[Viva] Fwd: HIV Weekly, 16 May 2012

[Margarite Sanchez]

fyi
Some treatment info out of the UK

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <hivweekly at nam.org.uk>
Date: Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:25 AM
Subject: HIV Weekly, 16 May 2012
To: margaritesanchez at gmail.com


    HIV Weekly, 16 May 2012
  In this issue

   - Adherence and depression <#13754f4e111269b8_item2354758>
   - Cervical cancer <#13754f4e111269b8_item2354757>
   - Starting HIV treatment <#13754f4e111269b8_item2354760>
   - Hepatitis C <#13754f4e111269b8_item2354765>

  Adherence and depression

New US research has shown the importance for people with HIV of accessing
treatment and care for
depression<http://www.aidsmap.com/Black-race-and-depression-associated-with-poorer-adherence-to-HIV-treatment/page/2344032/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


Doctors in the US looked at the factors associated with
adherence<http://www.aidsmap.com/Adherence/page/1044469/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>to
HIV
treatment<http://www.aidsmap.com/HIV-treatment/page/1044497/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


Their headline finding was that African American people were about a third
less likely to take 90% or more of their doses than people of other ethnic
backgrounds (this level of adherence is considered necessary for treatment
to be most effective). This is likely to be because of the difficult
socioeconomic circumstances faced by many HIV-positive African Americans.

But a surprise finding of the research was that people with
depression<http://www.aidsmap.com/Depression/page/1731692/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>were
5% more likely to have high levels of adherence than people in the
study who were not depressed.

The researchers think that this could be due to the beneficial effects of
treatment with antidepressants<http://www.aidsmap.com/Treating-depression/page/1731763/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


People with depression who were taking antidepressants were twice as likely
to take their HIV treatment as prescribed than people with depression who
were not taking antidepressant therapy.

*Depression is relatively common in people with HIV. You can access
professional help and support through your HIV clinic, your GP or other
local services. You can find out more about this subject in our booklet HIV,
mental health and emotional
wellbeing<http://www.aidsmap.com/HIV-mental-health-and-emotional-wellbeing/page/1321435/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.
*
 Cervical cancer

Taking HIV treatment reduces the risk of developing pre-cancerous cervical
lesions, new research has
shown<http://www.aidsmap.com/HIV-treatment-reduces-incidence-of-pre-cancerous-cervical-lesions-and-promotes-their-regression/page/2344709/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
.

Cervical cancer<http://www.aidsmap.com/Cervical-cancer/page/1044649/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>is
related to infection with certain strains of the human
*papillomavirus*<http://www.aidsmap.com/Genital-warts/page/1044852/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>(HPV),
a very common and often symptomless infection, which can lead to the
development of cell changes and lesions that sometimes lead to cancer. In
women with HIV, cervical cancer is considered to be an AIDS-defining
illness<http://www.aidsmap.com/What-is-AIDS/cat/1443/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
.

New cases of the other AIDS-defining cancers – Kaposi’s
sarcoma<http://www.aidsmap.com/Kaposis-sarcoma/page/1044692/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>and
non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma<http://www.aidsmap.com/Non-Hodgkins-lymphoma/page/1044727/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>–
have fallen dramatically since effective HIV treatment became
available.
Antiretroviral therapy has also been shown to improve outcomes in people
who have these cancers.

Doctors in South Africa wanted to see if HIV treatment also had benefits
regarding cervical cancer.

They therefore monitored 1123 women between 2003 and 2009. All had at least
two cervical smears<http://www.aidsmap.com/Cervical-and-anal-screening/page/1733203/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>,
a type of screening to identify signs of cells changing.

Only 2% of women were taking HIV treatment at the start of the study, but
this increased to 17% as the research progressed.

Taking HIV treatment reduced the risk of developing pre-cancerous cervical
lesions by 38%.

It also had benefits for women who had pre-existing lesions, more than
doubling the chances of regression (an improvement in symptoms).

*Routine HIV care should involve regular cervical screening. This means
that any abnormal cells can be spotted early and appropriate treatment can
be provided*. *In the UK, women with HIV are recommended to have cervical
screening (sometimes called a Pap smear or smear test) annually. Talk to
your HIV clinic or GP to arrange screening.*
 Starting HIV treatment

Starting HIV treatment based on ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (*Reyataz*) is
more likely to suppress viral load to an undetectable level within six
months than therapy containing efavirenz (*Sustiva*, also in the
combination pill *Atripla*), Canadian research
suggests<http://www.aidsmap.com/Canadian-cohort-shows-viral-suppression-most-likely-with-atazanavirritonavir-based-HIV-treatment-after-6-months/page/2345358/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


The researchers monitored the viral load of over 1100 people who started
HIV treatment<http://www.aidsmap.com/Starting-HIV-treatment/page/1230814/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>between
2000 and 2009. Clinical trials often exclude people who inject
drugs because of concerns they will not take treatment as prescribed.
Unusually, many of the people in this study had a history of injecting drug
use<http://www.aidsmap.com/Injecting-drug-use/cat/1625/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
.

Overall, 68% of people had an undetectable viral load six months after
starting treatment. This included a third of people who injected drugs.

For people with no history of injecting drug use, a combination that
included ritonavir<http://www.aidsmap.com/Taking-it/page/1731172/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>-boosted
atazanavir<http://www.aidsmap.com/resources/treatmentsdirectory/drugs/Atazanavir-iReyatazi/page/1730901/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>was
about 50% more likely to suppress viral
load<http://www.aidsmap.com/Viral-load/page/1044622/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>than
a combination based on
efavirenz<http://www.aidsmap.com/resources/treatmentsdirectory/drugs/Efavirenz-iSustivai/page/1730999/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
.

Atazanavir/ritonavir appeared to be an especially good option for injecting
drug users, doubling the chances of viral suppression compared to
efavirenz.

The researchers therefore think that a combination based on
ritonavir-boosted atazanavir may be a good choice for people who inject
drugs or who struggle with
adherence<http://www.aidsmap.com/Adherence/page/1044469/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


*Want to talk to a healthcare professional about HIV treatment, but not
sure where to start? Try our online Talking
points<http://www.aidsmap.com/talking-points?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>tool
before your next appointment.
*
 Hepatitis C

Standard treatment for hepatitis C consists of pegylated interferon and
ribavirin<http://www.aidsmap.com/Treatment-for-hepatitis-C/page/1506104/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.
Treatment for hepatitis C aims to cure the condition, but this doesn’t
always work and treatment can cause side-effects.

As with HIV drugs, hepatitis C drugs are grouped into different classes, or
types. Two new hepatitis C protease inhibitors have been approved, but
these have to be taken with the current standard treatment. However, a
number of other new drugs are in development.

A major side-effect of pegylated interferon is depression. Doctors in the
US have published an article stressing that people taking this therapy
should be screened for
depression<http://www.aidsmap.com/Depression-and-pegylated-interferon-doctors-look-at-screening-strategies-and-treatment/page/2342133/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.
They also recommend that people with depression should receive treatment
with antidepressants.

Research into new hepatitis C drugs means that treatment that doesn’t
involve interferon may soon be a reality.

A study presented to the recent International Liver Congress
showed<http://www.aidsmap.com/BI-201335-BI-207127-and-ribavirin-shows-good-efficacy-including-hepatitis-C-patients-with-cirrhosis/page/2347574/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>that
a combination of three hepatitis C drugs (ribavirin taken with a
protease inhibitor currently called BI 201335; and a non-nucleoside
polymerase inhibitor currently called BI 207127) achieved a sustained
virological response (considered to be a cure) in 68% of people with
genotype 1.

The response rate for people with cirrhosis was up to 57%. This is an
important result for this group, as people with advanced liver disease are
urgently in need of treatment options.

Ribavirin can also cause side-effects, most notably anaemia. New research
involving people taking the two new hepatitis C protease inhibitors showed
that this can be managed by reducing the ribavirin
dose<http://www.aidsmap.com/Ribavirin-dose-reduction-is-effective-for-managing-anaemia-in-patients-using-boceprevir-or-telaprevir/page/2347564/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
.
    AIDS 2012

NAM is an official provider of online news for the International AIDS
Conference (AIDS
2012)<http://www.aidsmap.com/AIDS-2012/page/2329765/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.
The conference is being held in Washington DC, 22nd-27th July.

A small number of late breaker abstracts will be accepted for oral
presentation or poster exhibition. The same submission rules apply for the
late breaker abstracts as for regular abstracts, but each presenting author
may only present one late breaker abstract. Late breaker abstract
submission is open until *22 May 2012*. For more information on abstracts
and late breaker submission please visit: www.aids2012.org/abstracts.aspx.

If you want to bring the conference to you, you can apply to host a
conference hub, at which recordings of the conference sessions are screened
and discussed. Applications to host a conference hub can be submitted
through the conference
website<http://www.aids2012.org/Default.aspx?pageId=397>.

 Full speed ahead to curing hepatitis C

The recent edition of *HIV treatment
update*<http://www.aidsmap.com/htu?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>investigated
the new drugs ushering in a new era of hepatitis C treatment.

Read online >><http://www.aidsmap.com/Full-speed-ahead-to-curing-hepatitis-C/page/2310798/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
 New tests speeding up TB diagnosis

*HIV & AIDS treatment in practice* is our regular bulletin for people
working in resource-limited settings.

The current edition<http://www.aidsmap.com/Strengthening-TB-laboratory-capacity-to-support-active-case-finding/page/2354582/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>looks
at the role of new diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) in
supporting active case finding for TB.

Read online >><http://www.aidsmap.com/Strengthening-TB-laboratory-capacity-to-support-active-case-finding/page/2354582/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
 Anti-HIV drugs booklet

Revised and updated to include the newest HIV treatment options, the
eleventh edition of our booklet *Anti-HIV
drugs*<http://www.aidsmap.com/Anti-HIV-drugs/page/1060104/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>is
now available at
www.aidsmap.com/booklets<http://www.aidsmap.com/booklets?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>.


With information on individual drugs, including side-effects and key drug
interactions, it aims to help you decide what questions to ask your doctor
about starting or changing treatment.

If you work in a clinic or support group in the UK, you can order multiple
copies free of charge. To order copies contact us at info at nam.org.uk or
call 020 3242 0820.

Read online or download pdf
>><http://www.aidsmap.com/Anti-HIV-drugs/page/1060104/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>
 Research on employment

A researcher at Nottingham Law School is interested in hearing from people
living with HIV in England who are currently in work and who would be
prepared to be interviewed as part of a piece of research. The research
covers employment, HIV discrimination and the law.

All information would be kept strictly confidential. It is hoped that the
work will improve understanding of the issues faced by people living with
HIV in employment and inform future policy decisions.

For more information contact peter.mctigue at ntu.ac.uk.

  *For more details, please contact NAM*

tel: +44 (0)20 3242 0820
fax: +44 (0)20 3242 0839
email: info at nam.org.uk <mailTo:info at nam.org.uk>
web: www.aidsmap.com<http://www.aidsmap.com/?utm_source=NAM-Email-Promotion&utm_medium=hiv-weekly&utm_campaign=hiv-weekly>

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