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States With Greater PrEP Use See Fewer New HIV Diagnoses
U.S. states that had the highest levels of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage also saw the largest declines in new HIV diagnoses from 2012 to 2021, even after controlling for differences in viral suppression, according study results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024). Oral and injectable...
Rejuvenating the Immune System by Depleting Certain Stem Cells
The risk for serious infections rises with age, as people’s immune systems lose the ability to respond to novel infections. Part of the reason for this is that the types of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which make the various types of blood cells, change with age. Some HSCs, called...
The Best Medicine
I am based in New Orleans. I found out I was HIV positive in February 2017. I was in my last semester at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. Ironically, I was taking a class on global health and chose HIV/AIDS as the disease to research throughout the semester. I chose it before I knew about my own status. Life is funny. In a way, the research was good because it forced me to confront some realities and learn my new normal. I think I reached a place of acceptance earlier than I would have otherwise.
CRISPR HIV Gene Therapy Disappoints in Early Study
EBT-101, a CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy from Excision BioTherapeutics, was safe and well tolerated in a Phase I study, but it did not prevent viral rebound in the first three participants who stopped antiretroviral treatment, according to a presentation last week at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting.
A Week of Action Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2024
The Latino Commission on AIDS wants LGBTQ people to know they are honored and beloved (#Honored&Beloved). The organization—along with its Zero Homophobia and Zero Transphobia programs and the Oasis Community Pride Center in New York City—hosts a week of virtual events starting Monday, May 13, that raise awareness of key issues facingLGBTQ Latinos.
Many Older People With HIV Have Unmet Needs
Nearly 40% of people with HIV ages 55 and older report that they have at least one unmet need, according to study findings published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. These ranged from a lack of non-HIV medical or dental care to patient navigation services to help with daily subsistence.
Oprah Pays Tribute to Brother Lost to AIDS
Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, HIV and AIDS took center stage March 14 at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards honoring LGBTQ representation in the media. A longtime queer ally, Winfrey received the Vanguard Award. During her acceptance speech, she became emotional while talking about her older brother, who was gay and died 35 years ago of an AIDS-related illness.
R.I.P. Hydeia Broadbent
On February 20, 2024, the HIV community lost a fierce longtime advocate. Though she was only 39 years old when she died in her home in Las Vegas, Hydeia Broadbent had for more than three decades educated people around the world about HIV and AIDS. Born with HIV in 1984,...
Radiant Activist
The work of the iconic artist Keith Haring was featured in more than 100 solo and group exhibitions worldwide before he died of AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990. Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring, a new biography by Brad Gooch, traces Haring’s path from Kutztown, Pennsylvania, to New York City, where his graffiti-inspired art made him a darling of the downtown art scene and catapulted him to global fame. In the following excerpt, Haring, who often used his art to advocate for social change, agrees to go public as a person living with HIV in a fundraising letter for the AIDS activist group ACT UP. Please go here in this issue for a Q & A with Gooch.
Defying Gravity
I remember first meeting Jirair Ratevosian at the Washington, DC, office of HIV advocate Representative Barbara Lee (D–Calif.) when he was her legislative director. I was then the deputy editor of POZ. Since then, it’s been gratifying to see how he’s continued his journey as an HIV advocate. Ratevosian...
Cabenuva for People With Adherence Challenges
Long-acting injectable treatment can be an effective option for people who cannot maintain viral suppression on daily pills, researchers reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). The LATITUDE trial enrolled more than 400 people who had a persistent detectable viral load on oral treatment or had been...
POZ June 2024
Cover: Public health warrior Jirair Ratevosian continues to fight for people living with the virus. Inside: RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Q discusses having HIV; an excerpt of a new biography shines a light on the life of Keith Haring. Plus: A tribute to the late Hydeia Broadbent.
HIV as the Common Denominator
On a late morning in mid-February, Jirair Ratevosian was chatting on the phone with POZ from an apartment in Burbank, California, that he’d rented so that he could run for the U.S. congressional seat to be vacated by Representative Adam Schiff (D–Calif.), who has represented this deep-blue district since 2001.
Kudos for Saying That
Disclosure can be difficult for people living with HIV even when a TV camera isn’t filming their every move, which helps explain why RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Q’s announcement that she is HIV positive not only made for an emotional scene but also went viral. Q makes it clear that the moment wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t felt secure in this reality-TV sisterhood. “I would have felt comfortable telling any of those girls,” she tells POZ, citing her fellow queens on season 16 of the Emmy-winning show. “They all made it feel like just a safe space where I could feel free to come out with that information.”
Prevention: Biktarvy PEP
The once-daily Biktarvy pill (bictegravir/tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine) can be a good option for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP is a monthlong course of antiretrovirals taken within 72 hours after a high-risk exposure. Current CDC PEP guidelines, last updated in 2016, recommend tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtrici-tabine (TDF/FTC; Truvada) plus either raltegravir (Isentress) or dolutegravir (Tivicay) for 28 days, but these regimens require two separate pills, and raltegravir should be taken twice daily. Researchers analyzed outcomes among 120 people who started PEP at emergency departments in Toronto after sexual exposure. Those who initiated PEP with another regimen switched to Biktarvy. Adherence was high; 88% took PEP for at least 28 days. Biktarvy was generally well tolerated, and no HIV seroconversions occurred. Given the low incidence of seroconversion among PEP users, it’s difficult to demonstrate that one regimen is more effective than another, but these findings suggest that Biktarvy should be added to PEP guidelines.
2024 HIV Prevention Drug Chart
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) PrEP is antiretroviral medication taken by a person who is HIV negative to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the following three regimens for PrEP:. DRUGADULT DOSING INFOAPPROVED FORDRUG CLASS. Apretude (cabotegravir) Apretude is given as a single injection in...
Cure: Remission in Kids
A small proportion of children who start HIV treatment very early may be able to maintain ongoing viral suppression after stopping antiretroviral therapy (ART). In 2013, researchers reported on the Mississippi Baby, an infant born with HIV who started antiretrovirals 30 hours after birth. She stopped treatment at 18 months but maintained viral suppression for more than two years before experiencing viral rebound. That case inspired the IMPAACT P1115 trial, in which 54 infants who acquired HIV during gestation started combination anti-retroviral treatment within 48 hours after birth. Six of the children met strict criteria for undetectable HIV and began a closely monitored treatment interruption at an average age of 5.5 years. Two of the children experienced relatively rapid viral rebound at three and eight weeks after stopping treatment, but three girls and one boy achieved ART-free remission. One child maintained viral suppression for 80 weeks before experiencing viral rebound. The other three were still in remission at 48, 52 and 64 weeks.
How Well Does Oral PrEP Work for Women?
It’s a common belief that daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pills do not protect cisgender women as well as gay and bisexual men. Studies have found that tenofovir levels are lower in vaginal and cervical tissues compared with rectal tissue, suggesting that women may need to take PrEP more consistently. But further analysis shows that protection depends on adherence, not biological factors.
DoxyPEP Reduces STIs in San Francisco
The early rollout of doxyPEP in San Francisco has contributed to a decline in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to reports at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. DoxyPEP refers to taking a single prophylactic dose of the antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours after sex. San Francisco was the...
Everyday – June 2024
5 – Sir Elton John announces the launch of The Rocket Fund, a three-year, $125 million initiative to accelerate the end of AIDS. (2023) 15 – Visual AIDS debuts the inaugural set of Play Smart safer sex trading cards. The cards use an honest and straightforward approach to promote pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), harm reduction and HIV testing. (2010)
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