Tag: HIV/AIDS

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Barcelona: Big breakthrough in HIV research

A team of scientists at Barcelona University’s Hospital Clinic report significant progress in a possible HIV vaccine that would help those already infected by the virus:

“What we did was give instructions to the immune system so it could learn to destroy the virus, which it does not do naturally,” said Felipe Garcia, one of the scientists in the team at Barcelona University’s Hospital Clinic.

The therapeutic vaccine, a shot that treats an existing disease rather than preventing it, was safe and led to a dramatic drop in the amount of HIV virus detected in some patients, said the study, published Wednesday in Science Translation Medicine. […]

The vaccine allowed patients temporarily to live without taking multiple medicines on a daily basis, which created hardship for patients, could have toxic side-effects over the long term and had a high financial price, the team said.

“This investigation opens the path to additional studies with the final goal of achieving a functional cure — the control of HIV replication for long periods or an entire life without anti-retroviral treatment,” the researchers said in a statement.

The team did find that the vaccine became less effective after a year and patients had to go back to their previous medications. However, each discovery leads to the next, and the scientists say they plan to continue working along this line of treatment for several more years.

(source)

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Anderson Cooper honors Spencer Cox – AIDS/HIV activist

Spencer Cox, a prominent voice in the fight against AIDS for more than two decades, died Tuesday at the age of 44.

After three years as a student at Bennington College in Vermont, he moved to New York. By 1989, at age 20, he had joined the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, better known as Act Up, the organization devoted to pushing government and private industry, often with demonstrations, sit-ins and other tactics, to dedicate more resources for AIDS treatment and prevention.

In 1992, he was among the Act Up members who formed the Treatment Action Group, known as TAG, to focus on accelerating treatment research.

Along with other TAG colleagues, Mr. Cox schooled himself in the science of AIDS, the workings of drug trials and the government approval process. While still in his 20s he represented people with AIDS in high-level meetings with the Federal Drug Administration and other agencies and private companies.

Via New York Times

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Easy donation to the National AIDS Memorial

 For the month of December, the National AIDS Memorial and AT&T are launching “A Time For Hope; A Place to Heal, ”text to donate campaign” to support the National AIDS Memorial year-round mission to honor and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS; continue to create and maintain a permanent memorial grove located in San Francisco as a place for healing, and to expand youth awareness and scholarship programs to inspire the next generation of leaders to help find a cure for the pandemic, now in its 30th year.

Through a month-long text-to-donate campaign, AT&T is making it possible for any mobile subscriber regardless of carrier to simply text “HEAL” to “501501” to make a $10.00 charitable donation to the National AIDS Memorial.
The National AIDS Memorial received the honor of being designated the official national AIDS memorial in 1996, in large measure because of the leadership of Congresswoman Pelosi who helped pass legislation that was signed into law by President Clinton, elevating the Grove to be of the same stature as the nation’s other 43 federally designated memorials.
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Trailer: How To Survive A Plague

HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE is the story of the brave young men and women who successfully reversed the tide of an epidemic, demanded the attention of a fearful nation and stopped AIDS from becoming a death sentence.

This improbable group of activists bucked oppression and, with no scientific training, infiltrated government agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, helping to identify promising new medication and treatments and move them through trials and into drugstores in record time.

In the process, they saved their own lives and ended the darkest days of a veritable plague, while virtually emptying AIDS wards in American hospitals in the process. The powerful story of their fight is a classic tale of empowerment and activism that has since inspired movements for change in everything from breast cancer research to Occupy Wall Street.

Their story stands as a powerful inspiration to future generations, a road map, and a call to arms. This is how you change the world.

Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival, New Directors/New films, San Francisco International FF, Provincetown FF, Outfest Documentary Centerpiece, Seattle International FF

Visit the official website for the film.

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Free HIV Treatment for All England Residents Now in Effect

From AIDSMeds:

HIV treatment is now officially free for all who need it in England, including undocumented migrants and non-United Kingdom citizens, as per legislation that went into effect October 1, and has been reviewed in detail by aidsmap.

Other countries of the U.K may still technically charge for HIV treatment, depending on immigration status. However, this this hasn’t been actively pursued in Scotland or Wales in recent years; in Northern Ireland, charges for HIV treatment have sometimes been rigorously enforced.

The National AIDS Trust (NAT), aidsmap reports, has called for a formal change in the law in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to ensure that free universal access to HIV treatment is guaranteed across the U.K., not just in England.

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PA: School to pay student $700,000 for HIV discrimination

Back in December of last year I wrote about the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania and its denial of admission to a student, known under the pseudonym Abraham Smith, over his HIV-positive status. Since that time, the Department of Justice and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania became involved, filing a lawsuit with the boy’s parents and charging the school with violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The school reversed its decision last month.

Smith, now a 14-year-old ninth-grader, was denied admission last year to the eighth-grade class at the Milton Hershey School, founded by the chocolate magnate and his wife. School administrators said the honor roll student, who has HIV, presented a “direct threat” to the health and safety of other students, according to a press release announcing the settlement, which also requires the school to conduct HIV training for its staff and students.
“Children should not be denied educational opportunities simply because they have HIV,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department, in a press release. “This settlement sends a clear message that unlawful discrimination against persons with HIV or AIDS will not be tolerated.”
The settlement concludes a federal HIV discrimination lawsuit brought against the school by the nonprofit AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania.
The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania reports that the Smith and his mother have decided not to enroll Smith at the Hershey school but will instead use the settlement to cover other educational expenses.
Via the Advocate
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NYC AIDS Memorial at St. Vincent’s Hospital Park

The final design appears more casual than the first design (which I loved), but at least it looks like an inviting place to sit and reflect.

The design for the future New York City AIDS Memorial at St. Vincent’s Hospital Park was approved by Manhattan Community Board 2. The coalition will now work to seek approvals from the Department of City Planning and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. We will continue to develop the design as we also manage the capital campaign to raise the funds to build the memorial and ensure that it is beautifully and well-maintained into the future.

(Via Zack Ford)

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FDA approves pre-exposure medication for HIV

The FDA has just given the green light to Truvada, the first drug approved to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals.

Taken daily, the drug is being touted as part of a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) strategy, in combination with safer sex practices, to reduce the risk of HIV infection in high-risk adults, including those with HIV-infected partners. The FDA previously allowed Gilead Sciences to manufacture Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for use in conjunction with other antiretroviral agents for HIV-positive people.

“Today’s approval marks an important milestone in our fight against HIV,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg. “Every year, about 50,000 U.S. adults and adolescents are diagnosed with HIV infection, despite the availability of prevention methods and strategies to educate, test, and care for people living with the disease. New treatments as well as prevention methods are needed to fight the HIV epidemic in this country.”

The medication shouldn’t be perceived as a cure or vaccine: Truvada for PrEP is only prescribed fpr individuals who are confirmed to be HIV-negative prior to using the drug. In double-blind studies of 2,499 HIV-negative men and women in high-risk categories, Truveda was effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection by 42% compared with the placebo. There are also potential side-effects including changes in fat distribution in the body and blood, kidney and liver dysfunction and weakening of the bones.

Via Queerty

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CDC launches campaign to lessen stigma of living with HIV

To combat two major obstacles to HIV prevention — stigma associated with the infection and complacency about the epidemic — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched Let’s Stop HIV Together, a national communication campaign that gives voice to Americans living with HIV, and to their loved ones.

“In the fight against HIV, stigma and complacency are among our most insidious opponents,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “This campaign reminds us that HIV affects every corner of society, and that it will take every one of us—regardless of HIV status, gender, race or sexual orientation—working together to stop this epidemic.”

The campaign features people living with HIV standing with their friends and family, and calling on all Americans to join the fight against the disease. The campaign will reach millions of Americans through print, online and outdoor advertisements and through social media, including Facebook and Twitter. Outdoor and transit ads began running this week in six cities heavily affected by HIV—Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C., —with 21 other cities to be added later in 2012.

Read the press release here.