Ziagen, Abacavir News

SUMMARY: Traditional risk factors are major contributors to the elevated risk of myocardial infarction, or heart attack, observed in many studies of people with HIV.

ASSERT Study Adds to Comparative Data on Abacavir versus Tenofovir SUMMARY: HIV patients receiving antiretroviral regimens containing tenofovir may be slightly less likely to experience virological failure than those taking abacavir , according to data from the ASSERT trial presented last week at the 12th European AIDS Conference .

Abacavir May Contribute to Impaired Endothelial Function in HIV Patients with Suppressed Viral Load Abacavir may interfere with endothelial function, or normal working of blood vessel linings, impairing blood flow and possibly contributing to the increased risk of cardiovascular events observed in some studies, according to a report in the ...

Endothelial function, or ability of blood vessels to expand normally, may be impaired in HIV patients who start antiretroviral therapy , according to a small study presented last month at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Francisco.

Treatment with abacavir impairs endothelial function, providing a possible explanation for the drug's association with an increased risk of heart attack, US investigators report in the September 24th edition of AIDS .

Patients who used abacavir as part of their first combination antiretroviral regimen experienced early HIV suppression similar to that of patients taking tenofovir -- regardless of initial viral load -- and the groups had similar low rates of virological failure at 48 weeks, according to a recent British study.

Regardless of baseline viral load, an HIV treatment combination that includes abacavir is just as effective at suppressing viral load in the early weeks of HIV treatment as a regimen that includes tenofovir , UK investigators report in the September 1st edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases .

Regardless of baseline viral load, an HIV treatment combination that includes abacavir is just as effective at suppressing viral load in the early weeks of HIV treatment as a regimen that includes tenofovir , UK investigators report in the September 1st edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases .

Regardless of baseline viral load, an HIV treatment combination that includes abacavir is just as effective at suppressing viral load in the early weeks of HIV treatment as a regimen that includes tenofovir , UK investigators report in the September 1st edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases .

HCV coinfected patients treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin achieved a sustained virological rate of 54% -- the same as HIV negative individuals -- and sustained response was more likely in patients who did not take a nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor as part of their combination antiretroviral regimen.

More Treatment News August 7, 2009 High Viral Load Patients Equally Fine on Epzicom or Truvada People who start antiretroviral treatment for the first time with a viral load over 100,000 do equally well on a regimen containing abacavir as on a regimen containing tenofovir , according to a study published in the September 1 issue of The Journal of ...

Regardless of baseline viral load, an HIV treatment combination that includes abacavir is just as effective at suppressing viral load in the early weeks of HIV treatment as a regimen that includes tenofovir , UK investigators report in the September 1st edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases .

More Treatment News August 3, 2009 by Tim Horn Use of the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor abacavir is not associated with an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to two studies reported on Monday, July 20, at the Fifth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town.

GlaxoSmithKline launches the "Positive Action for Children" fund to support HIV-positive children in sub-Saharan Africa and reduce mother-to-child transmission.

Two studies presented last week at the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention did not find a significant association between abacavir use and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, with one pointing to kidney disease as a confounding factor.

Antiretroviral treatment can be delivered safely without laboratory monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa, say the investigators of the DART study, presented this morning at the Fifth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town.

Two studies presented on Monday at the Fifth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town, South Africa, found no association between abacavir and increased risk of heart attack or stroke, and underlined the importance of confounding risk factors.

GlaxoSmithKline has announced funding of $80 Million over 10 years to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to support orphans and vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A top UK drug company GlaxoSmithKline is planning to invest about $ 97 million for AIDS drugs.

Main Category: HIV / AIDS Also Included In: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Article Date: 16 Jul 2009 GlaxoSmithKline on Tuesday announced plans to invest $97 million over 10 years "to improve research, development and access to AIDS drugs in Africa," Reuters reports.