The United States Department of Health and Human Services has released an updated version of its “Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.”

The guidelines contain updated recommendations in several areas, including diagnosis of HIV in infants, start of antiretroviral therapy, selection of antiretrovirals, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children and teenagers.

The guidelines now also include a rating system to indicate the strength of each recommendation, and formatting changes have been implemented to improve readability. For example, a section on drug side effects in…

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…

The FDA has issued a drug safety requirement stating that all Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) are to be prescribed and used under a risk management program, called risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS), in order to ensure and promote safe usage of these drugs.

ESAs are used to treat anemia in individuals with chronic kidney failure, undergoing chemotherapy, HIV patients using zidovudine (Retrovir) and to reduce the number of blood transfusions during and after particular major surgeries. The mechanism of action of ESAs is to stimulate red blood cell production…

Many HIV patients suffer from cognitive dysfunction and memory problems.

In a recent study conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, researchers have found that HIV-related cognitive impairments are similar to Alzheimer’s related dementia in one aspect – the presence of low levels of the protein amyloid beta in the spinal fluid.

However, the progression towards cognitive dysfunction in HIV patients differs from that in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the researchers, proteins found in the fluid surrounding the brain and…

On November 6, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved revised dosing recommendations for zidovudine (Retrovir), a major anti-HIV drug used in children.

The update allows for treatment to begin at four weeks of age, as long as children weigh at least 4 kilograms (8 lb 13 oz). Previously the FDA had recommended starting children on zidovudine at six weeks of age.

Zidovudine, also known as azidothymidine (AZT), was the first drug approved for use against HIV in 1987. It is used for treating both adults and children with HIV…