The year 2011 was filled with important HIV- and AIDS-related news. New drugs were approved, researchers talked in earnest about progress toward a cure, and we marked the 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS in the United States.

As a service to its readers, The AIDS Beacon has compiled a list of the news articles and topics that AIDS Beacon readers found most interesting during 2011.

#1: New Drugs For Hepatitis C – Two new drugs for…

NeurogesX Applies For Approval Of Qutenza For HIV-Related Neuropathy Pain – Biopharmaceutical company NeurogesX has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of Qutenza to be used for treating pain associated with HIV-related neuropathy, a condition that causes pain, numbness, burning, or tingling in the extremities. Qutenza is a capsaicin patch that is placed on the skin for 30 minutes. It is currently approved for treatment of nerve pain due to shingles. NeurogesX has…

GeoVax Receives Grant Increase For HIV/AIDS Vaccine Research – The biopharmaceutical company GeoVax announced last week that the U.S. government has increased its grant to GeoVax from $3.6 million to $4.4 million to support the company’s HIV/AIDS vaccine research program. The grant will allow GeoVax to continue its efforts to run clinical trials to test various combinations and doses of their vaccines. For more information, please see the related GeoVax press release.

Federal Funds For HIV Care Are Delayed…

Florida Appellate Court Rules That HIV Disclosure Law Does Not Apply To Homosexuals – An appeals court in Florida has ruled that the state’s law requiring HIV-positive adults to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners does not apply to homosexuals. Since the law refers specifically to sexual intercourse, which is defined legally as between a man and a woman, the court ruled that it does not apply to homosexual activity and can only be used to charge heterosexual adults.…

Government Pushes States To Reconsider HIV Criminal Laws – The federal government has begun implementing measures to push states to reevaluate and repeal HIV-specific criminal laws, many of which were passed before researchers knew how HIV was transmitted. The President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) agreed unanimously last week to address such laws in its implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. In addition, Congresswoman Barbara Lee has drafted legislation that states that laws criminalizing HIV exposure or transmission are a…