New Jersey Assembly Votes To Restore ADAP Funding – New Jersey’s state Assembly has passed a bill to reverse earlier state restrictions on income requirements for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). The bill would restore eligibility to people with HIV whose incomes are five times the federal poverty level, or $55,150. The previous budget, signed last June, restricted the program to people whose incomes were three times the poverty level, or $32,490. The bill must still be signed by Governor Chris Christie before it can become law. For more information, please see the related article at NorthJersey.com.

Massachusetts Considers Legalizing Medical Marijuana – Lawmakers in Massachusetts have sponsored a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state. The proposed bill would allow patients suffering from certain medical conditions, including HIV and AIDS, to legally carry four ounces of marijuana or keep up to 24 plants in a secure, locked facility. The bill would also require users to register with the state’s Department of Public Health and would provide for the creation of 19 state-regulated dispensaries. For more information, please see the article in the Boston Herald.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Asks FDA Not To Approve Truvada For HIV Prevention – The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a California-based AIDS activist and treatment group, has sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking it not to approve the drug Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) for prevention of HIV transmission. The drug has been shown to reduce infection risk when taken daily by HIV-negative men who have sex with men. AHF argues that the drug is not effective enough and that approval would encourage more risky sexual behavior and promote the spread of drug-resistant HIV. For more information, please see the article in the PharmaLetter.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Signs Agreement To Bring Reyataz To Sub-Saharan Africa And India – Bristol-Myers Squibb announced this week that it has signed an agreement with Matrix Laboratories Limited to allow Matrix to produce the protease inhibitor Reyataz (atazanavir), as well as the older drugs stavudine (Zerit) and didanosine (Videx), in sub-Saharan Africa and India. The agreement will include provisions for pediatric dosages of didanosine and Reyataz. The agreement is part of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s “Global Access Program,” which is intended to expand access to HIV drugs in developing countries. For more information, please see the Bristol-Myers Squibb press release.