|
A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.
MSM Inter-Connecting Health Problems Increase HIV Risk for MSM Intertwining health problems - syndemics - are associated with higher viral load and poorer adherence in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) taking antiretroviral treatment (ART), investigators from the United States report in the online edition of AIDS Prevention Injection Drug Use Fuels Rise In Hepatitis C Cases The rise in injection drug use across the country, especially the eastern U.S., is fueling an outbreak of hepatitis C. Outreach workers are offering clean needles and testing to contain the spread. Testing & Diagnostics Gene-Based Therapy Company Fights HIV/AIDS with $15 Million Financing TUCSON, Ariz. - Calimmune Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company, has successfully completed its $15 million Series B financing round, led by a large pharmaceutical company. Alexandria Venture Investments also joined with existing investors including RA Capital Healthcare Fund LP and Translational Accelerator LLC. Proceeds will be used to progress the company's ongoing HIV/AIDS clinical trials, advanced technology research programs and general corporate operations. Injectable PrEP: The Next Order of the Day "The goal [for HIV prevention] is more choices," said Raphael Landovitz, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine at the UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education. "Injectable PrEP is the next order of the day." Treatment Consumers Sue Anthem for Denying Coverage for a Gilead Hepatitis C Drug The controversy over the new crop of hepatitis C treatments has taken yet another turn as consumers are starting to file lawsuits against insurers that deny them access to the medicines. Over the past two weeks, two different women alleged that Anthem Blue Cross refused to pay for the Harvoni treatment sold by Gilead SciencesGILD +2.45% because it was not deemed "medically necessary." Drugs to Keep People with HIV Alive Should Be Given Without Delay, Trial Finds Scientists in Europe and Africa find that antiretroviral treatment should be administered before HIV virus has weakened the immune system Miscellaneous 'Baby Boomers' at the Highest Risk of The Hepatitis C Virus The Centers for Disease Control is warning baby boomers that they are at a higher risk of contracting Hepatitis C. The CDC reports that 3.2 million Americans are currently living with the Hepatitis C virus with 74% of those being baby boomers. Push to End Prison Rapes Loses Earlier Momentum NEW BOSTON, Tex. - The inmate, dressed in prison whites with a shaved head and incongruously tender eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses, entered the visiting room with her wrists joined as if she were handcuffed. At 31, she had spent her whole adult life behind bars, and it looked like a posture of habit. Starting Antiretroviral Treatment Early Improves Outcomes for HIV-Infected Individuals NIH-funded trial results likely will impact global treatment guidelines Tinder, Other Hookup Apps Blamed for Rise in STDs Officials: Recent uptick in STD cases follows national trend 'Ugly' Potential Fallout From Supreme Court Health Care Case Ruling may gut 'Obamacare,' but Republicans would feel the heat if millions lose subsidies. | 
