Legislation that would repeal an act requiring students to report their HIV status rejected by Illinois House
A bill sponsored by Illinois State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D), which would have...
Lifting of U.S. HIV/AIDS-related travel restrictions in the works
Advocates hope that a draft bill, which is being considered in the Senate Foreign...
Tibotec warns of liver damage associated with Prezista
A Dear Healthcare Professional letter has been issued by Tibotec Therapeutics...
Merck grants license to IRMA for development of potential microbicide
Merck & Co., Inc. has agreed to provide a royalty-free license to the International...
National STD Prevention Conference tells the tale of alarming STD rates among young Americans
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released at the 2008...
Legislation that would repeal an act requiring students to report their HIV status rejected by Illinois House
A bill sponsored by Illinois State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D), which would have repealed a state act requiring students to report their HIV-positive status to school principals, was rejected by the Illinois House earlier this month.
Known as the Communicable Disease Prevention Act, the standing legislation permits principles to disclose the identities of HIV-positive students to the students’ teachers as well as the school nurse. The act also allows for principals to disclose students’ identities to people who, under federal or state law, are required to determine the students’ placement or education program.
“As a parent, I want the school officials to have every bit of information that they can have in order to ensure public safety for all the kids,” says Rep. David Reis (R). Reis, who voted against the bill, added, “If we want to do some bills to help to promote HIV testing, then let’s do that. If my son is playing on the basketball court with another boy who has a bloody nose, we want to be able to, in a polite way, make sure the other kids don’t get infected with HIV. We’re talking about a lifelong virus that could be preventable if that principle knew that the child was HIV-positive.”
Ann Hilton Fisher, executive director of the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, believes that efforts should be made to improve lawmakers’ awareness about HIV/AIDS and how it is and is not spread. “HIV is not spread though playground accidents or bloody noses,” she said. “It just does not happen that way. Other diseases like hepatitis can spread that way. Schools have been required since 1995 to use universal precautions in all such accidents.”
Feigenholtz has acknowledged that she will try to revive the bill, while providing lawmakers with education about the importance of repealing the act. “I don’t think people have a full understanding of what youth are faced with and the stigma that still remains around HIV and the need to protect people’s privacy around health issues,” Feigenholtz said.
back to top
Lifting of U.S. HIV/AIDS-related travel restrictions in the works
Advocates hope that a draft bill, which is being considered in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will reverse existing U.S. HIV/AIDS-related travel restrictions.
The bill would reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with language that would delete a regulation which permits HIV-positive foreigners to obtain visas to enter the U.S. under limited conditions only. The same regulation, which was included in an amendment made to the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1993, also requires HIV-positive foreigners to obtain waivers from the Department of Homeland Security before they can receive visas.
In the House, a stand-alone measure introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) contains language that would repeal the travel regulations in their version of the PEPFAR bill. According to Lee, supporters thought that it would be easier to get the travel provision through the Senate’s version of the PEPFAR bill.
Kerry referred to this potential reform as “long needed.” Lee mentioned that the International AIDS Society conferences, which are held bi-annually in different countries, have not been hosted in the U.S. since this restriction was passed.
“We’re once again very isolated on this policy in terms of the world community,” says Lee.
back to top
Tibotec warns of liver damage associated with Prezista
A Dear Healthcare Professional letter has been issued by Tibotec Therapeutics (in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), that includes a warning about hepatoxicity (liver damage) associated with the drug Prezista (darunavir) when boosted with Norvir (ritonavir).
During clinical development of the drug, hepatitis was reported in 0.5 percent of patients receiving it in combination with ritonavir and other anti-HIV drugs. Those who had pre-existing liver conditions, including hepatitis B or C, were at increased risk for severe hepatic adverse events.
Cases of liver injury, including some fatalities, have been reported in patients taking Prezista/ritonavir since it has become widely available. Such adverse events have generally occurred in patients with advanced HIV disease taking multiple medications, who have co-morbidities or conditions including hepatitis B or C, and/or developing immune reconstitution syndrome. A causal relationship with Prezista, however, has not been determined.
Interruption or discontinuation of treatment must be considered if there is evidence of new or worsening liver dysfunction in patients on Prezista/ritonavir.
back to top
Merck grants license to IRMA for development of potential microbicide
Merck & Co., Inc. has agreed to provide a royalty-free license to the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a not-for-profit organization, to develop an innovative antiretroviral drug for use as a potential microbicide.
Merck’s L’644 is a member of a class of antiretroviral agents known as gp41 fusion inhibitors. These drugs prevent HIV infection by not allowing the virus to fuse with the surface of T-cells, which occurs at the beginning of the HIV infection process. Research conducted by Merck suggests that L’644 is a potent fusion inhibitor, therefore there is strong scientific rationale for evaluating its potential as an anti-HIV microbicide.
Microbicides are products, such as gels or films that could be applied vaginally or anally, that prevent HIV transmission during intercourse. IPM seeks to utilize L’644 to develop a vaginal microbicide to be used during vaginal intercourse, as well as through other delivery methods such as long-lasting vaginal rings that release the drug gradually over time.
“Merck deserves recognition for its exemplary commitment to HIV prevention research,” says Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of the International Partnership for Microbicides. “This arrangement for L’644 helps IPM pursue development of compounds that target HIV at many points in the virus’s lifecycle. We’re working toward the day when millions of women around the world will have access to safe and effective microbicides – and partnerships like this will help us get there.”
In other microbicide news, prevention activists with International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) released a new report at the Microbicides 2008 conference held last month in New Delhi, India which calls for dramatically increased funding for rectal microbicide research.
“Unprotected anal intercourse is a driver in the AIDS epidemic among both men and women around the world. Unfortunately, the fact is obscured by debilitating silence and stigma,” said Jim Pickett, IRMA chair. “We demand less silence and more science, and call for at least a five-fold increase in funding for rectal microbicide research by 2010, from the current $7 million per year to $35 million per year. Governments from Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States should partner in this critical investment in desperately needed new prevention technologies.
back to top
National STD Prevention Conference tells the tale of alarming STD rates among young Americans
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, held earlier this month in Chicago, estimates that one in four teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19 in the U.S. is infected with at least one STD.
The study also found that young African American women were most severely affected, with nearly half of them estimated to have an STD compared to 20 percent of young white women. The two most common STDs overall were human papillomavirus, or HPV (18 percent), and Chlamydia (4 percent).
“Today’s data demonstrate the significant health risk STDs pose to millions of young women in this country every year,” says Kevin Fenton, MD, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “Given that the health effects of STDs for women – from infertility to cervical cancer – are particularly severe, STD screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities.”
Preliminary surveillance data, also released from the CDC at the conference, shows that the U.S. syphilis rate has increased by 12 percent from 2006 to 2007. This is the seventh consecutive year that the syphilis rate has increased following significant declines prior to 2001. The increase largely reflects continued increases among men who have sex with men (MSM).
back to top
|
