- GSK and Pfizer announce joint company
- New AIDS awareness campaign
- Free Gardasil for positive women
- Latest views of the epidemic
- Pediatric warning on Testim and Androgel
- Women’s conference in Chicago
- Not taking it
GSK and Pfizer announce joint company
In April, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer announced that they will combine their HIV operations into one new company, which will account for nearly 20% of current HIV drug sales. This deal, the first of its kind, is likely the result of lack of growth in the HIV drug arms of the two companies. The ever-evolving nature of the epidemic creates fierce competition for pharmaceutical companies to develop newer compounds that are more tolerable and easier to take, as well as to counter issues associated with resistance.
Relatively low returns on spending for research and development of these drugs, however, are forcing more and more pharmaceutical companies to explore ways to minimize their risks. Collaborative efforts between HIV drug-makers are becoming increasingly common, as in the case of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences working together to produce the multi-drug combo pill Atripla, currently leading the sale of HIV drugs.
Though this type of shared business practice can often be rationalized with respect to bottom lines for pharma companies, advocates are concerned that drug companies may be moving away from HIV. “I hope we can get to a new generation of better and more tolerable drugs before progress in this field halts,” said Bob Huff, editorial director and ARV project director of the New York–based Treatment Action Group.
GSK chief executive officer Andrew Witty contends that one of the goals will be to develop new fixed dose combination therapies, using existing and novel medicines. Witty cited benefits to both companies. GSK will now have access to the new medicines that Pfizer has in clinical development while Pfizer will gain GSK’s strong HIV marketing and distribution expertise.—Keith R. Green
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): “A new AIDS awareness campaign is being launched by FDA’s sister agency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HIV is still a significant public health problem in the United States. Although HIV infection is preventable, every 9½ minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with the virus.
“The new Act Against AIDS campaign is designed to contribute to the goal of reducing HIV incidence in the United States. You can get the facts about the epidemic, learn how to prevent transmission of the virus, delay the onset of AIDS with proper treatment for HIV infection, and find out ways to stem the tide of HIV infection in the United States by spreading the word about AIDS at a new CDC website Act Against AIDS, www.cdc.gov/nineandahalfminutes.”
The following is from the website.
As individuals:
- We should know whether or not we are infected with HIV;
- If we are infected, we should seek medical care and protect others from becoming infected;
- We should protect ourselves and others from HIV;
- We should educate ourselves and others about HIV.
As communities:
- We should mobilize to overcome the challenges and barriers to HIV prevention;
- We should fight ignorance and complacency related to HIV;
- We should increase the awareness about the severity of the epidemic and the continued impact that HIV is having on our communities;
- We should make sure that HIV prevention services, HIV testing, medical care and treatment are available to all who need them;
- We should work to prevent stigma and discrimination, and to increase support for people living with HIV.
Free Gardasil for positive women
Nurse Joan Swiatek of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago reminds everyone that a free series of Gardasil vaccine shots are still available for HIV-positive women through a clinical study. The vaccine protects against HPV (human papilloma virus), a common sexually transmitted infection that is particularly troublesome for women living with HIV. For more information on the ACTG study (AIDS Clinical Trials Group), e-mail Joan_A_Swiatek@rush.edu.
In April, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released the results of a survey the organization took of perceptions and testing around HIV in the U.S. The following is from a KFF press release.
“Less than a year after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recalculated the size of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and announced that there were 40% more new HIV infections each year than previously believed, a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Americans’ sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS as a national health problem has fallen dramatically and their concern about HIV as a personal risk has also declined, even among some groups at higher risk.
Key findings of the survey include:
- The share of Americans naming HIV/AIDS as the most urgent health problem facing the nation dropped precipitously from 44% in 1995 to 17% in 2006 and to 6% now.
- CDC estimates that HIV rates are seven times higher among African Americans and three times higher among Latinos compared to whites. While these groups are more likely than whites to see HIV/AIDS as an urgent problem, fewer say it is a “more urgent” problem for their community now than in 2006 (declining from 23% to 17% of all adults, 49% to 40% of African Americans, and 46% to 35% of Latinos).
- The share of those ages 18-29 who say they are personally very concerned about becoming infected with HIV declined from 30% in 1997 to 17% today; personal concern among young African Americans declined from 54% to 40% over the same time period.
- More than half (53%) of non-elderly adults say they have been tested for HIV, including 19% who say they were tested in the past year. Testing is most common among adults under the age of 30, with three in ten young adults and nearly half (47%) of young African Americans reporting having been tested in the past year. However, reported testing rates for all these groups have not changed much in the past decade.
“Many indicators of urgency and concern are moving in the wrong direction, including for higher risk groups,” said Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman. “The survey underscores the need for a new focus on domestic HIV,” he added.
The press released continued, “A significant share of the public also harbors misconceptions about prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Nearly one in five (18%) do not know there is no cure for AIDS and about one-quarter (27%) believe or are unsure whether former professional basketball player Magic Johnson has been cured of AIDS. Additionally, a quarter (24%) believe or are unsure whether there is a vaccine available to prevent HIV infection. Many of these misconceptions are more common in the African American community, including that Magic Johnson has been cured (37% of African Americans think he has been cured or are unsure), that there is a vaccine available to prevent infection (36%), and that there are drugs available that can cure HIV and AIDS (30%).”
Visit www.kff.org.
Pediatric warning on Testim and Androgel
The FDA has added a boxed warning on the drug labels for Testim and Androgel after receiving reports of adverse effects in children who were inadvertently exposed to these testosterone products through contact with another person being treated with them. According to an FDA announcement, “The gels are approved for use in men who either no longer produce testosterone or produce it in very low amounts, and are often used by men living with HIV who have below normal testosterone levels.” Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch for more information.
Pharmaceutical Boehringer-Ingelheim (BI), maker of the HIV drugs Viramune (nevirapine) and Aptivus (tipranavir), is holding a free one-day women’s meeting on HIV here in Chicago. “Women Living Positively: It’s My Life, National Women’s Summit” is scheduled for Friday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Zion Banquets, 1950 W. 13th Street (in the Illinois Medical District). Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Visit www.banquet.newzionmbc.com. Women interested in attending the summit should call toll-free at 1–877–933–4310, extension 99512, as soon as possible to reserve a seat. BI videotaped one of its previous women’s summits, held in Florida. Judging from those speakers, the summit is an outstanding event. Visit www.vodium.com/goto/womenlivingpositive.asp. Due to issues of confidentiality, question-and-answer sessions and breakout groups were not taped.
During International Women’s Month, in March, the Women’s Institute at GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) in New York City and Iris House re-launched its HIV prevention and testing campaign for women. According to a press release, the “We’re Not Taking It Lying Down campaign… continues to boldly celebrate and reclaim the sexuality, sexual health and strength of women of color. …Institutionalized racism, poverty, and violence create environments of risk.” It continued, “Both the Women’s Institute at GMHC and Iris House promote safer and satisfying sex that’s consensual and in one’s control. We subscribe to the idea that women don’t have to ‘take it lying down.’ Testing regularly for HIV is but one way to take control.” The Women’s Institute provides community health education and advocacy for women and families. Iris House provides services to women, families, and communities affected by HIV, promoting prevention, education, and awareness.
