GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Launch ViiV Healthcare to Focus on HIV
Sperm May Play Leading Role In Transmitting HIV
Kentucky AIDS Patients Face Longest ADAP Waiting List
November/December Positively Aware Available Now
GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Launch ViiV Healthcare to Focus on HIV
On November 3, ViiV Healthcare, a new specialist HIV company established by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer, was officially launched. Dr. Dominique Limet, the Chief Executive Officer of ViiV Healthcare, outlined the company's ethos and priorities to tackle the increasingly diverse and complex needs of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Dr. Limet said, "Rising infection rates and increasingly complex treatment issues have created a challenging landscape in the treatment of HIV and the need for innovative research and better patient resources."
The discovery of antiretroviral treatments for HIV was, said Dr. Limet, "a momentous achievement," turning a life threatening illness into a chronic disease. However, he also noted that at present even those people who have access to proper care and treatment live, on average, 10 years less than people without the virus. "This is unacceptable, and we must stay relentless in the pursuit of new medicines," maintained Dr. Limet.
He acknowledged that research and development into HIV had become more difficult and that to deliver effective medicines a new approach is needed. "In truth, we have to get closer to those people who live with the virus," said Dr. Limet. "Much of our historic effort has been led by the virus—a chase of science. This must continue, but we must also listen and better understand the needs of people living with HIV. If we get this balance right, I believe ViiV Healthcare can really make a difference."
ViiV Healthcare has 10 medicines currently available including therapies such as Epzicom®/Kivexa® (abacavir sulfate+lamivudine) and Selzentry™/Celsentri™ (maraviroc). Dr. Limet stated that ViiV would be pursuing "multiple" strategies to develop this existing business and to deliver new growth opportunities, including geographic expansion, new collaborations and business development activities.
The company also has a pipeline of seven innovative and targeted medicines, including five compounds in phase II development. Altogether, ViiV Healthcare has 17 molecules in its portfolio to develop as potential new HIV treatments.
Dr. Limet commented, "Our ambition is to conduct research and development both inside and outside ViiV Healthcare. Our R&D efforts, strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities will be focused on delivering medications that help address resistance issues and dosing complexity. Within our own pipeline we have some very exciting molecules, including our late stage integrase inhibitor development program."
"ViiV Healthcare's R&D will not solely focus on creating 'new' medicines. We will explore the potential of all our molecules for broader utility, for example to create new formulations and combinations that can help improve adherence or overcome resistance to the virus."
ViiV Healthcare has signed a Research Alliance Agreement with GSK and Pfizer under which it will invest in research and development into HIV medicines being conducted by both companies. GSK and Pfizer have also agreed to grant ViiV Healthcare a right of first negotiation in relation to any new HIV-related medicine developed by either GSK or Pfizer.
Dr. Limet affirmed that improving access to HIV treatments will be a critical priority for ViiV Healthcare. He made it clear that ViiV Healthcare is committed to broadening access to its current medicines for all those people requiring life-saving treatment regardless of income and geography.
The long-standing Positive Action program, established by GSK in 1992, will be at the core of ViiV Healthcare's partnership programs, supporting local communities impacted by HIV/AIDS globally. With an emphasis on community engagement, ViiV Healthcare will support efforts to address the challenges of HIV prevention, tackling stigma and discrimination, building capacity and treatment literacy.
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In conclusion, Dr. Limet stated that ViiV Healthcare had the potential to "re-energize" the pharmaceutical industry's participation in HIV. "ViiV Healthcare has a sustained commitment to delivering advances in HIV care and treatment. By focusing solely on HIV, we will have the ability to explore a broad and diverse range of opportunities within this specialist area of medicine," he said. "This is ViiV Healthcare's potential and our aim is to deliver for all people living with HIV."
For more information visit www.viivhealthcare.com
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On October 30, it was announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is amending its regulations to remove “Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection” from the definition of communicable disease of public health significance and remove references to “HIV” from the scope of examinations for people coming into the U.S..
As a result of this final rule, citizens of other countries will no longer be banned from entry into the United States based solely on the ground of their HIV-positive status. Furthermore, they will not be required to undergo HIV testing as part of the required medical examination.
As the United States Conference on AIDS took place in San Francisco last week, AIDS activists celebrated the lifting of the ban which will make it possible for international conferences to take place on U.S. soil.
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Sperm May Play Leading Role In Transmitting HIV
In an article which will appear in the November 23 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine (online October 26), it is reported that sperm, not just semen, may carry HIV and therefore contribute to the spread of the virus.
According to the article, scientists led by Ana Ceballos at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina have discovered that sperm can transmit HIV to macrophages, T-cells, and dendritic cells (DCs). “During sexual intercourse, HIV-infected men transmit HIV through their semen, which carries free-floating virus as well as HIV-infected leukocytes. Traces of HIV have been detected on sperm as well, but the role they play in viral transmission has been a matter of debate. After all, men with vasectomies can transmit HIV. Now, Ceballos et al. show that HIV attaches to the surface of sperm and that these HIV carriers pass on the virus to DCs and other HIV targets.”
The authors reported that HIV relies on heparan sulfate to attach to sperm and once attached, the virus was transmitted from sperm to DCs in culture. The DC receptors CD4 and DC-SIGN were required for transmission, suggesting that DCs pick up the virus by binding to sperm rather than by ingesting them. Furthermore, the team found that a slightly acidic pH, similar to the pH in the vagina after sex, promoted HIV-sperm binding and the subsequent rate of sperm-related DC infection.
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Kentucky AIDS Patients Face Longest ADAP Waiting List
Kentucky has more than 1,200 people enrolled in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) which helps low-income AIDS and HIV patients to receive the medications they need. On November 1, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that nearly 100 patients are on a waiting list for the program.
Sigga Jagne, the state's HIV/AIDS program manager, told the newspaper 20 to 30 people are added to the list monthly. Jagne says it's uncertain how long people will be on the list.
Jagne says the program's demand has increased during the recession while federal funding has decreased and state funding has ceased.
Eight states in the country had waiting lists as of last month, and Nebraska was next in line with 75 people.
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November/December Positively Aware Available Now
The November/December issue of Positively Aware, "HIV Behind Bars: A Life Sentence", is now available in print and online. The issue covers many aspects of HIV care in correctional facilities, including an overview from Dr. Chad Zawitz, as well as Editor Jeff Berry's experience with an inspiring group of South African grandmothers, and reports from the IAS Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
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