News

A message from the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Rich Wolitski, Director
Corinna Dan, Viral Hepatitis Policy Advisor

We write for two reasons, to update you on our progress in developing and releasing the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan for 2017 - 2020 and to ask for you to help us raise awareness of the HHS.gov/hepatitis website.

As you may recall, last April our federal partners met and agreed to develop an updated National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (NVHAP). Since that time, we have worked with the 23 federal partners that compose the Viral Hepatitis Implementation Group. We have also worked diligently to capture key issues identified by our nonfederal partners. Although the process has been time intensive, the result will be an evidence-based, responsive road map for the nation to combat hepatitis B and hepatitis C for 2017 – 2020. The new NVHAP will identify measurable, aspirational 2020 goals and annual targets that will need to be met or exceeded if we are to achieve our goals.

PRESS RELEASE
Bucharest, 06 November 2016 

The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG –www.eatg.org) has chosen the Romanian capital Bucharest as place for its autumn 2016 Policy Meeting. The entire region of Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia face particular problems that require specific responses form the communities of people living with HIV.

By holding our meeting in Bucharest and inviting Romanian organisations we want to underline our commitment to people living with HIV and at risk of HIV infections in the region. We also want to highlight the need to ensure that the AIDS response – in terms of both prevention and treatment – is fully funded, because without that we can only expect to see an increase in even more costly new infections.

A message from the International AIDS Society (IAS).

Help build the next generation of researchers and scientists. The International AIDS Society’s (IAS) Abstract Mentor Programme connects young and early career researchers with experienced researchers in the field of HIV, giving them a rare opportunity to receive constructive feedback on their abstracts before submitting them for the 9^th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017).

NIH Clinical Trial of Treatment Regimen in HIV-Infected People is Underway.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Emory University have experimentally induced sustained remission of SIV, the simian form of HIV, in infected monkeys. The animals’ immune systems have been suppressing the virus to undetectable levels for as long as 23 months since the monkeys completed an investigational treatment regimen. In addition, the regimen has led to the near-complete replenishment of key immune cells that SIV had destroyed, something unachievable with antiretroviral therapy (ART) alone. The findings will be published in the Oct. 14 issue of the journal Science.

“Our data suggest that the immune systems of these animals are controlling SIV replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., who co-led the study as chief of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH. “The experimental treatment regimen appears to have given the immune systems of the monkeys the necessary boost to put the virus into sustained remission. The precise mechanisms of this effect are unclear and will be actively pursued since they could have important implications for the control of HIV infection in humans in the absence of ART. At this point it is also unclear whether the findings of the newly reported animal study will translate into a clinical benefit for HIV-infected people.” Dr. Fauci also is director of NIAID, the primary funder of the research.

A message from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and partner components and agencies.

NIDA and partner components and agencies intend to commit an estimated total of $6.5 Million in FY2017 to fund 8-10 UG3 awards. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations and successful completion of UG3 study benchmarks that permit continuation to the UH3 award. It is anticipated that 6-8 UH3 awards will be funded. 

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards 

• http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-17-014.html
• http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-17-023.html

A message from EASL (European Association for the Study of the Liver)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. The long-term impact of HCV infection is highly variable, ranging from minimal histological changes to extensive fibrosis and cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The number of chronically infected persons worldwide is estimated to be about 180 million, but most are unaware of their infection. Clinical care for patients with HCV-related liver disease has advanced considerably during the last two decades, thanks to an enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and because of developments in diagnostic procedures and improvements in therapy and prevention.

The report “Definitions of CMV infection and disease in transplant patients for use in clinical trials” is now available for advance access online in Clinical Infectious Diseases (http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/09/27/cid.ciw668.abstract)

A message from UNITAID and FIND.

UNITAID Media Contact: Andrew Hurst, Director of Communications
FIND Media Contact: Julie Archer, Senior Communications Officer

GENEVA - UNITAID today announced a partnership with FIND to improve diagnostics and treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and make them more affordable and widely available to those in need.

The US $38.3 million project will support the development of better, simpler, diagnostic tools for HCV where people seek care, and will introduce HCV testing and treatment over three and a half years in HIV programmes in seven countries: Cameroon, Georgia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Until recently, treatment of HCV was complex, lengthy and of limited efficacy. In addition, severe side effects made it difficult for some to complete the full course of treatment, which could take a year or more.

New medicines for the treatment of HCV, in the form of direct acting antivirals (DAAs), have revolutionized HCV treatment in recent years. Combinations of these new medicines, which are generally well tolerated and highly effective, can cure HCV in as little as 12 weeks, compared with the older, year-long regimens.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH) Announces the new DAIDS policy website.

The Division of AIDS (DAIDS) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is informing its stakeholders of the launch of the newly redesigned NIAID website. The new website has a clean uncluttered design, improved functionality and enhanced rich content

PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 27 September 2016

Closing an incredibly successful year with massive steps towards implementing the long-term strategy and mission, and the addition of 4 new major projects, The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) met in Sofia, Bulgaria for its annual general assembly, and the election of two new members of the Board of Directors on 23-25 September 2016.

The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG – www.eatg.org), one of the largest networks of treatment activists, people living with, affected by and at risk from HIV, and their supporters in Europe held its annual General Assembly and elections between 23 and 25 September 2016. More than 80 EATG members from the HIV/AIDS field gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria in order to discuss the achievements and challenges of the year 2015, the long-term vision of the EATG, and to elect two new members for the Board of Directors.