Tag: HIV/AIDS

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New Study Confirms (Again) Undetectable HIV Viral Load Can’t Be Transmitted

(stock photo via Depositphotos)

A new medical study in Europe adds to the growing body of evidence that people on antiretroviral HIV medications with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus to sexual partners.

The eight year study of almost 1,000 gay male serodiscordant couples (one partner HIV positive, one partner HIV negative) found no cases of HIV transmission. None of the couples used condoms during sex.

Alison Rodger, a professor at University College London who helped lead the study, said in a statement, “Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART (antiretroviral treatment) is zero.”

The summary of the study read, in part, “Our findings support the message of the U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable) campaign, and the benefits of early testing and treatment for HIV.”

The focus of the study, which followed participants from July 2010 to September 2017, was to assess the risk of HIV transmission between serodiscordant gay male couples who do not use condoms.

The report, published in the medical journal The Lancet, did show 15 men (of the 972 couples who took part in the research) became HIV+ during the 8 year study. But genetic testing revealed their infections were due to HIV strains from other sexual partners.

An earlier phase of the study followed serodiscordant heterosexual couples, which also showed no transmission of the HIV virus between partners.

Reuters reports that since the worldwide epidemic began in the early 1980s, over 77 million people have become HIV+, and nearly half (35.4 million) have died from resulting AIDS.

Thanks to the success of antiretroviral treatment, the annual number of deaths from AIDS has been falling. But, medical professionals are concerned that the rate of new infections has remained high with nearly 1.8 million new diagnoses each year.

(Source: Lancet, Reuters)

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News Round-Up: April 5, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Dan Tai (above) believes you should “go hard or go home.” #legs #thighs #calves #everything #woof

• Colorado’s state Assembly has approved HB 1129, which will protect LGBTQ youth from so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay man elected governor, will sign the bill into law. Colorado will become the 16th state plus the District of Columbia to prohibit the harmful practice.

• Failed politician and talk show host Mike Huckabee says LGBTQ people are the “greatest threat to the moral fiber of America.”

• University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health scientists report in EBioMedicine that they’ve developed an all-in-one immunotherapy approach that not only kicks HIV out of hiding in the immune system, but also kills it.

• Donald Trump is celebrating the election of homophobe Brian Hagedorn to the Wisconsin state Supreme Court. Hagedorn infamously wrote some years ago that being gay leads to bestiality, and recognition of LGBTQ pride events creates a “hostile working environment” for Christians. But, Trump is thrilled with the news.

• LGBTQ ally Cyndi Lauper & YouTube Todrick Hall have been announced to perform at the opening ceremonies of New York Pride this year. Whoopi Goldberg will host the event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on 26 June.

• Click here if you want to hear former The View co-host moan and whine about being scolded by Barbra Walters back in 2006. It pretty much confirms what I always thought about the former reality show contestant.

• Out recording artist Gia Woods drops her latest single, “Keep On Coming,” complete with a moody music video set in a shadowy bedroom.

Woods says the seductive song is about “Someone’s body that ‘keeps coming’ — meaning I’ve never met this person, but for some reason, I’m supposed to know them. I feel like somehow life relentlessly finds a way to make paths keep crossing. This is the realization whether or not you want to meet the person, it’s inevitable.”

Her breakout single, “Only A Girl,” has garnered over 10 million views on YouTube. I recently wrote about her track, “Jump The Fence,” here.

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Australia: Man Receives HIV Diagnosis While Using PrEP ‘On Demand’

Steven Spencer, who lives in Sydney, told the Sydney Morning Herald he received the diagnosis in December.

“I was in complete, as were my doctors,” said the 27-year-old.

With an estimated half a million people currently taking PrEP (aka Truvada) to prevent HIV infection, Spencer is believed to be the 7th person in the world to be diagnosed as HIV+ while taking the medication.

Taking PrEP “on demand” is a dosing strategy aimed at taking the medication only at specific times before and after sex.

Dr. Darren Russell, of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine – which helped develop Australia’s clinical guidelines for PrEP – told the Morning Herald, “Taking PrEP only around the time of sexual events allows for fewer tablets to be taken overall, resulting in less exposure to medication, potentially fewer side-effects, and lower costs.”

Medical experts in Australia stressed to the media that people shouldn’t doubt the drug’s effectiveness in light of Mr. Spencer’s diagnosis.

Andrew Grulich, program head of HIV Epidemiology and Prevention at the University of NSW’s Kirby Institute, underscored the point that PrEP had been a “game-changer for HIV prevention in Australia” since it was made available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (which provides subsidized prescription drugs) in April 2018.

“Individuals should remain confident of PrEP’s effectiveness,” he added.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control say daily PrEP reduces the getting HIV by more than 90%.

According to Grulich, most of the cases where patients acquired HIV while using PrEP involved a virus that is resistant to the anti-viral medication.

Steven Spencer of Sydney, Australia

Immediately after his diagnosis, Spencer was put on HIV medications, and within six weeks was declared to have an ‘undetectable viral load’ meaning he couldn’t transmit the virus to anyone.

And Spencer still believes in the PrEP protocol.

“What happened to me doesn’t change the fact that PrEP is still the most powerful HIV preventative we have ever had,” said Spencer.

“It is protecting hundreds of thousands of people from HIV in an empowering way, alongside effective treatment for people living with HIV,” he added.

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Podcast: The Equality Act, Utah’s hate crimes law, Pete Buttigieg, Out Recording Artist NIKO Releases New EP

In this week’s podcast:

• The Equality Act is reintroduced in Congress

• Donald Trump finally fills appointments to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

• Utah moves towards a more effective hate crimes law

• Openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg qualifies for the first Democratic presidential debate

• Ireland’s gay prime minister meets with uber-anti-gay Vice President Mike Pence

• Out recording artist NIKO releases his new EP

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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News Round-Up: March 15, 2019

Happy birthday, Russell Todd! (photo: James Franklin)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Belated birthday wishes to my longtime buddy, Russell Todd! I’ve known Russell since the 90s when I first moved to the west coast. Everywhere we’d go fans would remember him as ‘Dr. Jamie Frame’ from Another World, Friday the 13th Part 2, and other movie/TV projects. Totally the best guy, and yes – he is that handsome 🙂

• Traffic on the app Tumblr has dropped by 150 million page views since banning “photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples” on the site from December 17.

• Sadly, Netflix has announced the cancellation of its reboot of the Norman Lear sitcom, One Day at a Time. The new version, featuring a Cuban-American family, was about as good as a TV sitcom can get. The series tackled coming out, homophobia, depression, and many important topics with class and intelligence. If you have Netflix, I recommend you go catch up on the 3 seasons we did get.

• A once-a-month injection to treat HIV has now passed two important trials. #LookingGood

• A new documentary, Mack Wrestles, chronicles the story of Mack Beggs, the trans male Texas high school wrestler who won the state’s girls champion despite wanting to wrestle boys. The film just premiered at the 2019 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas.

• Ray Mabus, the former Secretary of the Navy, blasted the Trump/Pence transgender military ban as a “stain on our country” saying the policy “tells our children that merit has no place, while prejudice does.”

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News Round-Up: March 13, 2019

Paleontologist, Francesc Gascó, saying 'good night.' #ImNotMad

Some news items you might have missed:

• Paleontologist & InstaHunk Francesc Gascó saying ‘good night.’ #ImNotMad

• The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed a bill banning the practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on minors. With full passage, Mass would become the 16th state (plus the District of Columbia) to ban conversion therapy for minors.

• Donald Trump has proposed cutting over $1 billion in HIV/AIDS funding in next fiscal budget.

• Former Broadway dancer Marcus Bellamy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering his partner during a drug-fueled argument.

• Utah’s House of Representatives approved a bill that would give teeth to the state’s hate crime law – but only after making not only LGBTQ people but “political expression” protected by the law.

• Los Angeles-based electro-pop musician, Devin Tait, recently debuted his new music video, “By My Side,” from his album, Art Damage.

The video is an wistful homage to late 80s-era Halloween nights, and two young men who discover that there may be more to be found in removing your mask than in hiding who you are.

Hit the play button below.

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PrEP Use Jumps 500% Among Gay/Bi Men At Risk Of HIV

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control indicates an almost 500% increase in the use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) among gay and bisexual men in 2017.

The data, presented at the 2019 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle on Thursday, found 35% of gay/bisexual men at risk for HIV had begun using PrEP, up from only 6% in 2014.

According to NBC News, the study was based on 8,000+ interviews across 20 cities in the U.S.

The numbers also revealed the varying adoption rates among different ethnic groups.

Among gay/bisexual men at high risk of HIV, 40% of white men were found to use PrEP, while only 30% of Hispanic men and just 26% of African-American men admitted to taking the drug.

PrEP, also known by its drug name Truvada, has been found to be more than 90% effective in blocking transmission of the HIV virus during sex.

The new report shows high levels of awareness of PrEP among gay/bi men. Ninety-five percent of white men indicated they knew about the drug, as well as 87% of Latinos and 86% of African-Americans.

But in light of the government’s newly-announced “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America,” which has a goal of reducing HIV infections by 90% by the year 2030, the CDC feels PrEP use is still “underutilized.”

One of the obstacles for people accessing PrEP is the high cost of the drug – around $2,000 a month for those without health insurance. Additionally, different insurance companies have wide-ranging policies regarding approving the use of PrEP.

Plus, the new report shows only 10% adoption rates across the country when you factor in heterosexuals and injection drug-use populations at risk of HIV.

With those costs in mind, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced the PrEP Assistance Program Act Friday morning.

The new legislation aims to prevent HIV and AIDS by increasing access to pre-exposure prophylaxis medication for individuals at risk of contracting HIV.

The PrEP Assistance Program Act would create a grant program through the federal Department of Health and Human Services to help cover the costs of PrEP medication, laboratory fees, outreach to inform the public about PrEP, and more.

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Second Patient Appears To Be Cured Of HIV

Scientists report a second patient seems to have been cured of HIV.

From The New York Times:

The news comes nearly 12 years to the day after the first patient known to be cured, a feat that researchers have long tried, and failed, to duplicate. The surprise success now confirms that a cure for H.I.V. infection is possible, if difficult, researchers said.

Publicly, the scientists are describing the case as a long-term “remission.” In interviews, most experts are calling it a cure, with the caveat that it is hard to know how to define the word when there are only two known instances.

Both milestones resulted from bone-marrow transplants given to infected patients. But the transplants were intended to treat cancer in the patients, not H.I.V.

Bone-marrow transplantation is unlikely to be a realistic treatment option in the near future. Powerful drugs are now available to control H.I.V. infection, while the transplants are risky, with harsh side effects that can last for years.

But rearming the body with immune cells similarly modified to resist H.I.V. might well succeed as a practical treatment, experts said.

The first patient to be ‘cured’ is Timothy Ray Brown, 52, who currently lives in Palm Springs, California. Brown has leukemia and underwent two bone-marrow transplants before he was declared ‘cured’ of HIV.

Scientists are currently tracking 38 patients with HIV who received bone marrow transplants.

This new, second patient (only referred to as ‘the London patient’) is number 36 on that list.

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Trump Proposes Ending HIV Despite His Administration’s Track Record

Donald Trump proposes ending HIV by 2030

In his State of the Union address tonight, Donald Trump says he plans to end the HIV epidemic within 10 years.

“In recent years, we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” said Trump. “Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America — and beyond.”

While a laudable goal, Trump’s past actions on HIV point to a far different position.

In December 2017, he fired his entire Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS with no warning after several member quit penning a TIME Magazine essay, “Trump Doesn’t Care About HIV.”

He defunded NIH vaccine research efforts and requested additional cuts in funding to fight HIV/AIDS that Congress has rebuffed.

He’s proposed diverting funds from the Ryan White HIV Program to pay for border security.

And then there’s the litany of attacks on the LGBTQ community as a whole.

Sorry, I call bullshit. As the old commercial goes, “Where’s the beef?”

“HIV advocates all agree that ending transmission is an important goal,” Stacey Long Simmons, director of advocacy and action at the National LGBTQ Task Force told the Washington Blade.

“Based on Trump’s repeatedly broken promises, we have cause to question his commitment until we see the necessary funding flowing to strategies that will actually end transmission.”

I’d love to be proven wrong in the long run.

We shall see.

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Trump Might Propose New HIV/AIDS Initiative?

Politico is reporting that Trump plans to propose a strategy wherein health officials would “spend the first five years focusing on communities across roughly 20 states where the most HIV infections occur,” and then expand efforts to the rest of the country.
Donald Trump

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised he would be “much better for the gays” than Hillary Clinton.

So far, that hasn’t been the case with Trump in the White House.

Within hours of taking the oath of office, the White House website was scrubbed of all mention of LGBTQ Americans.

The president has proposed banning transgender military service members and has begun discharging soldiers with HIV.

After several members of his HIV/AIDS advisory panel quit saying “Trump doesn’t care about HIV,” he fired the remaining members in January 2018. (Note: the new advisory panel was sworn in just last week).

The Trump administration has sought to cut funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and has flirted with cutting funds to AIDS research.

While HIV/AIDS is not a ‘gay’ disease, the Centers for Disease Control reports the illness disproportionately affects bisexual and gay men. In 2016, gay and bisexual men accounted for 67% of new infections.

So, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Trump could be planning to announce a ten-year plan to end HIV transmissions by 2030 during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Politico is reporting that Trump plans to propose a strategy wherein health officials would “spend the first five years focusing on communities across roughly 20 states where the most HIV infections occur,” and then expand efforts to the rest of the country.

The plan reportedly has the support of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield.

According to Politico, Redfield announced at a CDC meeting last year that the eradication of AIDS by 2025 would be possible via “public health tools” like emphasizing more widespread condom use.

It’s worth noting that when Redfield was tapped to head up the CDC last year, the news was met with some objections.

At the time, Dr. Peter Lurie penned an essay for the Center for Science in the Public Interest that noted Redfield had supported policies opposed by a majority of health professionals including “mandatory HIV testing, reporting of positive HIV results to public health authorities without the patient’s consent, and quarantining of HIV-positive individuals in the military.”

He was also accused of “misrepresenting data about the effectiveness of an experimental AIDS vaccine that he was supporting” in the early 1990s.

While meaningful action on the HIV/AIDS epidemic would certainly be laudable, given this administration’s history on LGBTQ issues, we’ll have to wait and see.

One of Politico’s sources stressed the content of the SOTU speech is still in flux.

Over one million Americans have HIV with approximately 40,000 new infections each year.