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Results from a recent Australian study show that switching to Truvada or Epzicom can help improve limb fat loss caused by older antiretroviral drugs like zidovudine or stavudine.

The study authors also noted that participants with the most severe limb fat loss had the largest gain in limb fat after switching.

“This is good news for participants with severe loss of limb fat, as switching treatment can positively change their body image,” said Allison Humphries, Senior Clinical Project Coordinator at the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales,…

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Results of a recent Canadian study suggest that Epzicom is as safe and effective as Truvada in people with HIV who are being treated for the first time.

The results conflict with those from two earlier studies that found that Truvada is more effective, particularly for people who start treatment with higher viral loads (amount of HIV in the blood). However, another large study had found no difference between the two.

“These results support the use of either NRTI [nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor] backbone in the initial therapy of antiretroviral…

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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 violation of HIV-positive individuals’ human rights. Lee also calls for a review of current state and federal criminal laws on HIV. Activists praised the measures, stating that HIV-specific laws are discriminatory and promote stigma against people with HIV. For more information, please see the article in The Washington Independent.

ViiV Healthcare Sues Teva Pharmaceuticals Over Generic Epzicom – ViiV Healthcare is suing generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceuticals for infringing on a patent for Epzicom (abacavir/lamivudine). Teva has applied for permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce generic Epzicom tablets; however, ViiV Healthcare states that this violates a 2002 patent on Epzicom that does not expire until 2016. ViiV Healthcare is seeking to block Teva from producing generic Epzicom and has also requested damages if the company sells a generic version of the drug. ViiV Healthcare is a joint venture by U.S. pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. For more information, please see the article in Bloomberg.

AmfAR Launches “Making AIDS History” Campaign – The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) has launched a new campaign called “Making AIDS History” to document the progress that has been made in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the past 30 years. The campaign’s website features short video profiles of men, women, and children who have been affected by HIV, as well as longer interviews with some of the individuals in the video profiles. The campaign is part of a fundraising effort to raise money for amfAR, which focuses on research to help cure HIV. For more information, please see the Making AIDS History website.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Winners Of “Fight HIV Your Way” Contest – Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced the winners of the 2011 “Fight HIV Your Way” contest, in which people who have HIV or have been affected by HIV submitted photos and essays to show how they are fighting the virus. The ten winners will have their works incorporated into an American Dance Theatre work by Alvin Ailey, which will debut on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011. For more information or to see the winning entries, please see the Fight HIV Your Way website or the Bristol-Myers Squibb press release.

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Results from a recent study indicate that Truvada plus Sustiva is more cost-effective as a first-line treatment for HIV-positive individuals than Combivir or Epzicom in combination with Sustiva. Although the annual cost for Truvada is higher, its greater effectiveness leads to long-term savings in medical bills and treatment switches.

The authors noted that their results provide further justification for listing Truvada as a preferred combination regimen and Combivir and Epzicom as alternative regimens.

However, the study appears to be based on the separate costs of Truvada and Sustiva pills rather…

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FDA Concludes Ziagen Does Not Increase Risk Of Heart Attack – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week its conclusion that Ziagen (abacavir) does not increase the risk of heart attack in people with HIV. Ziagen is also an ingredient in Trizivir (zidovudine/lamivudine/abacavir) and Epzicom (abacavir/lamivudine). The announcement came after an FDA safety review of 26 clinical trials found, contrary to some previous reports, that Ziagen was not associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Based on its findings, the FDA recommended that patients continue to take Ziagen as prescribed and report any side effects to the FDA’s MedWatch program. For more information, please see the FDA website.

GlaxoSmithKline Sues Abbott Laboratories Over Price Of Norvir – Arguments began last week in a lawsuit between pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Abbott Laboratories over the price of Abbott’s HIV drug Norvir (ritonavir). Norvir is often prescribed in combination with protease inhibitors to increase the effectiveness of a protease inhibitor-based antiretroviral regimen. GSK claims that Abbott’s 2003 price increase for Norvir, from $1.71 to $8.57 per 100 mg tablet, prevented GSK and other protease inhibitor manufacturers from competing effectively with Abbott’s protease inhibitor Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), which already includes Norvir. Abbott argues that the price increase was reasonable and that Kaletra makes up less of the protease inhibitor market today than it did in 2003. GSK, Rite Aid, and other drug retailers and distributors are seeking damages of up to $4.5 billion. A decision on the case is expected within a few weeks. For more information, please see the Bloomberg news article.

National Women And Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Thursday, March 10 will mark the annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Coordinated by the Office on Women’s Health, the day is meant to encourage nationwide discussion about HIV and AIDS among women and girls, including educating women and girls about prevention, testing, and how to live a healthy life after becoming infected with HIV. For more information or to find local events, please see the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day website.