PrEP Shines at the International AIDS Conference

There were a number of interesting PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) presentations at the International AIDS Conference, which was held in Durban, South Africa, from July 18th to 22nd, 2016. Scott McCallister from Gilead presented 2016 CDC HIV transmission risk data in the U.S., an overview of 32 international studies of FTC/TDF (Truvada) usage for PrEP since it was licensed in the U.S. in 2012, and U.S. PrEP utilization data. Truvada, which is part of a cocktail regimen for people with HIV has demonstrated as much as a 90% effective rate in reducing the risk of HIV transmission when it is taken […]

The Wyden-Grassley US Senate bipartisan Sovaldi Investigation Spotlights a Revenue-Driven Pricing Strategy Behind Gilead’s $1,000 per pill Hepatitis Drug Launch

The US Senate Finance Committee chaired by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Oregon and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa issued a scathing bipartisan investigative report on December 1, 2015, revealing a clearly intended pricing and marketing strategy undertaken by Gilead Sciences, Inc. with little concern for patient access or availability to its life-saving drug Sovaldi which has a 99% success cure rate for hepatitis C (HCV). The report which took 18 months to complete is amazingly thorough and comprehensive worthy of the US Senate and a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. The full report is available at: http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/ranking/release/?id=3f693c73-0fc2-4a4c-ba92-562723ba5255. A press conference given by Senators […]

We Are Married Now!

Do we still need wills, financial powers of attorney, and advance health care directives? Marriage equality for same-sex couples became the law of the land in Maryland on January 1st, 2013, and across the country after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. But there are many important reasons why married couples still need legally recognized, properly executed Maryland wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives. The requirements for these documents vary from state to state. You must be sure you are executing documents that are legal in Maryland. […]

New PrEP Data on Transgender Women from the IPREX Study

Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) unearthed new information about PrEP usage in transgender women by taking an innovative look at the new IPREX study data. The IPREX study was a 2010 French Canadian study in mostly negative gay and bisexual men that was the first to show the positive effect of emtricitabane plus tenofovir fumarate – which is combined in one pill known as Truvada – for HIV prevention. No such efficacy was found in transgender women because their initial numbers were too small to make any definitive findings. Only 29 people were initially identified […]

PrEP for HIV Prevention: Three MSM PrEP trials at IAS 2015 Report on HIV Prevention, Adherence Issues and Intermittent PrEP Dosing Schedules

The bi-annual International AIDS Society’s (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis was held in Vancouver, Canada from July 19-22, 2015. There were a number of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) presentations that continue to describe the use of PrEP in MSM.

PrEP for HIV Prevention

Two PrEP trials at CROI show an 86% reduced risk of HIV transmission in MSMs This year’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) was held in Seattle, Washington, from February 23 to 26. Arguably, the most exciting news this year involves three pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) studies.

Highlights From the Melbourne IAS Towards a Cure Workshop

The International AIDS Society’s (IAS) Towards a Cure Workshop was held in Melbourne, Australia on July 19-20, 2014, immediately before the 20th International AIDS Conference (IAC). This article will provide highlights of the “Cure” Symposium. I have included numerous presentations from Martin Delaney CARE Collaboratory (MDC) researchers funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases to find a “Cure” for HIV. I am the co-coordinator of the CARE Collaboratory’s Community Advisory Board, one of the three MDCs . As a member of CARE, I am more familiar with their “kick and kill” virology work that I will be […]

HIV and HCV Prescription Drug Co-pay and Patient Assistance Programs

What you need to know to obtain financial assistance for your HIV and HCV medications. I have been working with the Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC) since it was founded by Martin Delaney and Linda Grinberg in 1999. Murray Penner of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and I currently serve as co-chairs of the FPC.