Results from a recent Japanese study indicate that a Viread-based antiretroviral therapy regimen causes greater loss of kidney function than a Ziagen-containing therapy, particularly in people with HIV who weigh less than about 130 pounds.

Based on the results, the study authors recommended that people with HIV who are taking Viread, Truvada, or Atripla (which both contain Viread) and have a low body weight be monitored for loss of kidney function at least twice per year, particularly during their first year of treatment.

The researchers also noted that further research…

Gilead Sciences announced yesterday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Viread for children two to 12 years of age, for use in combination with other antiretrovirals.

“We are very pleased to provide an important new therapeutic option for younger HIV patients, and will work to make the pediatric formulations of Viread available as quickly as possible,” said Norbert Bischofberger, executive vice president of Research and Development and chief scientific officer of Gilead Sciences, in a press release.

Viread will be available as tablets in smaller doses…

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 the treatment of hepatitis C, Incivek (telaprevir) and…

Results from a small European study have shown that a short course of omega-3 fatty acids significantly lowers triglyceride levels in people experiencing high triglyceride levels during antiretroviral therapy for HIV.

“Triglycerides are frequently raised, have health implications, and are easily managed with measures that can include a safe supplement such as Omacor/Lovaza (omega-3 acid ethyl esters),” said Dr. Barry Peters, head of the Academic Unit of HIV and STDs at King’s College London and lead author of the study.

According to Dr. Peters and his colleagues, the study results…

Results from a recent study indicate that HIV-positive children and children exposed to HIV during pregnancy are more likely to have language impairments than HIV-negative children.

“Our results show that children exposed to HIV have more than twice the chance of having a language impairment than do children in the general population,” said Dr. George K. Siberry, of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in a press release.

However, the study authors also pointed that the…