HIV

Researchers find brake mechanism that prevents an essential shell from forming on virus that causes AIDS.

Countries in Southern and Eastern Africa have the highest prevalence of HIV worldwide. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS strategy to end AIDS by 2030 has been dedicated to preventing HIV through voluntary medical male circumcision in Southern and Eastern African countries with HIV epidemics and low male circumcision prevalence.

The HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Disease Society of America recently published clinical practice guidelines for managing chronic pain in patients with HIV.

A multidisciplinary panel of HIV experts gathered in October 2016 to discuss the current state of HIV care and develop critical recommendations for Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee members to consider when developing policies affecting their member populations who are living with HIV. This paper presents the panel’s discussion, consensus opinion, and conclusions.

The change reflects scientific advances that have converted AIDS from a certain death sentence to a condition that can be managed with proper diagnosis and treatment.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research predicts a shift in the number and the pattern of cancer incidence among those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The spread of HIV has stabilized in some areas of the world, but continues to rise in others, said Thomas C. Quinn, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health.

A recent study in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care indicates that the prevalence of diabetes is higher among individuals infected with HIV than in the general population.

Underinsurance, which occurs when people have insurance but aren't covered for services they need, is a serious problem in the US, according to A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan. He proposed some strategies to alleviate this phenomenon, like smarter deductibles and revised Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules.

Despite being up to 15 times more likely to be HIV positive, people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression with psychosis aren’t much more likely than the general population to be tested for the virus.

The impending repeal of Obamacare has sparked concerns that vulnerable groups will lose insurance coverage and access to treatment, including HIV/AIDS patients.

These guidelines provide an overview of the current recommendations surrounding HIV/AIDS diagnosis, treatment, and complications.

What we're reading, January 4, 2017: Republicans in Congress may also make changes to Medicare; churches and faith-based organizations launch syringe exchanges; and judge rules Amgen's PCSK9 patent is valid.

Inflammation appears to be the reason patients living with HIV have higher heart disease risk.

The annual health information technology issue (IT) of The American Journal of Managed Care looks at the purpose for the decade-long move away from paper to technology-based infrastructure: better delivery of care to populations. As special guest editor Dr. Joshua R. Vest and other authors note, there is progress, but we’re not there yet.

Massachusetts is integrating HIV surveillance and leveraging electronic health record clinical data into their electronic disease case management system to enhance monitoring the HIV continuum of care.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

Demonstrating the efficacy of antiretroviral therapies and other treatments in preventing the spread of HIV, Thomas Quinn, MD, showed that there is hope for decreasing HIV transmissions across the world. He cautioned, however, that HIV/AIDS still remains a global pandemic, and more work must be done to accelerate the rate of decrease in HIV infections.

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus has been revolutionized by the development of direct-acting antivirals, but a small fraction of patients do experience resistance and treatment failure.

Pence's record on Medicaid expansion and an HIV outbreak are getting national attention now that he is nominated for vice president.

What We’re Reading, July 15, 2016: What can the 7 remaining co-ops do to survive; CMS projects increased Medicare spending per enrollee by 2025; and experts call for policy changes to support the health of prisoners at high risk for HIV.

What We’re Reading, July 13, 2016: Humira faces competition from a biosimilar; Washington, DC, campaigns to raise awareness on anti-HIV PrEP pills; and veterans may have been incorrectly diagnosed for traumatic brain injury...or not.

The Department of Justice has found that the Nevada Department of Corrections has been discriminating against inmates with HIV and with disabilities, according to a letter of findings issued.

The number of new HIV infections and the HIV transmission rate both decreased from 2010 to 2015, but still fell well short of the goals set by the Obama administration in 2010.

The arrival of direct-acting antivirals to treat hepatitis C virus raised unprecedented policy questions in healthcare. This new drug class was initially met with alarm over cost and barriers to the cure, despite the potential for long-term savings, and represents one of a number of topics explored in a special issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

CDC also published a separate study that found more people in the United States now die from hepatitis C than die from HIV or any other infectious disease. The report comes as The American Journal of Managed Care publishes a special issue on policy concerns over patient access to new therapies that cure HCV.

The authors examine real-world hepatitis C virus cure rates with direct-acting antivirals among patients coinfected with HIV.

Single-tablet regimens are associated with higher adherence rates, decreased hospitalizations, and a higher proportion of patients with undetectable viral load compared with multiple-tablet regimens in patients with HIV/AIDS.