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• NEW PODCAST SERIES: THIS POSITIVE LIFE
A Miraculous Life: HIV "Elite Controller" Shares Her Story
Imagine living with HIV for 15 years and maintaining an undetectable viral load and a CD4 count around 2,000 -- without ever taking a single HIV med. Few people are part of this very
small (and very fortunate) group of HIVers -- but Loreen Willenberg is one of them. What makes her so special? Doctors aren't quite sure, but if they can figure it out, it could forever change
the way we fight HIV. Loreen participates in several studies in which researchers are trying to understand what makes these so-called "elite controllers" tick. "I don't have
to participate, but you know what? It's necessary," she says. "It's a personal purpose. If there's any way I can help, I'm all about that." In this intimate interview
with The Body (both a podcast and a full transcript are available), Loreen tells the story of her life as a "partially positive" HIV advocate.
The Body is honored to present this one-on-one interview with Loreen. It's a part of our HIV/AIDS Resource Center
for Women, and it's also the first in a new podcast series called This Positive Life, in which people with HIV from across the globe share their personal stories. Be sure to visit
The Body regularly for new installments of This Positive Life. |
• LIVING WITH HIV
A Black, Gay, Magnetic Couple Talks About Love and Acceptance
"The way I see it, we're all positive," says Tadhi Coulter, who is black, gay and HIV negative. "I happen to love Tim. He's my partner, and the fact that he's HIV positive, that's something
that we work through." In this online broadcast of the public radio program News & Notes, Coulter and his partner Tim Daniels discuss how they draw strength from each other and demand acceptance
and respect from the outside world.
"Reach Out and Teach Others": An African-American Woman With HIV Speaks Out
Konya Baylis was 23 years old and two months pregnant with her second child when she tested positive for HIV. "My family treated me differently when I told them. I broke down ... I was
isolating myself and I was very depressed," she says. Then a local HIV peer advocate visited her home, and started Konya on the road to self-acceptance and advocacy. Konya still struggles
with HIV stigma and ignorance, but she battles it by speaking to church groups and schools about safer sex and HIV. Her message for young, HIV-positive women? "Stay strong, try to cope,
reach out and teach others. You are not alone."
Giving HIV-Positive Youths a Safe Place for Support and Services
"An HIV diagnosis is not a death sentence, and youth do not need to fear that they have lost their dreams," writes nurse practitioner Michael D'Arata. Half of all new HIV infections in the United
States are among people ages 15 to 24, but HIV services often aren't geared toward young people. But there are simple steps that HIV service providers can take to provide better support for young HIVers.
For example, D'Arata's youth clinic in downtown Oakland, Calif., offers a "flop room" instead of a waiting room, where DVDs, computer access and free pizza create a relaxed, nurturing environment. |
• HIV TREATMENT & COMPLICATIONS
Women Respond Better Than Men to HIV Meds, Study Finds
Women do better on HIV therapy than men, according to the results of a large Spanish study. Researchers found that women on treatment had higher CD4 counts and lower viral loads throughout
the yearlong trial. The study authors say the differences between genders could not be explained by different adherence to medications; the women's immune systems simply appeared to respond
better to the drugs. Women were also at less risk for AIDS-related illness and death during the study, but were more likely to have side effects from the HIV meds. (Web highlight from
aidsmap.com)
Click here to read the abstract of this study, which was published in the April 23 edition of the medical journal AIDS.
HIV Meds May Be Less Effective in African Americans, Study Suggests
Research has repeatedly shown that African Americans with HIV don't do as well on treatment as whites, but it's still not clear why that is. A new study suggests that biological differences,
not just social inequalities, may be at least partly to blame. Researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center compared white and African-American HIVers who began treatment; they found that
African Americans were much less likely than whites to reach a viral load below 400, even though everybody received the same level of care. However, several possible non-biological factors
weren't studied, like HIV medication adherence and the quality of the patient-doctor relationship, which may help explain the difference. (Web highlight from Reuters Health)
Click here to view the abstract of this study, which was published in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndromes.
No Imminent Epidemic of Heart Disease Among HIVers on Meds, Expert Says
If you're HIV positive and on meds, you're not automatically in imminent danger of dropping dead from a heart attack, according to an expert on cardiovascular problems and HIV. In an editorial
written in a prominent medical journal, Dr. James Stein acknowledges that new study findings link the use of protease inhibitors to a greater risk of heart attack. But Dr. Stein points out
that even with the increased risk, the odds that a person taking protease inhibitors will have a heart attack is very low -- and other factors, like smoking or simply being a man, appear
to play a much bigger role than protease inhibitors do. (Web highlight from aidsmap.com)
Dr. Stein's editorial appears in the April 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. You can't read it without paying for it, but you can read
an abstract of the study he wrote his editorial about. The study, part of an ongoing clinical trial known as D:A:D, found a small increase in heart attack risk among people taking protease
inhibitors, but found no increased risk among people taking NNRTIs.
Experimental CCR5 Inhibitor, PRO 140, Passes First Clinical Trial
The United States is likely to soon approve maraviroc (brand name: Celsentri), the first drug in a new class of HIV meds known as CCR5 inhibitors. But maraviroc isn't the only CCR5 inhibitor
in the development pipeline: Early research shows good prospects for a drug called PRO 140, which works similarly to maraviroc but must be injected rather than taken in pill form.
For more details on the first clinical trial of PRO 140, read this press release.
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• HIV IN THE NEWS
Former Head of Global AIDS Program Resigns in Sex Scandal
After his name surfaced in an investigation into an alleged Washington, D.C., area prostitution ring, Randall Tobias, the former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator appointed by President George
W. Bush, resigned in late April from his new post in the U.S. Department of State. Tobias, a married father of four, was a staunch proponent of abstinence-only education and was responsible
for enforcing a Bush administration policy to withhold funding from countries unless they signed a pledge against prostitution. In an interview, Tobias acknowledged using the D.C.-area escort
service, but insisted he only did so "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage." (Web highlight from Reuters)
Needless to say, the story of Tobias' resignation -- and the alleged prostitution ring he's linked to -- has been the fodder for plenty of jokes over the past couple of weeks. On May 2, fake-news
anchorman Jon Stewart and his Daily Show correspondents got in on the action in a series of three segments, all of which are available online: first, Stewart
breaks the story; second, Jason Jones offers his analysis; and third, Stewart reports
on the defenders of escort services.
U.S. Not Doing Enough to Fight HIV Within Its Borders, Report Says
Is the United States doing enough to stem the spread of HIV within its own borders? According to a report released by the Open Society Institute, the answer is a resounding no. The United
States spends more than $16 billion a year in the fight against HIV, yet each year for a decade has brought 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States, and half of all HIV-positive Americans
who need treatment aren't receiving it, the report says. "It is time the United States develops what it asks of other nations ... combating AIDS: a national plan that provides a roadmap
for concrete and equitable results," the report states.
HIV Stigma Still at Large in New York City -- Even in Health Care System
HIV stigma and discrimination are unfortunately still a part of everyday life, even in the U.S. cities that have been hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. A recent study in New York City found
that 40 percent of HIVers who live in transitional housing say they've experienced discrimination when dealing with the health care system. The majority attributed the discrimination to their
HIV-positive status; however, others cited reasons such as drug use, homelessness, race and ethnicity.
HIV-Positive Man Gets Life Sentence for Seeking Sex With Minor
A Dallas court has sentenced an HIV-positive man to life in prison for "attempting to entice" a 15-year-old boy to have sex with him. The man, Willie Atkins, wasn't imprisoned because
he has HIV, but prosecutors did call attention to his status during the trial: Prosecuters alleged that Atkins had sex with dozens of young men without using condoms, and suggested that he
never disclosed with his partners that he had HIV. Atkins got a life sentence because he had two previous felony convictions for unrelated crimes. (Web highlight from Associated Press) |
• HIV OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
Clinton Foundation Secures Big Price Cuts for Second-Line Generics
In a move that could have a huge impact on HIV treatment access in developing countries, the William J. Clinton Foundation has announced a deal with two Indian drug companies to sharply cut
the price of key second-line HIV medications. Many of the meds on the list -- including generic versions of Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) and combo pills containing Viread (tenofovir) --
are used as first-line drugs in wealthy countries, but until now haven't been readily available or affordable in poorer countries. (Web highlight from aidsmap.com)
Brazilian President Breaks Patent on Sustiva
After rejecting Merck's offer to sell Sustiva (efavirenz, Stocrin) at a discounted price in his country, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced Brazil will break the
drug's patent and produce a lower-cost, generic version. Silva's decision is being hotly contested by drug companies and the business world, but it also has many backers. AIDS Healthcare
Foundation president Michael Weinstein hailed Silva's move as a "victory for AIDS [advocates] and patients everywhere and proof that drug companies will go down in defeat every time
they place themselves in the way of justice for AIDS patients." Brazil has one of the largest HIV treatment programs in the world, providing free HIV meds to 180,000 people (75,000 of
whom are using Sustiva).
For more background on this story, click here.
One in a Million: Portraits of the African HIV Epidemic
Africans living with HIV refuse to play the stereotypical role of the helpless victim -- and journalist Stephanie Nolan is out to prove it. Her new book, 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa,
goes beyond the mind-numbing statistics to tell the stories of 28 of the estimated 28 million Africans who are living with the virus. In an interview on the public radio show All Things
Considered, Nolan describes how Africans, despite getting too little help from the rest of the world, are confronting the epidemic themselves. Click
here to listen to the interview or read an excerpt from the book. (Web highlight from National Public Radio)
Drug-Resistant HIV Transmission Is Falling Steadily in United Kingdom
For years now, the rise of drug-resistant HIV has felt like an unstoppable tide. But the reality may be very different: New data from the United Kingdom show that, for the first time, the
number of newly diagnosed HIVers with drug resistance is dropping rapidly and steadily, even while the number of newly infected people in the country is growing. (Web highlight
from aidsmap.com)
AIDS Activists Protest Thailand's Addition to U.S. Copyright Violator List
Activists are ardently defending Thailand's right to produce generic versions of HIV medications, following the country's recent addition to the United States' list of copyright violators.
Bearing signs declaring, "Evil USA, stop threatening access to treatment in Thailand," a group of about 30 protestors gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to show support for Thailand's
decision to break the patents and produce generic versions of Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) and Sustiva (efavirenz, Stocrin). Despite U.S. pressure, Thailand's government isn't backing down:
The country's decision is "meant to allow those in need who can't afford the expensive drugs to have access to them," the health minister said, adding, "I insist that Thailand will continue
with it for the benefits of the public."
For more background on this story, click here.
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