How does abacavir/3TC compare to tenofovir/FTC? ACTG5202 and GSK studies disagree
Contradictory findings regarding the safety and efficacy of the dual-nucleoside combination of abacavir and 3TC were presented in a late-breaker session at the XVII International AIDS Conference on Thursday. A secondary analysis of 48-week data from the ACTG5202 study reasserted that the dual-nucleoside backbone of abacavir plus 3TC was more likely to lead to toxicity and earlier virologic failure than tenofovir plus FTC. However, a presentation from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) indicated that, when data from other well-designed clinical trials was analysed using the same study endpoints as ACTG5202, abacavir/3TC proved just as tolerable and effective as tenofovir/FTC.
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SMART study and 54-trial pooled analysis produce conflicting data about abacavir heart attack link
Data from the SMART trial provide further evidence that abacavir (Ziagen) may be associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular events, but a pooled analysis of more than 50 clinical trials conducted by abacavir’s manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline did not find any increased risk, attendees heard on Thursday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Two new NNRTIs look promising in early clinical trials
Two new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) have demonstrated good antiviral efficacy and favourable safety profiles in seven-day monotherapy trials, according to late-breaker presentations on Thursday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Men more likely to drop out of clinic care than women in western Kenya
Men are at much higher risk of becoming lost from HIV care programmes according to an analysis of clients attending USAID-AMPATH partnership’s HIV clinics in Western Kenya. This study, which also identified reasons why both men and women may be at risk of loss to follow-up (LTFU), was presented on Tuesday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Tenofovir kidney toxicity most likely with high blood pressure medications and PIs
Kidney toxicity is most likely to occur in patients taking tenofovir if they are controlling high blood pressure with potentially kidney-toxic drugs, and also taking protease inhibitors, delegates at the XVII International AIDS Conference heard on Wednesday.
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Two novel immune therapies in early investigation: autologous dendritic cells and CD4 zeta gene-modified T cells
Immune cells extracted from individuals and then modified to enhance the individual immune response to HIV infection, appear to be a safe and feasible approach to HIV treatment, according to several reports this week at the XVII International AIDS Conference.
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Urine biomarkers may predict cardiovascular disease in people taking antiretroviral therapy
Certain urine biomarkers related to inflammation and oxidant stress correlate with established predictors of cardiovascular disease and may help assess risk for heart problems among HIV-positive people on antiretroviral therapy according to a small pilot study presented on Wednesday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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AIDS in 2031: where will we be?
AIDS experts looking towards the state of the epidemic in 2031 warned the XVII International AIDS Conference today that massive investment is needed to scale up the manufacture of antiretroviral drugs for up to 110 million people, and that international donors need to think in terms of `pension fund` type provision to plan for the scale of antiretroviral provision that will be needed by 2031.
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Slowing CD4 cell decline with IL-2 allows HAART to be deferred by 92 weeks
Findings from ANRS 119, the Interstart trial, show that it may be possible to defer HAART treatment for nearly two years by using a limited number of short courses of interleukin-2 to keep CD4 cell counts above the recommended threshold for HAART initiation, Jean-Michel Molina of the University of Paris reported at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City on Tuesday.
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Widespread NRTI and NNRTI resistance seen in Malawian patients failing first-line antiretroviral therapy
To date, few data have been reported on emerging drug resistance patterns in Africa. In an oral presentation at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City on August 5th, delegates heard that drug resistance was widespread among people failing antiretroviral treatment in Malawi, due to lack of viral load testing to identify virologic treatment failure.
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Infants starting ART less likely to completely suppress viral load
While antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a lifesaving intervention recommended for all HIV-positive infants in resources limited settings, younger children who begin ART do not appear to be as likely to suppress viral load as children who begin ART at a later age, according to findings of a South African study presented at AIDS 2008 in Mexico City on August 4th.
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Efavirenz superior to lopinavir/ritonavir in very advanced HIV, Mexican trial shows
Efavirenz treatment results in a significantly higher rate of viral suppression after 48 weeks when compared to lopinavir/ritonavir, investigators of a randomised study among Mexican patients with very advanced HIV disease reported on Tuesday at the XVII International Conference on AIDS in Mexico City.
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Treatment outcomes in Latin America, China and Botswana: successes and shortfalls
Dramatic benefits have come from antiretroviral therapy rollout programmes in resource-limited settings and around three million people are now receiving antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries. However, such programmes are vulnerable and depend on many factors for their continued success. Significant disparities are being seen in results between and within different geographical areas and populations, the XVII International AIDS Conference heard on Monday.
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Raltegravir versus efavirenz in treatment-naives at 96 weeks: continued efficacy and fewer adverse effects
The integrase inhibitor raltegravir continues to show strong efficacy "almost identical" to that of efavirenz at 96 weeks, in combination with tenofovir and 3TC, and a side-effect profile that continues to be favourable, Dr Marty Markowitz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center reported on Tuesday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Switch to atazanavir does not reduce belly fat
Switching from other protease inhibitors to atazanavir/ritonavir does not significantly reduce visceral fat accumulation in the abdomen – a feature of the lipodystrophy syndrome - according to 48-week results of a randomised trial presented on Monday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Lipodystrophy common, but does not affect adherence in Thai patients
Lipodystrophy is common among Thai patients taking first-line therapy but has not affected adherence to treatment, a Thai research group reported on Monday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. However, the condition is not being managed by reducing the d4T dose as recommended by the World Health Organization in 2007.
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