East Asia

News from aidsmap

• Adding pegylated interferon to entecavir improves hepatitis B treatment response

  Hepatitis B
  Liz Highleyman | 13 December 2012

  Intensifying entecavir (Baraclude) treatment for hepatitis B by adding pegylated interferon lowers HBV viral load and increases the likelihood of hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) loss, according to a presentation at The ...

• 'Real-world' evidence shows that antiretroviral therapy reduces risk of HIV transmission in heterosexual couples

  Infectiousness and treatment as prevention
  Michael Carter | 04 December 2012

  A study conducted in China has provided 'real-world' evidence of the impact of antiretroviral therapy on the risk of transmission in heterosexual couples. Published in The Lancet, the retrospective research showed that the ...

• Nucleoside analogues reduce hepatitis B liver cancer risk

  Hepatitis B
  Liz Highleyman | 29 November 2012

  Treatment of chronic hepatitis B with nucleoside analogues including lamivudine (Epivir) and entecavir (Baraclude) can reduce the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, including cancer recurrence after successful resection surgery, according to data presented ...

• Sexual preference is a better guide to HIV risk in gay men than reported behaviour, Chinese study suggests

  Epidemiology and behaviour
  Gus Cairns | 08 November 2012

  A study of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the city of Chongqing in China has found that HIV prevalence was strongly correlated with whether men preferred to take the insertive, ...

• Long-acting fusion inhibitor albuvirtide looks promising in early studies

  New and experimental HIV treatments
  Liz Highleyman | 11 September 2012

  A new fusion inhibitor that prevents HIV entry into cells showed potent antiviral activity in early clinical studies and has a long half-life, suggesting it may be suitable for once-weekly dosing, Chinese researchers ...

• Chronic hepatitis C virus infection increases risk of death from both liver disease and non-liver-related causes

  Hepatitis C
  Michael Carter | 05 September 2012

  As well as increasing the risk of death from liver disease, chronic hepatitis C virus infection increased the risk of death from circulatory and kidney disease as well as several non-liver-related cancers, ...

• International study finds "worrying" levels of XDR-TB

  Drug-resistant TB
  Michael Carter | 31 August 2012

  Results of an international study published in The Lancet show that 7% of people receiving second-line treatment for tuberculosis (TB) have extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). The investigators describe this finding as “worrying”. A total ...

• Atazanavir/ritonavir more likely to cause kidney stones than other ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors

  Kidney problems
  Michael Carter | 29 August 2012

  Treatment with ritonavir-boosted atazanavir is associated with a much higher risk of kidney stones compared to other ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors, Japanese investigators report in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency ...