Antiviral agents

Pre-exposure prophylaxis necessary to reduce HIV infection rate among MSM

Offering men who have sex with men antiretroviral therapy as pre-exposure prophylaxis is necessary if the UK is to achieve a marked reduction in the annual rate of HIV infections by the end of this decade, according to new research.…

On-demand prophylaxis protects against HIV infection in at-risk men

Randomised trial shows pre-exposure prophylaxis reduced the risk of HIV transmission by 86%.…

Alcoholism drug could help eliminate dormant HIV

Disulfiram treatment can reactivate latent HIV, which could help eliminate the cells harbouring the virus, report finds.…

People taking HIV drugs rises to almost 16 million, UNAIDs reports

The number of people receiving HIV treatment reached 15.8 million in June 2015, an increase of 2.2 million on the previous year, says a new report by UNAIDS.…

Tamiflu and Relenza need a better evidence base for influenza, report finds

The evidence base for influenza drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) must be strengthened, says a report from the Wellcome Trust and the Academy of Medical Sciences.…

WHO recommends earlier use of antiretrovirals in HIV patients

The World Health Organization has published new guidelines recommending that antiretroviral therapy is initiated in everyone living with HIV, regardless of their CD4 cell counts, as soon as possible after diagnosis. …

Accidental exposure to Ebola could be managed with antivirals

Researchers in the UK tested a risk assessment and management plan for healthcare workers exposed to Ebola virus…

New hepatitis C combination treatment effective in HIV coinfected patients

Patients with both hepatitis C virus and HIV responded well to daclatasvir combined with sofosbuvir in a study.…

Discovering the origins of HIV

‘The chimp and the river’, by David Quammen.…

Hepatitis C drugs hit by incompatibility warnings

Gilead’s hepatitis C drugs Harvoni and Sovaldi and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Daklinza have been hit by warnings from drug regulators regarding their incompatibility with amiodarone.…