HIV

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a combination drug used to prevent HIV infection, has already gained significant traction in the U.S. and Europe. The once-a-day pill, when taken consistently, can reduce the risk of HIV acquisition by over 85 percent. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases by an international research team suggests that making PrEP available to men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who inject drugs (PWID) in India may be a cost-effective way of curbing the epidemic there.

People infected with HIV are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease, research has found.

Analysis of global figures reveals that HIV-associated cardiovascular disease has more than tripled in the past 20 years as more people are living longer with the virus.

FDA is advising caution before prescribing the antibiotic clarithromycin (Biaxin) to patients with heart disease because of a potential increased risk of heart problems or death that can occur years later.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced detailed 48-week results from two Phase 3 studies (Studies 1489 and 1490) evaluating the efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of bictegravir (50 mg) (BIC), a novel investigational integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI), and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (200/25mg) (FTC/TAF), a dual-NRTI backbone, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve adults. In the ongoing studies, BIC/FTC/TAF was found to be statistically non-inferior to regimens containing dolutegravir (50mg) (DTG) in combination with a dual-NRTI backbone. The data were presented in two late-breaker sessions [MOAB01 and TUPDB02] at the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017) in Paris.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on relaxed guidelines for the production of pediatric HIV drugs, whose supply was affected by regulatory issues. The regulator approved the child-friendly and thermally stable pellet formulation of Lopinavir / Ritonavir without feasibility studies, but said it would control post-marketing surveillance.

Parliament passed the bill to ensure equal rights for people living with HIV and AIDS in treatment, employment and admissions to educational institutions.