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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released new guidelines last week regarding treatment for pregnant HIV-positive women and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The guidelines include updates on preferred regimens for prevention of HIV transmission during pregnancy.

According to the report, fewer than 200 children are now born with HIV in the United States each year, as a result of efforts to limit mother-to-child transmission.

Transmission of HIV from a pregnant woman to her baby can occur during pregnancy, labor, or while breastfeeding after the baby is born. To…

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week announced the addition of updated drug interaction information to the prescribing information of all currently approved HIV protease inhibitors.

Protease inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drugs that prevent HIV from replicating by blocking a necessary protein called protease.

Drugs in this class include Aptivus (tipranavir), Crixivan (indinavir), Invirase (saquinavir mesylate), Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), Lexiva (fosamprenavir), Norvir (ritonavir), Prezista (darunavir), Reyataz (atazanavir), and Viracept (nelfinavir).

Although some of the drug interactions had been known for specific protease inhibitors, the added information…

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Michigan Man Faces Unprecedented HIV-Related Terrorism Charges – An HIV-positive man from Michigan, Daniel Allen, has been charged with assault, assault with intent to maim, and possession or use of a harmful device. The final charge was based on a law passed in Michigan after the September 11 terrorist attacks. This is the first known case to name HIV as a bioterrorism weapon. According to Allen, who is homosexual, the attack was a hate crime targeted at his sexuality, and was initiated by his neighbor, Winfred Fernandis, Jr. During the attack, Allen bit Fernandis’ lip, which is why the bioterrorism charge was made. For more information, please see The Michigan Messenger Web site.

Doctors Without Borders Produces New Documentary, “The Positive Ladies Soccer Club” – Doctors Without Borders is screening a new documentary, “The Positive Ladies Soccer Club,” which follows a group of HIV-positive women from Zimbabwe who formed a soccer team and competed for a tournament trophy. Although ridiculed for being women and for having HIV, the women persevered, helping to fight the stigma of HIV in their community. The movie was recently screened at the Bath Film Festival on November 15 and was directed by Joanna Stavropoulou, a Field Communications Officer for Doctors Without Borders. For more information, please see “The Positive Ladies Soccer Club” Web site.

Indian Drug Company, Ranbaxy, Receives WHO Pre-Qualification For Crixivan – Earlier this month, an Indian drug company, Ranbaxy, received pre-qualification from the World Health Organization (WHO) to produce a generic version of Crixivan (indinavir). Pre-qualification serves as a guide to United Nations affiliated agencies and countries looking for drug suppliers. For more information, please see the Ranbaxy Web site.