Aids Treatment

Almost three-quarters of those most likely to be living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection—baby boomers, notably those born between 1945 and 1965—have never been tested or are unsure if they have been tested for hepatitis C, according to a new survey conducted by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

Sudden cardiac death—when death occurs within a very short period of time after the onset of heart attack symptoms—accounted for most of the cardiac and non-AIDS natural deaths seen in a chart review of people living with HIV receiving care at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), according to a new report published May 15 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) saved more than 740,000 African lives between 2004 and 2008, according to a new report published in the May 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Orasure’s oral swab-based rapid in-home HIV test has been recommended for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Blood Products Advisory Committee. If the FDA follows its advisory committee’s recommendation, the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test will be the first complete screening assay for purchase over-the-counter (OTC) from pharmacies and internet retailers.

Tuesday, May 15, marks the debut of the annual National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day. Coordinated by the Latino Commission on AIDS, this important series of events, primarily focusing on the need for increased screening and testing in Latino communities, will take place annually on May 15 and will coincide with viral hepatitis testing and educational programming during National Hepatitis Awareness month.

An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has voted 13 to 1 in support of approval of Gilead’s “Quad,” the unofficial name for a fixed-dose combination tablet containing the elvitegravir, cobicistat, Viread (tenofovir) and Emtriva (emtricitabine). Should the FDA follow the recommendation of its Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, which met at the DoubleTree Hotel in Silver Spring on May 11, the drug will be the third all-in-one regimen to be approved by the agency. ...