HIV Prevention

News round-up: Can AIDS be cured? Compulsory licensing for Efavirenz and Lopinavir-Ritonavir combination extended in Thailand; New ART Guidelines in ZA

Started by Sophie Beauvais on 26 Jun 2010

Hi All,

Thought you may be interested in these pieces of information (thanks to
HealthGap http://www.healthgap.org/)

1. Can AIDS be cured? reads a new article in the Technology Review,
July/August 2010, http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25563/ (full
text available). It sheds light on the latest research inc. that of Paula
Cannon and collaborators at the City of Hope National Medical Center in
Duarte, CA and the need for new approaches in HIV/AIDS treatment as an
estimated five and a half million people in urgent need of treatment but
with no access.

2. In Thailand, the National Health Security Office (
http://www.nhso.go.th/eng/index_main.jsp) just extended its compulsory
licensing in order to produce generic versions of two life-saving Aids drugs
until the end of their patents. Quoted in this article in the Bangkok Post
http://www2.bangkokpost.com/news/local/38771/nhso-extends-drug-licensing,
Public
Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit noted that the compulsory license forced
down the prices of Efavirenz and the Lopinavir-Ritonavir combination by 3.4
and 6.4 times respectively and increased the number of people with HIV/AIDS
able to access Efavirenz from 4,539 to 29,360 and those
on on Lopinavir-Ritonavir combination from 39 to 6,246. The cost of
treatment with Efavirenz has also reportedly fallen from 1,200 baht to 300
baht a person a month.

3. In South Africa, the National AIDS Council released new ART guidelines in
March and April:

The South African Antiretroviral Treatment Guidelines 2010 (Abridged
version)
http://www.sanac.org.za/documents/2010%20ART%20Guideline-Short.pdf

CLINICAL GUIDELINES: PMTCT (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission)
http://www.sanac.org.za/documents/2010%20PMTCT%20Guidelines.pdf

Guidelines for the Management of HIV in Children
http://www.sanac.org.za/documents/2010%20Paediatric%20Guidelines.pdf

CLINICAL GUIDELINES for the Management of HIV & AIDS in Adults and
Adolescents
http://www.sanac.org.za/documents/2010%20Adult%20ART%20Guidelines.pdf

Guidelines for Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy Among HIV Infected
Individuals in South Africa
http://www.sanac.org.za/documents/TB%20prophylaxis%20in%20South%20Africa%20fi...