HIV

Antiretroviral therapy virtually eliminates HIV transmission within couples

Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) virtually eliminates the risk of HIV transmission to an uninfected partner, according to a study of serodiscordant couples. …

NHS England has a clear role in commissioning PrEP

On 31 May 2016, NHS England confirmed it would remove pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, an HIV prevention drug which has been proven to be effective) from the NHS specialised commissioning process. The NHS says it does not have legal power to fund PrEP because it is used as prevention rather tha…

NHS England confirms decision not to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV

NHS England has reiterated that it will not fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. This decision was first announced in March 2016, but pressure from stakeholder groups pushed NHS England to convene a meeting of the specialised services commissioning committee to re…

New target for HIV vaccine found

The fusion peptide is a new region of interest for HIV vaccine development, researchers say.…

Injected antibodies provide long-term protection against HIV

 Trial results show extended protection against HIV in monkeys treated with monoclonal antibodies.…

Providing HIV care in community pharmacy

HIV is a long-term, chronic condition which is usually only managed by clinical teams in secondary care and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment is usually supplied by hospital pharmacies or homecare companies. Adherence to ARVs is critical to achieving and maintaining viral suppression, which is ac…

NHS England’s backtracking on its refusal to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) funding is a step forward for public health

In March 2016, NHS England removed HIV prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from its official commissioning process — just months before it was due to conclude. After looking at NHS England’s decision, the National AIDS Trust was certain we had a legal basis to chal…

GSK softens approach to patents to widen access to its medicines

GlaxoSmithKline has announced a series of measures designed to widen access to its medicines in the world’s poorest countries.…

Engineered protein shows promise for HIV vaccine development

Researchers create protein that can bind to broadly neutralising antibodies that can target HIV infection.…

NHS England explains decision not to fund HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

NHS England has announced that it will not fund HIV prevention drug Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), despite evidence that it dramatically reduces transmission of the virus.…