HHS Reduces Premiums And Eases Enrollment Requirements For Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans – Starting today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will reduce insurance premiums by up to 40 percent for federally-administered Pre-Existing Condition Insurance plans (PCIPs) in 18 states and the District of Columbia. The HHS will also no longer require patients to have a denial letter from an insurance company to enroll. Patients still must be U.S. citizens or legal residents, have been without health…

Johnson & Johnson Finds Trace Amounts Of Fungicide In Select Prezista Lots – The pharmaceutical company Janssen, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, has found trace amounts of the fungicide tribromoanisole (TBA) in certain lots of Prezista (darunavir) in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Austria. No contamination has been reported in the United States so far. The discovery was made after several consumer reports indicated the presence of a moldy, musty odor. No serious side effects have…

Early Antiretroviral Treatment Reduces Risk Of HIV Transmission – Results of a recent study show that early treatment with antiretroviral therapy reduces the transmission of HIV by up to 96 percent. The study included 1,763 couples in which one partner was HIV positive and the other HIV negative. They were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: one started antiretroviral therapy immediately and the other deferred treatment. A total of 28 new cases of HIV occurred, all but one of which…

New Website Helps People With HIV Maintain Heart Health – A new website created by the American Heart Association and the American Academy of HIV Medicine provides guidance to HIV-positive patients regarding heart health. Heart disease is now a major cause of death among HIV-positive individuals. At www.hivandyourheart.org, patients will find videos, personal stories, an HIV checklist, and quizzes regarding HIV and heart health. The website also has applications for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that help people…

Roche Updates Fuzeon Prescribing Information To Warn Of Increased Pneumonia Risk – Roche updated the prescribing information for Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) last week to include information on a possible increased risk of bacterial pneumonia. Results from a recent study showed that patients taking Fuzeon were at about a 30 percent higher risk of contracting pneumonia. Although Roche is not certain that the higher rate is due to Fuzeon treatment, the company recommends that patients taking the drug be carefully monitored…