EDITORIAL

CONFERENCE REPORTS:
17th International AIDS Conference, 3 - 8 August 2008, Mexico

• Introduction

MEXICO: ANTIRETROVIRALS

• Abacavir and heart disease: SMART study supports an abacavir-associated increased risk of cardiovascular disease

MEXICO: PREGNANCY & PMTCT

• HAART use in pregnancy and preterm delivery and low birth weight
• Reasons for mother to child transmission in England

MEXICO: PAEDATRIC CARE

• New paediatric formulations of ARVs

CONFERENCE REPORTS
3rd International workshop on HIV Transmission, 1 - 2 August 2008, Mexico City

• Intermittent tenofovir/FTC PrEP offers monkeys some protection
• Tenofovir/FTC gel protects female monkeys from SHIV
• Recently HIV-infected Quebec residents cause more than half of new cases
• Common estimate of heterosexual HIV transmission risk sometimes far too low

TREATMENT ACCESS

• FDA approval of generic ARVs
• Atripla to be licensed in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region
• PEPFAR funding bill authorised by the US senate
• PEPFAR bill may lift US HIV travel and residency ban
• Brazil rejects Gilead patent on tenofovir

ANTIRETROVIRALS

• Antiretrovirals calculated to extend life expectancy by 35 years
• EMEA state that animal studies support no increased risk of malignancy from contamination of nelfinavir (Viracept) with ethyl mesilate (EMS)
• Etravirine approved in Europe
• Abacavir label updated in the US relating to use of B-5701 testing and cardiovascular risks
• Ritonavir label updated in the US relating to cardiac arrhythmia reported in high-dose studies
• Atazanavir label updated in the US relating to drug interactions with NNTRIs, hormonal contraceptives, midazolam, H2 receptor antagonists and other drugs

GUIDELINES

• UK Guidelines on HIV Associated Malignancies (2008) published online
• UK Guidelines on the Management of HIV infection in Pregnant Women (2008) published online
• UK National Guidelines for HIV Testing 2008
• US paediatric guidelines updated

TRANSMISSION

• Model-based implications of transmission with undetectable HIV viral load: lower limit for HIV transmission excluded from model
• Case report of sexual transmission when viral load suppressed to <50 copies/mL in monogamous male couple
• HIV RNA is detectable in semen in 5% patients with undetectable blood plasma viral attending fertility clinic
• Tenofovir gel as a rectal microbicide: evidence for protection and priming of T-cell responses in the SIV challenge model
• Genetic protection against malaria may increase susceptibility to HIV infection in people of African decent
• US CDC issue reports of false-positive oral rapid tests in New York HIV testing programme

DRUG INTERACTIONS

• Drug interaction reports from Liverpool University website

BASIC SCIENCE & VACCINE RESEARCH

• US cancel Phase 3 HIV vaccine trial
• Microbial translocation in immunological non-responders to ART

PREGNANCY & PMTCT

• Tenofovir safe in pregnancy in macaque model

OTHER NEWS

• Opportunity for doctor to work in Thailand
• Ugandan activists acquitted of trespass charges after objecting to exclusion of sexual minorities from the national HIV/AIDS programme
• Free The Iranian HIV/AIDS Doctors!
• Detained Chinese AIDS activist quietly sentenced during Olympics

ON THE WEB

• Conference abstracts and presentations
• Community publications and resources
• Online full text articles

FUTURE MEETINGS

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