Gilead Applies For Approval For Truvada As An HIV-Prevention Drug – Gilead Sciences has applied for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) for the prevention of HIV infection. The application is based on studies showing that taking Truvada once a day helped reduce the rate of new HIV infections in high-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men, by about 70 to 90 percent when taken regularly (see related AIDS Beacon news). If approved, Gilead stated that Truvada would be the first drug approved for the prevention of HIV infection via sexual transmission in uninfected adults. For more information, please see the Gilead Sciences press release.

People With HIV May Be At Higher Risk Of Migraines – Results from a recent study indicate that people with HIV may be at a higher risk of headaches, particularly migraines, than people without HIV. The researchers found that more than half of study participants reported headaches; more than 85 percent of these patients met the criteria for migraine headaches. According to the scientists, this represents a 13-fold higher risk of chronic migraines in people with HIV compared to the general population. The researchers also found that more advanced HIV infection was associated with more severe headaches. For more information, please see the press release from the University of Mississippi or the study in the journal Headache (abstract).

2012 Federal Spending Bill Bans Needle Exchange Programs For HIV Prevention – The 2012 federal spending bill, approved by Congress last week, contains a provision that prohibits federal money from being used for needle exchange programs for illegal drug users. The programs are meant to help prevent transmission of HIV and other blood-borne diseases by ensuring that users do not share needles. The AIDS Institute, a non-profit AIDS advocacy organization, expressed disappointment with the bill and also noted that funds remained flat for programs such as the Ryan White Program, which provides money to care for low-income people with HIV. For more information, please see the article in the Washington Post or the press release from The AIDS Institute.

Florida “Faces Of HIV” Project To Launch In Tallahassee, FL – Florida state will launch its traveling “Faces of HIV” exhibit January 13 at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. The project showcases the faces, experiences, and daily lives of people with HIV. The aim of the exhibit is to reduce stigma against people with HIV and to demonstrate that HIV infection strikes all sexes, ages, and races and cannot be deduced from a person’s appearance. The project will also stop in Orlando, Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville, FL. For more information, please see the Faces of HIV website at the Florida Department of Health.