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  • US FDA approves Bristol-Myers' sNDA for Sustiva in HIV-1 infected paediatric patients

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Sustiva (efavirenz), including dosing recommendations for HIV-1 infected paediatric patients three months to three years old and weighing at least 3.5 kg. This approval offers a once-daily option as part of a regimen for this population and includes a “capsule sprinkle” administration method for patients who cannot swallow capsules or tablets.

    07 May 2013 | Pharmabiz

  • Patients in Control: Protest action in Russia - the lives of HIV-positive children are not profitable for distributors

    A protest action organized by activists of "Patients in Control" took place in Moscow in front of the office of the largest distributor of ARV medications in Russia ("R-Pharm"). The activists were outraged about the fact that around 20 auctions for antiretrovirals in different regions did not take place because no bids were submitted; half of those tenders were for paediatric formulations.

    03 May 2013 | EATG

  • Anti-HIV therapy appears to protect children's hearts, NIH network study shows

    For children who have had HIV-1 infection since birth, the combination drug therapies now used to treat HIV appear to protect against the heart damage seen before combination therapies were available, according to researchers.

    23 April 2013 | National Institutes of Health (press release)

  • Strong impact of weaning on HIV levels in breastmilk: Lusaka study

    HIV RNA and DNA levels in breast milk rose more than 10-fold in response to changes in frequency of infant feeding around the time of weaning, according to results of a 958-woman trial in Lusaka, Zambia. The findings have implications for breastfeeding advice and for maternal antiretroviral therapy (ART) over the full duration of breastfeeding.

    22 April 2013 | International AIDS Society

  • Option B+: Understanding perspectives and experiences of women living with HIV

    Option B+ is a prevention of vertical transmission approach for expectant mothers living with HIV in which women are immediately offered treatment for life regardless of their CD4 count. This approach offers advantages such as protection of partner(s) and (unborn) child, as well as benefits to the woman's health, but also carries with it risks. In the attached publication, GNP+ and ICW report on the results of 8 different focus group discussions that discussed these issues in Uganda and Malawi.

    12 April 2013 | GNP+

  • New, intensive trials planned on heels of Mississippi HIV 'cure'

    A trial that involves drug cessation is fraught with ethical and medical difficulties, so the next steps going forward remain unclear. HIV specialists plan to meet over three days in May at a leadership retreat of the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) group to discuss how best to test if and when antiretroviral therapy can be halted for children born with HIV who achieve undetectable levels of the virus in their blood.

    08 April 2013 | Nature Medicine

  • Study: In Malawi lifelong antiretroviral treatment for expectant moms “translates into saving more than 250,000 maternal life years”

    A cost-effectiveness analysis of Option B+ in Malawi.

    27 March 2013 | Science Speaks

  • Craig Timberg and Daniel Halperin: Five myths about AIDS

    1. The case of the Mississippi baby means we’re close to curing AIDS. 2. AIDS is the leading killer of babies worldwide. 3. Mothers with HIV should never breast-feed. 4. Drugs are the key to preventing HIV’s spread. 5. AIDS can’t be defeated.

    12 March 2013 | Washington Post

  • Strategy To Prevent HIV In Newborns Sparks Enthusiasm And Skepticism

    There's great enthusiasm among some global health leaders about a bold – some say radical — strategy to prevent pregnant women from transmitting HIV to their newborns. But skeptics worry that the approach, dubbed Option B+, will pit pregnant women with HIV against others infected with the virus, diverting resources from the broader struggle against the pandemic.

    04 March 2013 | NPR

  • Texas: Food availability linked with poor outcomes for HIV-positive children

    An HIV-positive child whose family does not have enough good food available is more likely to have a poor clinical outcome, researchers reported. They found that children who did not always have enough to eat had lower CD4 counts as well as higher chances of incomplete viral suppression.

    12 February 2013 | Baylor College of Medicine press release
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