University RESEARCH MAGAZINE - Biology researchers at Georgia State have developed a new antibody therapy that can neutralize a wide variety of HIV-1 strains. They found success in an unlikely source — llamas.
A research team at Georgia State University has developed tiny, potent molecules that are capable of targeting hidden strains of HIV. The source? Antibody genes from llama DNA.
The research, led by Assistant Professor of Biology Jianliang Xu, uses llama-derived nanobodies to broadly neutralize numerous strains of HIV-1, the most common form of the virus. A new study from this team has been published in the journal Advanced Science.
“This virus has evolved a way to escape our immune system. Conventional antibodies are bulky, so it’s difficult for them to find and attack the virus’ surface,” Xu explained. “These new antibodies can do this in an easier way.”
Gilead to Highlight Landmark Progress in Research Across HIV Prevention, Treatment and Cure Programs at AIDS 2024
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- July 16, 2024 - Gilead - – Late-Breaking Full Results from HIV Prevention Research of Twice-Yearly Injectable Lenacapavir –
– Progress and Person-Centered Approaches Across HIV Treatment, Cure Research and Development Programs –
– Key Initiatives Demonstrate Commitment to Collaboration to Help End the HIV Epidemic Worldwide –
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced its program for the upcoming 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024), taking place in Munich, Germany, and virtually, from July 22-26. As the leading innovator in HIV, Gilead will share new data from its research and development programs and Gilead-supported collaborations that unite leading scientific innovation and partnership aimed at ending the HIV epidemic.
"The AIDS 2024 conference convenes the global HIV community – scientists, advocates, and partners from the public and private sectors," said Jared Baeten, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Virology Clinical Development, Gilead Sciences. "Our contributions to this year's meeting demonstrate Gilead's leadership in person-centered innovations across HIV prevention, treatment, and cure. Our scientific advancements are grounded in collaboration with community and research partners around the world. I look to a future where every person has options to help obtain their own HIV prevention or treatment success and where we've come together to end the HIV epidemic."
The Wistar Institute Launches HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center
PHILADELPHIA - (July 16, 2024) - The Wistar Institute - Center Headquartered at New Wistar North Campus
The Wistar Institute — building on its history of leading advances in human health as the nation’s first nonprofit biomedical research institute — is creating a new HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center, made possible by a $24 million institutional investment from Wistar. The HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center will advance Wistar’s dedication to cure research to meet the worldwide challenge of HIV. The goal is to move beyond current life-long treatments to eradicate the virus. The Center marshals world-class scientific talent, research expertise, and community support to bring together the very best in foundational bench to bedside biomedical research to discover a cure for HIV and possibly a host of viral threats.
“The virus doesn’t care about borders”: Interview with the local co-chair of the 2024 World AIDS Conference in Munich
07/15/2024 - By Paul Hellmich - The World AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) will be held in Munich from July 22 to 26. For five days, experts from science, politics, affected groups, and counseling organizations will gather to discuss HIV. Prof. Christoph Spinner, an infectious disease specialist at the Technical University of Munich’s Klinikum rechts der Isar, serves as the local co-chair. In this interview, he explains why the conference remains essential after more than 40 years of AIDS and highlights some of the latest encouraging research findings.
Prof. Spinner, the first AIDS cases were identified in the early 1980s. In 2024, more than 10,000 experts are expected to attend the 25th World AIDS Conference in Munich. Do we still need such a large event?
HIV Rapid Test Kits Market Growing Rapidly by 2031 - Biolytical Laboratories, Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., JOYSBIO (Tianjin) Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Alpine Biomedicals Pvt Ltd., Abbott Laboratories.
JULY 15, 2024 - DataM Intelligence - DataM Intelligence has published a new research report on "HIV Rapid Test Kits Market Size 2024". The report explores comprehensive and insightful Information about various key factors like Regional Growth, Segmentation, CAGR, Business Revenue Status of Top Key Players and Drivers. The purpose of this report is to provide a telescopic view of the current market size by value and volume, opportunities, and development status.
Anal Cancer Risk Differs by Region for People With HIV
JULY 15, 2024 - By Leslie Cantu - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - A recent study that followed a cohort of more than 110,000 people found significant disparities in the risk for anal cancer for people with HIV and for men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV, depending on the region of the country where they live.
It's known that people with HIV have the highest risk for anal cancer, said lead author Ashish A. Deshmukh, PhD, a co-leader of the cancer control research program at Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center, in Charleston.
World Hepatitis Day: Promoting Awareness and Action
15-Jul-2024 - by Newswise - July 28 marks World Hepatitis Day, a date dedicated to raising awareness about hepatitis and promoting measures to combat this serious public health issue.
Early detection and prevention are critical in the fight against hepatitis. Vaccination, regular screening, and public health campaigns are vital in reducing the spread of the disease.
Several global health initiatives aim to combat hepatitis and improve access to treatment and care in underserved regions. These initiatives focus on increasing the availability of vaccines, antiviral medications, and medical infrastructure in areas with limited healthcare access.
Canada must end the criminalization of people living with HIV now!
Thursday, July 11, 2024 —Toronto, ON - HIV LEGAL NETWORK - Members of the media are invited to attend a media conference on Tuesday, June 16, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. EDT focused on the ongoing criminalization of people living with HIV in Canada.
At the 2022 International AIDS Conference, the Government of Canada announced a national consultation on reforming the laws that criminalize HIV non-disclosure. Yet, with this year’s AIDS Conference approaching, and consultations having ended in January 2023, the government has taken no concrete steps to advance this much-needed law reform.
Members of the Canadian Coalition to Reform HIV Criminalization (CCRHC) will be joined by members of the international HIV community to discuss how Canada’s criminalization of people living with HIV continues to harm people in Canada and emboldens governments worldwide to deny basic human rights.
IAS announces 2024 Me and My Healthcare Provider Campaign Champions to honour outstanding stigma-free services
11 July 2024 –IAS - International AIDS Society - The 2024 Me and My Healthcare Provider (MMHCP) Campaign, supported by Gilead Sciences for the third year running, honours 18 frontline workers providing exemplary inclusive and stigma-free HIV services in Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan and now, Türkiye.
IAS – the International AIDS Society – with local partners, today honoured 18 Me and My Healthcare Provider Champions from Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan and Türkiye. This award celebrates the tireless efforts of frontline healthcare workers who navigate the challenges of stigma and discrimination to provide high-quality HIV prevention, treatment and care to key populations.
Nobel Laureate Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., Delivers 28th Annual Jonathan Lax Memorial Lecture at The Wistar Institute
PHILADELPHIA — (July 10, 2024) - The Wistar Institute - On Tuesday, July 16th at 6:30 pm EDT, Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., — Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research, Director of Vaccine Research, and Director of the Institute for RNA Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania — delivers the 28th annual Jonathan Lax Memorial Lecture at The Wistar Institute in recognition of his outstanding contributions to HIV research. Dr. Weissman’s talk, “Development of novel therapies based on RNA: from COVID vaccines to anti-HIV strategies,” is open to the public both in-person at Wistar and virtually through an online live stream.
NHLBI’s MACS/WIHS study targets chronic health conditions in people living with HIV
July 09, 2024 - National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - Longest running study of HIV survivors is marking its 40th anniversary this year.
In the 1980s, infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was often viewed as a death sentence. With no treatments available and little understanding of the virus or the disease, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States ultimately lost their lives and millions more died worldwide.
Much has changed in the past four decades. Thanks to the availability of powerful antiretroviral drugs, new infections have decreased significantly, the virus is held at low levels in the body, and the HIV death rate has plummeted. People living with HIV are now more likely to die of a chronic illness, such as cardiovascular disease, than from AIDS. Meanwhile, researchers continue to make inroads in finding an effective vaccine or even a cure.
Now, this year, another milestone: the nation’s largest and longest running study of HIV survivors is marking its 40th anniversary.
Mpox - South Africa
9 JULY 2024 - Disease Outbreak News - World Health Organization (WHO) - The International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) of the Republic of South Africa notified WHO of 20 confirmed mpox cases between 8 May and 2 July 2024, including three deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR) of 15%). These cases were reported in three of nine provinces: Gauteng (10 cases; 1 death), Western Cape (1 case), and KwaZulu-Natal (9 cases; 2 deaths). These are the first cases of mpox reported in South Africa since 2022 when the country had reported five cases, none of which were severe, and no deaths. The persons affected are men aged between 17 and 43 years old, and of the first 16 cases, 11 self-identified as men who have sex with men (MSM). At least 15 cases are living with HIV with unmanaged or only recently diagnosed HIV infection, and have advanced HIV disease (AHD), and one case has diabetes. The type of exposure contact reported by cases is sexual contact. Eighteen of the patients required hospitalization. Several response measures have been put in place by national health authorities with the support of WHO. The sudden appearance of these cases none of whom reported any history of international travel, the extremely high HIV prevalence among confirmed cases, and the high case-fatality ratio suggest that the confirmed cases are only a small proportion of all cases that might have occurred, and that community transmission is ongoing. The risk to human health for the general public remains low in the country. The risk for gay men, bisexual men, other men who have sex with men, trans and gender-diverse people, and sex workers is moderate. There is potential for increased health impact should wider dissemination among these and other vulnerable groups in South Africa and neighbouring countries continue. This event emphasizes that the global mpox outbreak linked to clade IIb monkeypox virus (MPXV) is still ongoing, and the risk of cross-border and international spread persists in all WHO regions.
Award for innovative HIV research
08.08.2024 - Medical Faculty/University Hospital Magdeburg - The Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg has awarded Dr Stefan Scheller the "Best Doctoral Student of the Faculty of Medicine 2024" faculty prize for his outstanding research in the field of HIV cures. Dr Scheller's dissertation deals with the ambitious idea of modifying the immune system so that it becomes resistant to the HI virus. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, also known as gene scissors, he was able to show that it is possible to genetically modify stem cells to make them resistant to HIV. This groundbreaking work shows the potential to provide HIV patients with a functional cure by re-transplanting resistant cells and thus offers a promising prospect for the development of a widely applicable and permanent cure for HIV. According to Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, around 38.4 million people worldwide are living with HIV.
Update on PEPFAR’s Programming Budget for 2024/2025
JULY 8, 2024 - PEPFAR RELEASE - Since the start of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the program has utilized multi-year appropriations. The Biden Administration has every year requested at least $4.7 billion for the PEPFAR program in its annual budget request to Congress, on top of funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — demonstrating unwavering commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS globally. These funding levels, coupled with multi-year availability, have enabled the program to have an operational budget of more than the annual appropriation when prior-year funds remained available. PEPFAR has used this strategy successfully to accelerate progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, balances from prior years have decreased, while the PEPFAR annual appropriation level has remained relatively stable for the last decade, consistent with levels requested by the Biden Administration that align to achieving PEPFAR’s goals.
Scientists create first mouse model with complete, functional human immune system
SAN ANTONIO, July 8, 2024 - University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio - A breakthrough for biomedical research promises new insight into immunotherapy development and disease modeling. Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) have created a humanized mouse model with a human immune system and a human-like gut microbiome that is capable of mounting specific antibody responses.
The scientists were led by Paolo Casali, MD, University of Texas Ashbel Smith Professor and Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. Casali has nearly five decades of biomedical research experience in immunology and microbiology and is a leading researcher in molecular genetics and epigenetics of the antibody response. He was a professor of immunology and director of the division of molecular immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, and the founding director of the Institute for Immunology at University of California, Irvine, CA.
First Nations superhero ‘Condoman’ was a world leader in HIV prevention. Aunty Gracelyn Smallwood made it happen
July 8, 2024 - The Conversation - When HIV arrived on Australian shores in the early 1980s, politicians and healthcare workers worried the virus would run rampant in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This didn’t happen – thanks to highly successful health promotion campaigns and public health programs rolled out around the country by Aboriginal-controlled medical services, from 1987.
The most famous of these was “Condoman”, the First Nations superhero whose safe-sex directive “Don’t be shame, be game: Use condoms!” captured hearts and minds across the continent.
Aunty Gracelyn Smallwood, a proud Birrigubba, Kalkadoon and South-Sea Islander woman and registered nurse/midwife, was central to this public health response, working alongside her colleague and friend Phillip Mills and other health workers throughout the state.
Her advocacy took her from her hometown of Townsville all the way to the highest offices of Australia’s HIV and AIDS response, where she played a part in shaping a world-leading approach to the virus.
Marie-Josée Mbuzenakamwe, champion in the fight against AIDS
05 JUL.2024 - Fondation de France - Marie-Josée Mbuzenakamwe has devoted her career as a doctor to caring for people with AIDS in Africa and works to put an end to this disease. She chairs the Fondation de France's “Gender and HIV” committee.
Marie-Josée was born in Burundi almost 60 years ago. She now lives in the Eure-et-Loir department of France, from where she continues to travel throughout Africa on consultancy and field assignments. Marie-Josée Mbuzenakamwe is a doctor. As a result of chance - due to her family origins - and necessity, she has devoted most of her professional career to HIV care. This experience made her the clear choice as the leader of Fondation de France’s Gender and HIV Committee, which she has chaired since 2021. Her parents were campaigners for Burundian independence and took on major responsibilities when this was achieved in the 1960s. As a nurse, her father became a pillar of the training system for school dropouts. Her mother was a teacher and ran the general secretariat of the Union des Femmes Burundaises women’s organisation.
Sault Ste. Marie's 2024 AIDS Vigils takes place this weekend
July 5, 2024 - By Cory Nordstrom - CTV News Northern Ontario - Advocacy groups say move would eliminate ‘Ending HIV Epidemic’ initiative
A yearly vigil for those impacted by AIDS is taking place in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., this weekend.
The event honours those who have passed while celebrating those who are still here.
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Sault Ste. Marie's 2024 AIDS Vigils takes place this weekend
July 5, 2024 - By Cory Nordstrom - CTV News Northern Ontario - Advocacy groups say move would eliminate ‘Ending HIV Epidemic’ initiative
A yearly vigil for those impacted by AIDS is taking place in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., this weekend.
The event honours those who have passed while celebrating those who are still here.
Read more...
House Republicans propose steep cuts in federal AIDS budget
July 5, 2024 - By Lou Chibbaro Jr. - Los Angeles Blade - Advocacy groups say move would eliminate ‘Ending HIV Epidemic’ initiative
The Republican-controlled U.S. House Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved a spending bill on June 26 that calls for cutting at least $419 million from federal AIDS programs that AIDS activists say would have a devastating impact on efforts to greatly reduce the number of new HIV infections by 2030.
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Boys born with higher natural resistance to HIV, study finds
[NAIROBI] - 05/07/24 - By: Dann Okoth - SciDev.Net - Baby girls are more likely to acquire HIV from their mothers during pregnancy or childbirth than infant boys, who are conversely more likely to achieve cure or remission, researchers say in a new study that sheds light on the gender differences in immune systems.
An estimated 1.3 million women and girls living with HIV become pregnant each year and the rate of transmission to the child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding – in the absence of any intervention – ranges from 15 to 45 per cent, according to the World Health Organization.
Lead researcher Philip Goulder says the study identified some of the key mechanisms by which sustained HIV remission can be achieved – mechanisms that are relevant to children and adults alike.
HIV rates increasing, especially in women, Province of Manitoba covering costs of meds
July 5, 2024 - By Patrick Harney - THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR - Since 2018, the number of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases has been exponentially growing in Manitoba. The increasing rate of transmission led organizations like HIV Manitoba to raise the alarm around the issue.
According to Nine Circles Community Health Centre, in 2018, the number of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV was 111. Last year, that number increased dramatically to 388 and as of May of this year, 155 more individuals have been diagnosed. Based on projections from the University of Manitoba, if this trend continues, Manitoba could see 884 new cases in 2027.
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MANITOBA GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCH MANITOBA ANNOUNCE RECIPIENT OF DR. DICK SMITH HIV EPIDEMIOLOGY GRANT
July 4, 2024 - Province of Manitoba - The Manitoba government, along with Research Manitoba, would like to congratulate Dr. Titus Olukitibi of the University of Manitoba's department of medical microbiology on being the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Dick Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship in HIV-AIDS Research, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today.
“It’s wonderful to see the work of Dr. Smith – work that he cared so deeply about – expanded and carried on by Dr. Olukitibi, to whom I extend my congratulations and appreciation,” said Asagwara. “Given Manitoba’s rising rates of HIV, there’s an urgent need to deepen our understanding of the disease and build knowledge and data that will drive local solutions and help prevent the disease from spreading.”
Advancing toward a preventative HIV vaccine
LA JOLLA, CA and NEW YORK, NY - July 4, 2024 - Scripps Research - Across four preclinical studies, Scripps Research, IAVI, and additional collaborators make headway in stimulating the rare antibodies needed to fight HIV.
A major challenge in developing a vaccine for HIV is that the virus mutates fast—very fast. Although a person initially becomes infected with one or a few HIV strains, the virus replicates and mutates quickly, resulting in a “swarm” of viral strains existing in a single body. But scientists at Scripps Research; IAVI; the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard; La Jolla Institute for Immunology; and additional institutions have conducted a series of preclinical trials indicating that they’re potentially closer to an immunization regimen than ever before—one that could produce rare antibodies that would be effective against a wide range of HIV strains.
Lamivudine resistance mutation may persist for many years in some people with HIV
4 July 2024 - Keith Alcorn - aidsmap - High viral load in the past predicts persistence of M184V mutation
With heavy hearts, we announce the proposed closure of our beloved charity, NAM aidsmap, this month. After 37 years of pioneering health journalism, community engagement, and empowerment through information, we will cease operations this summer.
We are incredibly proud of the millions we've reached worldwide and the grassroots ingenuity and commitment of our team and partners.
Read more...
HIV breakthrough: drug trial shows injection twice a year is 100% effective against infection
July 3, 2024 - The Conversation - A large clinical trial in South Africa and Uganda has shown that a twice-yearly injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis drug gives young women total protection from HIV infection.
The trial tested whether the six-month injection of lenacapavir would provide better protection against HIV infection than two other drugs, both daily pills. All three medications are pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs.
Physician-scientist Linda-Gail Bekker, principal investigator for the South African part of the study, tells Nadine Dreyer what makes this breakthough so significant and what to expect next.
City of West Hollywood to Host Community Meeting for STORIES: The AIDS Monument in Advance of Construction
July 02, 2024 - City of West Hollywood - The City of West Hollywood will host a pre-construction community meeting featuring updates about STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which is planned at West Hollywood Park adjacent to N. San Vicente Boulevard and the West Hollywood Library.
The community meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. For community members who cannot attend in person, please join the meeting virtually via Zoom.
New Lab Test to Detect Persistent HIV Strains in Africa May Aid Search for Cure
JULY 2, 2024 - Weill Cornell Medicine - A multinational team led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators developed a test that will help measure the persistence of HIV in people affected by viral strains found predominantly in Africa—a vital tool in the search for an HIV cure that will benefit patients around the world.
The study, published in Nature Communications on July 2, helps fill a major gap in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) research. Most HIV studies have focused on strains circulating in Western countries, predominantly in men who have sex with men affected by subtype B. Few studies have examined strains circulating in Africa, where women are disproportionately affected.
XRP Healthcare: Helping to Transform HIV and AIDS Care with Innovative Prescription Savings Solutions
DUBAI, UAE, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - XRP Healthcare - XRP Healthcare has announced a new initiative aimed at supporting individuals living with HIV and AIDS by enabling increased access to the XRP Healthcare Prescription Savings Card through promotions and marketing of the same, focusing on its powerful free tool that offers substantial discounts on essential medications, helping to alleviate the financial burden of managing chronic health conditions.
XRP Healthcare has announced a new initiative aimed at supporting individuals living with HIV and AIDS by providing them with access to the XRP Healthcare Prescription Savings Card. This powerful tool offers substantial discounts on essential medications, helping to alleviate the financial burden of managing chronic health conditions.
A journey from hoops all-star to research legend: Dr. Robert Gallo’s next stop is Tampa Bay
JULY 1, 2024 -DAVE SCHEIBER - University of South Florida - There was a time decades ago – long before he became one of the world’s pioneering researchers, received the American version of the Nobel Prize not once but twice, ranked for 10 years as the most cited scientist on earth, and, oh yes, co-discovered the HIV virus – that Dr. Robert Gallo was simply a working-class kid from a Connecticut metal-mill city with a passion for basketball.
He was a standout, 6-foot forward for Waterbury’s Sacred Heart High School, with good enough shooting and ball-handling skills to make the All-Star team in an early 1950s basketball camp run by future Boston Celtics legend and NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy.
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Worry over HIV cases
July 1, 2024 - The Fiji Times - Ministry of Health and Medical Services is worried that the cases of HIV might double again this year.
While presenting the public submission on Ministry of Health and Medical Services 2015-2021 Annual Report, the permanent secretary for Ministry of Health and Medical Services Dr Jemesa Tudravu highlighted that they have noticed a trend of HIV cases getting doubled every yea r.
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Session and Event Highlights at AIDS 2024
July 1, 2024 - By International AIDS Society - POZ - The AIDS 2024 programme features research on a wide range of important issues, including sustainability and financing, health innovation, integrated HIV care, and HIV cure and vaccine development.
AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, offers more than 200 sessions that spotlight the latest science, insights and lessons for and from the global HIV response. Join us for AIDS 2024 in Munich, Germany, and virtually from 22 to 26 July! Pre-conferences take place on 20 and 21 July.
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Thank you and farewell
1 July 2024 - Alain Volny-Anne - aidsmap - With heavy hearts, we announce the proposed closure of our beloved charity, NAM aidsmap, this month. After 37 years of pioneering health journalism, community engagement, and empowerment through information, we will cease operations this summer.
We are incredibly proud of the millions we've reached worldwide and the grassroots ingenuity and commitment of our team and partners.
Read more...
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