Science Speaks: HIV & TB News

High HIV rates in Asia-Pacific transgenders, trade deal threatens affordable AIDS meds abroad, and more…

Meredith Mazzotta — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:01:34 +0000

The following list of What We’re Reading is a compilation of recent releases and reports making headlines in global health: HIV may afflict almost half Asia-Pacific transgenders (UN): According to a new report from the United Nations (UN), almost 50 percent of transgender people in the Asia-Pacific region could be HIV infected – with poor [...]

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Report: GeneXpert TB diagnostics take off in low-resource countries

Meredith Mazzotta — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:07 +0000

As of the end of the first quarter of 2012, nearly 864,000 GeneXpert MTB/RIF rapid tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic cartridges had been procured under manufacturer Cephied’s concessional pricing mechanism. The information was part of a the three-page report released in May by the Stop TB Department of the World Health Organization (WHO), giving an update on [...]

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Breaking News: House committee approves 2013 funding for PEPFAR, Global Fund, global TB

Christine Lubinski — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:49 +0000

The House Appropriations Committee voted on its fiscal year (FY) 2013 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill Wednesday and released a report that clarifies its funding intentions for key global health programs. The bill includes $5.542 billion for global AIDS funding through the State Department, and the report specifies $4.243 billion to support the U.S. [...]

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FDA advisory committee recommends approval of over-the-counter, at-home HIV test

Meredith Mazzotta — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:38:22 +0000

The following is a guest blog post by HIV Medicine Association Policy Officer, Kimberly Crump. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 17-member Blood Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommended FDA approval of OraSure Technologies’ over-the-counter, in-home HIV test Tuesday. After a full day of presentations...

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UNITAID seeks innovative HIV, TB and malaria proposals

Meredith Mazzotta — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:00:49 +0000

UNITAID is inviting letters of intent (LOI), or short conceptual presentations of a proposed project, on the topic of improving access to key preventive, diagnostic and treatment commodities for HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria through market-based approaches. UNITAID works to negotiate low pricing for diagnostics and medication for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries [...]

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Why the world needs Robin: Advocates launch Robin Hood Tax Global Week of Action

Meredith Mazzotta — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:03:14 +0000

A hodgepodge group of charities, green groups, trade unions, community organizations, celebrities, religious leaders and politicians are rallying this week to bring global attention to a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) meant to “reform Main Street” with a small tax on bank profits. The idea is to implement a tax of less than half of one [...]

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Updated: FDA committee recommends Truvada’s approval as PrEP

Meredith Mazzotta — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:16:57 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee recommended Thursday that the supplemental application for Gilead Sciences’ HIV drug Truvada (a combination of emtricitabine plus tenofovir, or TDF-FTC) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) be approved for high-risk, HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection. The panel of medical experts, [...]

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Accordia Foundation Measures Impact of Capacity-Building Programs

Rabita Aziz — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:50:46 +0000

Global health advocates discussed the findings of an ongoing study measuring the effectiveness of infectious disease training programs at a recent briefing hosted by The Accordia Global Health Foundation. The Integrated Infectious Disease Capacity-Building Evaluation (IDCAP) is a three-year program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal of evaluating training programs [...]

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Global Fund announces additional $1.6 billion at its disposal through 2014

Meredith Mazzotta — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:27:36 +0000

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria estimates an additional $1.6 billion in funding will be available in the 2012-2014 period, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the organization. “The new forecast is a result of strategic decisions made by the Board, freeing up funds that can be invested in countries [...]

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PDPs agree to jointly develop new TB vaccine candidate

Meredith Mazzotta — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:51:25 +0000

Aeras and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) – two non-profit product development partnerships (PDPs) – announced Wednesday they will be joining together to develop IDRI’s novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate ID93/GLA-SE. The compound contains an IDRI-designed recombinant fusion-protein antigen (a protein substance foreign to the body that stimulates the immune system’s production of antibodies [...]

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