News »

Today Is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day created to memorialize African Americans lost to the pandemic as well as to raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on the black community. According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans made up half of new HIV diagnoses from 2005 to 2008, despite making up only 14 percent of the population. The theme of this year’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is “It Takes a Village to Fight HIV/AIDS.” The day will include awareness and testing efforts nationwide. In addition, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is urging African Americans to participate in clinical trials aimed at improving HIV prevention efforts in black communities. For more information or to find local events, please see the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day website. For more information on clinical trials, please see the NIAID website.

Kaletra Added To FDA Side Effects Watch List For Potential Safety Problems In Newborns – Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) oral solution has been added to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug safety watch list due to potentially serious side effects in newborns. Kaletra’s inclusion on the watch list indicates that the FDA is concerned about a potential safety issue but does not have definitive evidence that the drug is actually causing harm. The FDA will continue to monitor reported side effects for Kaletra in newborns. The FDA states that the drug’s inclusion on the watch list does not mean that patients should discontinue Kaletra, but they should contact their physicians if they have concerns. Side effects can be reported to the Adverse Event Reporting System. For more information, please see the FDA website.

Struggling Florida ADAP Receives Assistance From Pharmaceutical Companies – The Florida Department of Health announced last week that it will receive temporary assistance from pharmaceutical companies to keep its struggling AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) running. ADAPs provide HIV drugs to low-income people with HIV and AIDS. The companies will provide free HIV drugs to 6,500 people in Florida’s ADAP through April, when the program will receive additional federal funding. The assistance will be provided through Welvista, a non-profit organization that helps the uninsured. Florida announced last month that unless it received financial assistance it would stop providing HIV drugs this month to members of its ADAP (see related AIDS Beacon news). For more information, please see the Sun Sentinel.

Theratechnologies Announces Licensing Agreement For Egrifta In Europe And Asia – Theratechnologies announced last week that it has reached a licensing agreement with Spanish pharmaceutical company Ferrer Internacional S.A. to market Egrifta (tesamorelin) in Europe, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and some central Asian countries. Egrifta is the first drug to treat lipodystrophy, abnormal fat distribution that is a side effect of certain anti-HIV medications. Under the agreement, Ferrer will be responsible for marketing and regulatory approval; Theratechnologies will manufacture Egrifta and is responsible for any additional research and development. Theratechnologies and Ferrer have not yet specified when Egrifta might be available in these countries. For more information, please see the Theratechnologies press release.

Headline, News »

This year, February 7 will mark the tenth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day created to memorialize those African Americans lost to the pandemic, as well as to raise awareness and support needed to fight it.

In commemoration, Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health, has released a statement addressing the importance of the day. He also details what has already been accomplished, and what obstacles still remain in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

National…