POZ - Treatment News

Designer Enzyme to Fight HIV Shows Promise
Scientists in Germany have constructed a custom enzyme that reverses the process by which HIV inserts its genetic material into a CD4 cell's DNA, suggesting that treatment with similar enzymes could potentially rid infected cells of the virus.

Polyalkylimide Injections Improve HIV Lipoatrophy
Using a facial filler such as polyalkylimide gel (PAIG) injections can correct the antiretroviral-associated facial lipoatrophy that can be quite severe in HIV-infected individuals, Canadian investigators report in May 31st issue of AIDS.

June 28, 2007

Children with HIV Face Increased Heart Disease Risk
Increased carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and cardiac biomarkers in HIV-infected children indicate that they are more likely than their uninfected counterparts to develop cardiovascular problems.

June 27, 2007

Neuro Problems may Persist with Treatment
Neuropsychological deficits in HIV-infected patients persist despite long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), according to a report in the June 1st Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

HIV, PIs Don't Lead to Artery Thickening
Neither HIV infection nor the use of protease inhibitors (PIs) appear to affect the rate of carotid artery intima media thickening (IMT) progression, AIDS investigators report, despite the lipid abnormalities that have been associated with PI therapy.

June 26, 2007

Treatment Improves Survival Among IDUs
Survival among HIV-infected intravenous drug users (IDUs) has improved dramatically since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, with survival rates similar to HIV-negative IDUs.

June 25, 2007

Dietary Supplement Rule Announced, Questioned
The FDA has announced plans to ensure the quality of dietary supplements. But does the new rule go far enough?

June 22, 2007

Drug-Resistant HIV in Semen Stirs Concerns
Drug-resistant HIV can remain detectable in the male genital tract for an extended period of time, and potentially prolong the risk to sexual partners, according to a study published in the August 1 issue of the Journal of Infectious Disease.

June 21, 2007

Hep B and HIV Baraclude Users Beware
Treating hepatitis B patients with the drug Baraclude® (entecavir) can cause those who are also infected with HIV to become resistant to two vital HIV drugs, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Panacos' Bevirimat Back on Track
Panacos Pharmaceuticals reports that it is back on track with the development of its maturation inhibitor bevirimat (PA-457), after hitting a dosing snag reported in December 2006.

June 20, 2007

Maraviroc: Approvable, but not yet Approved
Pfizer has learned from the FDA that its entry inhibitor maraviroc is "approvable," but not yet approved.

June 19, 2007

Reyataz May Cause Kidney Stones
The FDA has received 30 reports of kidney stones among HIV-positive patients being treated with Reyataz, prompting the company to update the drug's package insert.

Death Rates Higher Among Rural Positive Patients - But Why?
A new study confirms that HIV-positive people residing in rural areas of the U.S. are more likely to die than those who live in urban areas. Unfortunately, few explanations for this disparity were apparent to the researchers.

June 15, 2007

Several Factors Raise Women's Bone Loss Risk
Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) is both highly prevalent and severe among underweight women with HIV and is associated with other factors like menstrual irregularities, reduced testosterone levels, lower lean body mass, and white race.

June 14, 2007

Racially and Gender Diverse Aptivus Study Underway
Researchers are now enrolling patients into its SPRING clinical trial, one of the largest racially and gender diverse international studies of highly treatment-experienced HIV-positive patients.

June 12, 2007

LDL Drops with Sustiva to Viramune Switch
HIV-positive people taking Sustiva may be able to lower their levels of bad cholesterol by switching to Viramune (nevirapine).

Non-Nuke Shows Early Promise as Microbicide
Macaques given an investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) gel called UC781 in repeated vaginal and rectal applications exhibited no evidence of systemic absorption, researchers report.

June 11, 2007

Twins Pregnancy Carries Greater HIV Risk
The risk of vertical transmission of HIV is increased in twin pregnancy in, according to a report in the May 11th AIDS.

June 08, 2007

People with HIV May Need Longer TB Treatment
HIV-positive people with active TB are more likely to experience a relapse of the disease after receiving the same treatment typically used to treat HIV-negative TB patients.

June 07, 2007

Roche's Viracept Recalled; Pfizer's U.S. Version Okay
Roche, the manufacturer of Viracept (nelfinavir) in all countries other than the U.S., Canada, and Japan, has recalled the drug. Pfizer's version used in the U.S. is okay.

June 06, 2007

New Drugs Possible from Discovered HIV Transport System
Likening HIV to “hobos on a train,” researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that the virus uses a pre-existing transport system to leave one infected CD4 cell and move on to infect news ones.

June 05, 2007

Early Treatment may have CD4 Advantage
The chances of achieving and maintaining a CD4 count of 800 or higher are best among those who start antiretroviral therapy early, according to new data from the ATHENA cohort study.

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