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President Obama Allocates An Additional $35 Million Toward ADAPs – In a speech on December 1, World AIDS Day, President Obama announced that the federal government will contribute an additional $35 million to state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). The programs, which provide free antiretrovirals to low-income people with HIV, have faced budget shortfalls due to the economic crisis, forcing many states to tighten eligibility requirements and implement waiting lists. President Obama also allocated an additional $15 million toward HIV clinics and treatment centers. According to government officials, the funds represent a reallocation of existing Department of Health and Human Services funds rather than additional money. For more information, please see the Associated Press article.

Phase 3 Trial Results Show Gilead’s Investigational Booster Cobicistat Is Effective And Safe – Interim 48-week results from an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial show that Gilead Science’s investigational boosting agent cobicistat is as effective as Norvir (ritonavir). Boosting agents are drugs that allow patients to take medications less often without losing efficacy. Results showed that 85 percent of previously untreated adults with HIV who took cobicistat-boosted Reyataz (atazanavir) plus Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) successfully achieved undetectable viral loads (amount of HIV in the blood), compared to 87 percent of study participants taking Norvir-boosted Reyataz plus Truvada. Discontinuation rates due to side effects were similar between the two groups of participants. Based on the results, Gilead stated that it would apply for approval of cobicistat from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the second quarter of 2012. For more information, please see the Gilead Sciences press release.

Supreme Court To Decide On Government Liability For Breaches Of HIV Privacy – Justices for the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on whether the federal government can be held liable for emotional distress when it illegally discloses a person’s HIV status. The government was sued by an HIV-positive pilot whose status was disclosed to officials at the Federal Aviation Administration by officials in the Social Security Administration, violating medical privacy laws. The government argues that it is only responsible for damages due to economic losses from such violations, not emotional distress. For more information, please see the article in the Los Angeles Times.

Merck Initiates Anti-Stigma Initiative For People With HIV And Their Clinicians – U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck has announced a new anti-stigma initiative to improve health care and communication between people with HIV and their clinicians. The program, called Clinic Activation to Lead and Implement Best Practices for Enhancing Response to HIV (CALIBER), includes a website with a discussion guide on dealing with and reducing stigma related to HIV and an expert panel of physicians to help answer stigma-related questions. For more information, please see the Merck press release (pdf) or the CALIBER website.

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China Could End HIV/AIDS Entry Ban Before 2010 Expo – Last Monday, China’s Cabinet announced that it would make amendments to laws prohibiting HIV-positive individuals from entering the country. Current laws also prevent foreigners with mental disorders or infectious diseases to enter. Changes to the rules on long-term stay, residence, and immigration of HIV-positive individuals will likely be announced prior to the commencement of the Shanghai Expo on May 1. China is one of over sixty countries that refuses entry based on HIV-status. For more information, please see the Asia News Network and RIA Novosti articles.

Mylan Gets Approval For Generic Version Of Videx EC HIV Treatment – Early last week, Mylan Inc. announced that it had received approval from the United States Food and Drug Agency for its generic version of Videx EC (didanosine). Videx EC, manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibbs, is an anti-HIV drug that stalls replication of the HIV virus when taken in combination with at least two other drugs. Approval was obtained under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Mylan Pharmaceuticals plans to start marketing the drug in the U.S. in the current quarter. For more information, please see the Mylan website.

Fall And Spring Cruises For HIV-Positive Gay Men – Carnival Cruise lines will run cruises from May 2 to May 9 and October 23 to October 31 for gay HIV-positive men. The cruises, which travel throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, include social events, games, informative lectures, spiritual workshops, and Q&A sessions with HIV experts. Participants may go on both cruises, and eligibility is unaffected by age, disease stage, or previous experience on a cruise ship. A portion of the proceeds are donated to HIV organizations and charities. For more information, please see the Gay Men’s HIV Retreat website.

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

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A recently released report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, argues that recent gains in fighting HIV and AIDS throughout Africa could be eliminated due to international funding cuts.

The MSF report focuses on southern Africa, where expansion of HIV-related treatment services has helped a number of HIV and AIDS patients and has led to a decrease in overall mortality rates in some countries hardest hit by HIV.

The forthcoming shortages are a result of international HIV funding cuts. Specifically, the Global Fund to Fight…

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On October 6th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was proud to announce the addition of the 100th antiretroviral drug to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. PEPFAR is dedicated to the treatment, prevention, and care of individuals affected by the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic.

PEPFAR was founded in 2003 by the United States congress, and today remains the greatest commitment ever made by a single nation against one disease. In September 2009, PEPFAR had provided antiretroviral treatment to more than 2.1 million people with HIV/AIDS…

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Throughout an 11-day, seven-nation trip to Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton displayed a commitment to HIV/AIDS programs. On August 7, Clinton visited the Cullinan Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa for a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) event. She also signed a Partnership Framework plan with Angolan Minister of External Relations Assunção Afonso dos Anjos on August 10.

At the Cullinan Clinic, Clinton spoke with Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi about the need for both governments to work together to effectively combat the AIDS epidemic. Clinton made…