Rx+Research

HIVers with multidrug-resistant infection can safely switch from the injectable entry inhibitor Fuzeon to oral integrase inhibitor Isentress, according to a study in the journal AIDS. Of 35 study subjects who switched drugs, 34 maintained virologic suppression after seven months. --------------------- Abbott Laboratories plans to introduce a heat-stable Norvir tablet by the end of the year, company officials say. The new formulation will not require refrigeration, making it more convenient to include in antiretroviral regimens, particularly in developing countries. --------------------- HIV not only overwhelms CD4 and CD8 immune system cells, but also exhausts antibody-producing memory B cells, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Early antiretroviral treatment could prevent B cells from losing their effectiveness by decreasing the demand on the cells, the researchers say. --------------------- Because people with low viral loads are less likely to infect others, aggressive treatment programs could dramatically reduce new HIV infections, Canadian researchers say. Treating 75% of HIVers in British Columbia with highly active antiretroviral treatment would cut new infections in the province by 30%; treating all HIVers would cut future AIDS cases by 60%. --------------------- A woman infected with the same strain of HIV as her husband has always been able to control her infection without antiretroviral drugs, while he must take his medications, leading researchers to write in the Journal of Virology that 'elite suppressors,' like the woman studied, are not carrying weaker versions of HIV, as was once theorized, but instead have unique immune system responses that naturally suppress the virus. Tests show she has a particularly strong CD-8 T-cell response. The researchers hope to use their findings to create a therapeutic vaccine. --------------------- Interim results from a study of an experimental cellulose sulfate HIV microbicide showed that the gel is not only ineffective at preventing HIV transmissions but also more than doubled infection risk, leading to the immediate cancellation of the clinical trial.