HIV Treatment Update – July 2011

Since the first drug for the treatment of HIV was approved in 1987, there has been a clear need for accurate, evidence-based information about HIV treatment. Both people with HIV and health professionals have always needed to know what to expect from drugs, side-effects and how to take the drugs. Later on, as new drugs have appeared, reliable information on choosing the appropriate drug regimen has become crucial.

HIV treatment update, NAM’s monthly newsletter, was created to help people become familiar with their treatment options and to encourage informed communication between people with HIV and doctors.

Since the first edition in 1992, HTU has been evolving and changing in response to the information needs of people with HIV. It has changed its name (originally AIDS treatment update, or ATU), changed its design to make it more engaging and easier to read, and been overseen by several editors. Now in its 208^th edition, HTU continues to bring the latest developments in treatment to people with HIV and remains a source of information that thousands of people worldwide rely on to keep them informed.  

As you may have read in the June edition, there are further changes afoot for HTU. After much careful consideration, balancing up the current funding climate and the results of our readers’ surveys, HTU is to become a quarterly publication. Each edition will be expanded and it will also be published online at the same time as it is printed. We remain committed to supporting readers in decisions about their health and the reduced frequency and increased content means we can continue to deliver this valuable service in these times of austerity.

So, this week, our subscribers are receiving their final monthly edition of HTU – and it is also available on our website. You can read it online, download it as a PDF, or use the ‘flipbook’ function to read the PDF online.

This month’s edition includes:

Everything okay down there?

Anal cancer is much more common (50 times) in gay men with HIV than in the general population. It is still very rare, but should we be demanding screening – and vaccination? Read on >>

Where next for HIV prevention?

There has been a huge amount of news on HIV prevention recently and, in the UK, campaigners and researchers have been debating what should happen next. Read on >>

Talking to the Lords

NAM’s senior editor, Keith Alcorn, recently gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on HIV and AIDS in the UK. He hopes they can exert some pressure to revitalise HIV policy. Read on >>

There is still so much work to do

Silvia Petretti, of Positively UK, recently spoke at the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS, in New York. She came back more convinced than ever of the need for meaningful involvement of people living with HIV. Read on >>

News in brief

Some of the key news stories from the past month including:

• HIV drugs may have caused premature ageing
• Coffee helps hepatitis C treatment

Read on >>

What is HIV treatment update?

HIV treatment update focuses on HIV treatment and care news, latest scientific developments, and wider health, social and legal issues, with a practical take on what this all means for people living with HIV in the UK. HTU’s editor, Gus Cairns, regularly invites experts to contribute to the newsletter on their specialist areas.

How do I get a copy?

HIV treatment update is available free to people personally affected by HIV. You can subscribe to a free emailed PDF edition wherever you live. If you live in the UK, you can choose to have a print edition.

Contact us on 020 3242 0820 or at info@nam.org.uk to subscribe, or to find out about professional subscription costs.

You can browse an archive of HIV treatment update at www.aidsmap.com/htu.

This is the first time i engage in learning more about the diseas, and as i look more into it, i realise that many peopple are still in the dark regaridng the diseas and how to deal with it. Some turn a blind eye to the treatment in saying "if i didn't know i was positive i wasn't going to take treatment so theres no need for me to take it now. As i read more about the HTU capaign, i realise that it could change many live as to HIV/AIDS is concerned