NIAID Makes Five Year, Multi-Million Dollar Grants Toward HIV Cure Research – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced today that it has granted more than $14 million per year for up to five years toward research for a cure for HIV. The new grants, part of the Martin Delaney Collaboratory of funding toward an HIV cure, focus on studying and eliminating reservoirs of latent HIV (HIV that lies dormant during antiretroviral therapy until treatment is stopped). Recipients include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida. For more information please see the NIAID press release.

Theratechnologies Applies For Marketing Approval Of Egrifta In Israel – Theratechnologies, via its partner Sanofi, has applied for marketing approval of Egrifta (tesamorelin) in Israel. If approved, Egrifta will be the first drug in Israel to treat lipodystrophy, a condition of abnormal fat distribution that is a side effect of certain anti-HIV medications. Based on average approval times in Israel, a decision would be expected in mid-2013. Egrifta was approved in the U.S. in November of last year, and Theratechnologies’ partners have since applied for approval in Europe and Canada. For more information, please see the Theratechnologies press release.

NIAID, White House Mark The 30th Anniversary Of HIV/AIDS – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the White House will be holding events next week to mark the 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS in the U.S. NIAID Director Anthony Fauci will give a talk, titled “Thirty Years of HIV/AIDS: A Personal Journey,” at 2 p.m. EST on May 31, which will be streamed live over the Internet. In addition, the White House will hold a live video chat, including a question and answer session, at 1 p.m. EST on June 1. Viewers may submit questions online ahead of time or live during the chat. For more information, please see the Aids.gov website.

HRSA Releases “Living With HIV” Educational Video – The HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released an educational video entitled “Living With HIV.” The video features patients talking about their personal experiences with HIV and AIDS, including their lifestyles and the stigma they have faced due to the disease. The video is part of The Living History project at the HIV/AIDS Bureau. For more information, please see the Aids.gov website or the video on YouTube.

October 15 Is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day – October 15 marks the eighth National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on the Latino community, with a focus on prevention and HIV testing efforts for Latino men and women. In a statement commemorating the day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that Latino men and women have the second highest death rate from HIV and AIDS of all ethnic groups. He also recognized the high clinical trial participation rates for Latinos, which help bring new research and treatments to the HIV/AIDS population. For more information, please see the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day website.

NIAID To Hold Public Meeting On Restructuring Its HIV/AIDS Clinical Trial Networks – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is hosting a public meeting on October 26 in Arlington, VA to discuss the future of the organization’s clinical trial networks. NIAID seeks to expand its networks to include clinical research on other major infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and hepatitis, that are common in people with HIV. Discussion will center on expectations for the networks, possible changes in structure, research priorities, collaborative opportunities, and information about the upcoming application process. Presently, NIAID supports six HIV/AIDS networks; their funding expires in 2013 and 2014. For more information or to register to attend the meeting, please see the NIAID website.

United States Pledges $4 Billion For Global Fund To Fight HIV/AIDS – The Obama Administration announced last week that it will support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria by contributing $4 billion over the next 3 years. However, the Administration also called for reforms to the Fund in specific areas, such as grant management and accountability, more effective investments, and increased contributions from other donor nations. The Fund provides prevention efforts and treatment for people living in low-income countries. For more information, please see the U.S. Department of State website.

For a more detailed listing of HIV/AIDS related events, please check the AIDS Beacon Events Calendar.

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 Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was founded in 2001 in collaboration between several national organizations to spur African American communities nationwide to take control of the disease.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day has four main goals. The first is to educate African Americans on HIV/AIDS, particularly within their community, where it directly affects them. Second, this day hopes to motivate African Americans to get tested on an annual or bi-annual basis. Ideally, the day itself can serve as an appointment date to get tested for HIV.

The last two components of this day lie in involvement and treatment. This day of awareness promotes the participation of the national African American population in HIV/AIDS efforts and programs throughout the country. In terms of treatment, the day also serves as a time to connect care and treatment options and facilities to those who need them.

The existence of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day came about as a result of the immense toll taken on the national African American population by HIV/AIDS each year.

According to Fauci, “While black men and women made up 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2007, they accounted for more than half of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses that year and nearly half of all Americans living with HIV/AIDS”.

The significance of the problem is only augmented by the fact that in 2006, HIV was the third most common cause of death among African American women aged 35-44.

Though in the media, Africa is hailed as the HIV/AIDS hotspot of the world, it is reported that 6.5 percent of black men living in Washington D.C. are HIV-positive. This statistic is higher than that of many African nations.

In his statement, Fauci uses these statistics to inspire the nation to band together to help the African American HIV/AIDS cause.

First and foremost, the country must work together to eliminate the stigmas currently associated with the disease and at-risk populations that are preventing people from seeking and accessing help. These stigmas include those surrounding homosexuality and injection drug use, as well as those regarding the HIV-positive condition.

Says Fauci, “Fostering acceptance…will help create a positive climate for HIV prevention and treatment services in black communities.”

Beyond this, the NIAID would like to dramatically increase the numbers of infected persons seeking treatment. At the current rate, the virus is being passed on more than it ought to be, given the level of medicine available in the United States. Those who test positive should seek treatment even before the onset of symptoms, and should be motivated to do so, if not in their personal interest, then in that of their partner’s.

There are many ongoing research projects to help the HIV/AIDS cause, including several major NIAID/HIV efforts. However, it ultimately will come down to a national cooperative effort.

“Through partnerships among the African-American, scientific and public health communities,” says Fauci, “We can expand the access of black men and women to HIV prevention, treatment and care, with the goal of ending the terrible scourge of HIV/AIDS.”

For assistance in creating a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event, to find an event near you, or to become a sponsor, information can be found at the day’s official Web site. Here you can also order the official t-shirt to support the day and all the planning that surrounds it.

Please consider scheduling your next test appointment on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Additional information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day can be found via Fauci’s NIAID statement.

This could potentially make breastfeeding safer for HIV-positive mothers and their children.

Science, as well as conventional wisdom, continues to affirm that mother’s milk is nature’s miracle food for infants, and researchers are looking for ways to make sure that breastfeeding is a viable option for every mother, even those with HIV.

Complex antiretroviral (ART) strategies are available in many parts of the world to reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission. This popular strategy, though, has not yet been compared with other simpler ART regimens, as the current trial attempts.

The trial, known as Promoting Maternal-Infant Survival Everywhere (PROMISE), is a multinational study, drawing volunteers from as many 18 nations. Investigators are seeking 7,950 HIV-infected women who are pregnant or have recently given birth and 5,950 HIV-exposed infants of these women.

Researchers from the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials network, the organization leading the study, are looking to attract volunteers from countries with differing ranges of AIDS-fighting resources.

Four distinct questions are being addressed by PROMISE. The first focuses on which strategy for reducing HIV transmission is more effective: administering a cocktail of three antiretroviral as soon as 14 weeks of gestation or beginning a regimen with zidovudine (Retrovir) at 14 weeks along with a single-use dose of Viramune (nevirapine) during labor.

The second question tries to gauge which method is more effective and safe in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission during breastfeeding: ART for mothers or a daily regimen of Viramune for mothers and infants.

How well short-term ART curbs mother-to-child viral transmission during breastfeeding and pregnancy in HIV-infected mothers who do not yet need therapy is being evaluated as the third component of the trial.

Finally, PROMISE will look at nearly 2,300 HIV-exposed but uninfected infants under one year of age. This group will randomly be assigned treatment with a placebo or cotrimoxazole, an antibiotic, once a day. Researchers will look at whether cotrimoxazole decreases the infant’s risk for HIV infection and what, if any, side effects or bacterial resistance develops as a result of the drug.

Answers to these research questions may modify current recommendations. As recently as December of last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its own recommendations regarding breastfeeding for HIV-positive mothers, stressing that breastfeeding can be a good option for all mothers, including those with HIV. Previous WHO guidelines suggested women begin ART at 28 weeks. Now WHO recommends that HIV-positive women start at 14 weeks and continue until the breastfeeding period ends, typically when the infant turns one year old (see related AIDS Beacon news).

What is becoming clearer is the substantial health boost that breastfeeding provides to infants and mothers. Breastfeeding benefits include easy-to-digest nutrition and protection from certain bacterial and viral infections for the infant, and research is beginning to find a link between lower incidences of certain types of cancers in mothers.

However, breastfeeding can also be a substantial health risk. In 2008 alone, 430,000 children were infected with the virus, and scientists believe most were exposed to the disease because of mother-to-child transmission. Rates of HIV infection resulting from mother-to-child transmission are especially prevalent in developing nations with limited access to water. In these areas, breastfeeding is often the only realistic option.

Results from PROMISE are expected in the next five to six years.

For more information, please the NIAID press release.