Elton John’s 2011 Academy Awards Party Raises Nearly $4M The
Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) raised nearly $4 million at its 19th annual
Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 27 in Los Angeles, according to an
EJAF statement.
Supreme Court Hears Bayh-Dole HIV Patent Lawsuit The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments February 28 on a Stanford University case against pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG over HIV-related patent rights of its researchers, Drug Discovery and Development reports.
Illegal Resale of African HIV Meds in Germany German
federal police and prosecutors are investigating pharmaceutical wholesalers for
illegally reselling HIV medications that were meant for Africa, The Local reports.
DC Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS In anticipation of the XIX International AIDS Conference to be held in Washington, DC, in July 2012, Mayor Vincent C. Gray has created the Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS to help end the HIV epidemic in the nation’s capital, according to a statement from the DC Department of Health (DOH).
China Adopts “Treatment as Prevention” Strategy China will adopt a nationwide “treatment as prevention” strategy modeled on the work of Canada’s BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), according to a BC-CfE statement.
UK Adults Increasingly Lack Basic HIV Awareness A new study shows an increasing proportion of adults in the United Kingdom incorrectly believe that HIV can be transmitted by kissing and spitting.
Utah Bill to Demand HIV Testing of Alleged Rapists A committee in the Utah House of Representatives unanimously approved a proposed bill to require alleged rapists to get tested for HIV if demanded by their alleged victims.
amfAR Awards 8 Grants to Eradicate HIV The search for a cure for AIDS just got a boost, as amfAR is funding eight new grants totaling nearly $1 million to explore how HIV persists in the body and how the virus can be eradicated, according to an amfAR statement
AIDS Memoir in Tennessee School Prompts Library Policy Change A local school board in Tennessee has made revisions to its book policy after a parent complained about an AIDS memoir being available in a middle school library, The Tennessean reports.
February 22, 2011
Greg Louganis Resurfaces as a Diving Coach
Greg Louganis has made a return to diving, accepting a coaching job with Southern California-based SoCal Divers, The New York Times reports.
Cleveland Clinic Gets $3M Grant for HIV Research The Cleveland Clinic has received a $3 million grant from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation to study HIV and the body’s response in autoimmune diseases, according to a Cleveland Clinic statement.
Significant Drop of HIV Rates in Zimbabwe HIV rates in Zimbabwe have fallen 13 percent in one decade, defying all expectations for the region, according to a study published in PLoS Medicine and reported by The New York Times.
February 18, 2011
VOCAL-NY: 2012 NYC Budget Cuts HIV/AIDS Housing
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed 2012 budget would increase homelessness and block access to housing, food stamps and Medicaid for people with HIV/AIDS, according to a statement by Voices of Community Activists and Leaders New York (VOCAL-NY), a grassroots organization led by HIV-positive New Yorkers.
2012 State Budget Eliminates Connecticut ADAP
Governor Daniel P. Malloy’s proposed 2012 budget eliminates state funding for the Connecticut AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), The Connecticut News Project reports.
Logo and Greater Than AIDS Launch HIV Campaign
Logo, an MTV Networks basic cable channel for LGBT people and their allies, has partnered with Greater Than AIDS, a national HIV education initiative, to launch a multimedia HIV awareness campaign, according to a joint statement.
Friends in Deed Launches HIV/AIDS Support Groups
Friends in Deed, a New York Citybased crisis center for people diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, is changing the structure of its support groups.
HIV Meds in “Whoonga” Drug Craze Debunked An illegal drug craze in South Africa called “whoonga” that supposedly uses HIV medications in fact mostly consists of low-grade heroin.
February 16, 2011
AHF Seeks Investigation of LA HIV Porn Clinic Transfer The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has asked California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to investigate possible unlawful conduct in the transfer of a clinic that catered to the porn industry, according to an AHF statement.
700,000 Condoms Worth $1.5M Disappear in Malaysia
Malaysian police are investigating the disappearance of a shipment of more than 700,000 ultrathin condoms in transit from Malaysia to Japan, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports.
AIDS United to Support Grassroots Regional Advocacy AIDS United will develop regional advocacy networks across the country to mobilize communities on HIV/AIDS policy issues, according to an AIDS United statement.
NYC Launches Free Condom Finder Phone App The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has launched a free smart phone application designed to find the five nearest venues distributing free condoms, according to a statement by the health department.
Boxer Tommy Morrison Still Denies He Has HIV Former heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Morrison still denies he has HIV and insists he should be allowed to box, The Kansas City Star reports.
CitiWide Harm Reduction Releases 3-Year Strategy for the Bronx CitiWide Harm Reduction, a nonprofit health organization serving the South Bronx, New York, has released its three-year plan for reducing new HIV and hepatitis C infections, drug overdoses and homelessness in the South Bronx.
San Francisco HIV Campaign Promotes Female Condoms San Francisco has launched an HIV awareness campaign promoting female condoms, according to a statement by the Female Health Company (FHC), which makes the FC2 Female Condom.
Michigan Man Faces Felonies Related to HIV Lies on Facebook James Cleland, a registered sex offender from Kalamazoo County, Michigan, is facing three felony charges for unlawfully using a computer after hacking a young woman’s Facebook account and posting lies about her, including that she is HIV positive.
Mapplethorpe $30M Collection Acquired by LA Museums The Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (LACMA) and the J. Paul Getty Trust have acquired a large collection of Robert Mapplethorpe prints, negatives and letters, The New York Times reports.
Safe Injection Site Lowers New HIV Cases in Vancouver Insite, a safe injection site for IV drugs users in Vancouver, Canada, has caused a drop in new HIV cases among this high-risk group, The New York Times reports.
HIV Adoption Toolkit Developed by Christian Agency Adoption agency Bethany Christian Services (BCS) has developed an HIV adoption toolkit for prospective parents who want to adopt HIV-positive children; the toolkit informs the families about the virus, Baptist Press (BP) reports.
February 08, 2011
Michigan HIV Disclosure Forms Legally Inaccurate
HIV advocates and legal experts say that Michigan’s local health departments and the state Department of Community Health are using documents that exaggerate the risks of HIV transmission and misstate the laws regarding disclosure, The Michigan Messenger reports.
Financials Improve for DC’s Whitman-Walker Clinic
The Washington, DC-based Whitman-Walker Clinic (WWC) announced a 4 percent gain in its operating budget for 2010, its first positive result in almost a decade, according to a WWC statement.
February 07, 2011
February 7 Is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7 is the 11th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national HIV testing, treatment and awareness initiative focusing on African Americans.
BAI Releases State of AIDS in Black America 2011 Report
The Black AIDS Institute (BAI) has released Deciding Moment: The State of AIDS in Black America 2011, according to a BAI statement. The release coincides with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Global Fund Introduces New Antifraud Measures The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has introduced measures to reinforce its financial safeguards and to strengthen its prevention and detection of fraud and misuse of its grants, according to a Global Fund statement.
AHF Proposes 20% Cost Reduction of HIV Meds for ADAPs
AIDS United has made 10 new grants to HIV/AIDS groups through its Access to Care initiative, according to an AIDS United statement. The Social Innovation Fund provided the funding for the grants to support “innovative community-based programs.”
Temporary Fix for Florida ADAP Helps 6,000 People
Florida health officials and AIDS activists have crafted a first-of-its-kind deal to prevent more than 6,000 people from losing their HIV medications.
Emergency Summit on ADAP Funding in Florida The Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS is negotiating an emergency agreement to supply medications to 6,000 participants of the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), The Florida Independent reports.
ARCW to Open HIV-Dedicated Pharmacy The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) will open an HIV-dedicated pharmacy beginning March 1, according to an ARCW statement.
Bill Gates Seeks Renewed Sense of Urgency on HIV/AIDS Bill Gates, cofounder of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is seeking creative approaches and a renewed sense of urgency in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the United States and across the world, according to his 2011 Annual Letter from the foundation.
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The MAC AIDS Fund has raised more than $200 million to date through sales of its Viva Glam lipsticks and lipglasses. (Watch video.)
