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The New Wave of HIV Drugs is Here For the first time in 10 years, HIV+ patients will have access to two new HIV drug classes. Patients with ongoing viral replication that have been failing current medicines will have a “second chance” to control their HIV by starting new drugs to which their virus has […]

Positively Aware July/August 2007You’re Fired!Changing your doctor by Matt Sharp Donald Trump’s irritating voice rang in my ears as I stormed home from one of the most humiliating experiences as a “patient” in my 20 years of receiving HIV care. The details of the situation are not as important as the light bulb that went

I am seeing a very strong trend of allowing pharmaceutical employees to speak to clinician and patient groups about their products in lectures set up by industry. I have attended many CME based and non CME lectures and I can say that I have hardly seen a neutral or unbiased lecture when a pharma employee

Paul Bellman is one of the most concerned doctors in the US on the subject of how to rescue HIV patients who have ran out of options. Here is a manuscript he wrote for patients and medical students on the subject that I highly recommend for all to read: https://salvagetherapies.org/articals/salvageTreatment_ManualDrBellmanAug07.pdf

This study really worries me. Median CD4 cells were in the 400, and half were naive. So these are not sick patients. I wish they had defined what mild cognitive impairment is. I forget faces, names, things to do, sometimes important personal data, etc. At 48 years old, I have the feeling that this is

If you are thinking about obtaining TMC 125 (Etravirine, a new non nucleoside yet to be approved) via Tibotec’s expanded access program (EAP) and you have developed resistance to non nucleosides in the past (Sustiva, Viramune, Rescriptor), be aware that it is very difficult to know if TMC 125 will work for your virus since

The End of Nandrolone Nelson Vergel, Program for Wellness Restoration https://www.gmhc.org/health/treatment/ti/ti21_1.html The current terrain for wasting patients in the era of HAART On March 20, 2007, Watson Laboratories stopped the production of nandrolone decanoate (old brand name: Deca Durabolin), a low-cost injectable anabolic steroid used for HIV wasting, citing the lack of raw-material suppliers for

I was concerned this would happen. The FDA did not think that the benefits in decreasing visceral fat in HIV positive people outweigh the risks of diabetes, joint pains and hyperglycemia. However, I know this drug works very effectively to decrease belly fat. The problem is that the fat returns when you get off the

TITAN & DUET Studies COMMENTARY No patient left behind-better treatments for resistant HIV infection The Lancet July 7, 2007 Bernard Hirschel a and Thomas Perneger ba. Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva 1211, Switzerlandb. Clinical Epidemiology Service, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland Darunavir (TMC114) is a protease inhibitor specifically designed for “resistance to

I was part of this meeting and was very happy with the outcome. I hope the FDA and pharma listen to us. Representatives from the FDA, industry (Merck, Pfizer, Tibotec, Panacos and BI) , physician groups, Kaiser Permanente, researchers, and others were part of the discussion. **************************************HIV Research Group Calls for Improving System of Patient

Rates of anal cancer among gay and bisexual men are 35 times greater than the general population HIV+ men and women are 80 times more likely to have anal cancer. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ANAL CANCER IS POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE AND HIGHLY CURABLE. Come to hear Houston’s Dr. Eric Haas speak about ways to detect

THIS GREAT INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY CLINICAL CARE OPTIONS. THESE ARE COMMENTS ABOUT CLINICAL STUDY DESIGN ISSUES THAT I FOLLOW VERY CLOSELY AS AN ACTIVIST. IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO ME HOW SOME COMPANIES CHOSE TO SHOW THEIR DATA AND HURRY THEIR STUDY ENROLLMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF PATIENT VOLUNTEERS. THE NEXT HIV DRUG TO