Fw: News & Views: One Antiviral to Rule Them All; Heavy Petting; Disagreement Over PrEP; and More

[Guest guest]

From: "News at The Body" <update@...>Date: 17 May 2012 13:09:48 -0400<nelsonvergel@...>Reply "News at The Body" <update@...>Subject: News Views: One Antiviral to Rule Them All; Heavy Petting; Disagreement Over PrEP; and MoreIf you have trouble reading this e-mail, you can see the online version at: www.thebody.com/updates.htmlMay 17, 2012Top Stories at TheBody.comNews Views LibraryChange/Update SubscriptionBlog CentralHIV Treatment Health IssuesHIV News PolicyOpinions PerspectivesHIV/STD Transmission EducationBLOG CENTRAL Alive2: The Knowledge I Didn't Want (New Blogger)Though he once thought HIV could never touch him, this poz, married father of four has spent his time since his diagnosis learning all he can about living with HIV, raising a family and taking care of his health. He's been sharing his stories for years on our bulletin boards under the screen name Alive2. Bob Leahy: Heavy Petting"Many people living with HIV have written about the importance of the pets in their life. ... Exactly how does that support work, though? And are some pets better at it than others?"This Is What I Have, Not Who I Am(A recent post from the " Living With HIV " board)"I had stopped going out, doing much of anything but staying at home. And why? I have no real reason other than I have HIV. But today, after teaching a class, I suddenly realized there is no reason for me not to live. Get out, have fun. I have HIV; I am not HIV. No one gets infected if I go out. No more isolation and thinking about what I have lost, because I haven't lost anything except what I gave away, and I did that, not HIV. I am taking back my life." -- cmcolemanClick here to join this discussion, or to start your own!To do this, you'll need to register with TheBody.com's bulletin boards if you're a new user. Registration is quick and anonymous (all you need is an email address) -- click here to get started!HIV TREATMENT HEALTH ISSUES Broad-Spectrum Antivirals: The Future of HIV Treatment?Could a single drug be used to treat a variety of viruses -- potentially all viruses, including HIV? At least three novel approaches are being worked on to create such a drug, also known as a broad-spectrum antiviral. U.S. FDA Panel Recommends HIV "Quad" Drug for ApprovalA U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel last week recommended approval of the four-drug "Quad" pill for first-line HIV treatment. However, the panel warned about the potential for kidney problems, and expressed concern about the lack of women in the drug's clinical trials. A Kinder, Gentler Viread?Early study results show a good deal of promise for GS 7340, a new form of Viread (tenofovir), Project Inform reports. The drug may cause fewer side effects and even appears to control HIV better. (On TheBodyPRO.com)More Headlines on HIV Treatment & Health Issues:Paper on HIV-Killing Stem Cells Glosses Over Key Caveat (From Treatment Action Group)The Real Travesty of HIV Care in the United States (From POZ)Dolutegravir Aces SPRING-2 Study, Now Available Via Expanded Access Program (From Positively Aware)Newborns Appear Unharmed by Mom's Use of Viread During Pregnancy, Study Finds; Longer-Term Effects Still Unclear (From the U.S. National Institutes of Health)Standard Hepatitis C Therapy Improves Insulin Resistance in HIV/Hepatitis C Coinfected Patients (From aidsmap)Nobody wants his or her HIV treatment to stop working. And it's easy for someone to tell you, "Just take all your meds, and you'll be fine." But the challenge of taking antiretroviral therapy every single day, and the obstacles that life throws in your way, can make adherence a lot tougher in real life than it might seem on paper.This is why we've created our Resource Center on Keeping Up With Your HIV Meds. It features:invaluable advice from HIV experts and people living with HIVfirst-person accounts of people dealing with the everyday struggle to stay on top of their medsanswers to the most commonly asked questions we see on our site about adherenceIn addition, our new resource center contains loads of information and advice that will help ensure your dance with HIV treatment is as flawless as possible. HIV NEWS & POLICY U.S. Senator Proposes Buying Out HIV Drug Patents to Reduce CostsU.S. Senator Bernie (I-VT) has introduced a bill to create a fund stocked with $3 billion per year that would be used to buy out HIV drug patents, then place those patents in the public domain. Women Should Make Themselves "Less Attractive" to Curb HIV Infections, Zimbabwean Politician SaysKellee Terrell writes about the most recent example of HIV/AIDS ignorance in politics: a Zimbabwean senator who believes that curbing HIV rates in his country isn't about better access to medication, condom use or testing, but rather about having women shave their heads and make other efforts to appear unattractive to men.More News & Policy Headlines:California: $18 Million in Cuts to Jolt AIDS Care (From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Hispanics/Latinos Across U.S. Launch First-Ever National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day (From Latino Commission on AIDS)NPR's "All Things Considered" Examines HIV Among India's Gay Community (From the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)Advocating for ADAP: Florida Legislature Approves $2.5 Million Increase in ADAP Funding (From AIDS United)European Union Drugs Regulator Accused of Being Too Cozy With Big Pharma (From EUobserver.com)Burma Suffering From Huge Shortfall in HIV Drugs, Warn Doctors (From The Guardian)"Q" (From San Francisco, Calif.) on "Access to Stable Housing and Other Basic Necessities Huge Factor for People Living With HIV/AIDS""I became infected just after I became unemployed. I did get medical care and eventually medication through a public program, which is great, but always felt I was on my own in terms of housing and food assistance. ... I consider myself lucky to have survived off the savings I had, but it was a close call. I feel that even if I were on the verge of becoming homeless without food, I would have hidden it from my family and friends and would not know what to do."Read the rest of this comment and join the discussion on this article!OPINIONS & PERSPECTIVES This Positive Life: An Interview With Bernard (Audio/Transcript)"It's been a very enlightening diagnosis, as well as one that, at first, was a very discouraging one," says Bernard . He's come a long way since 1999, when his wife passed away in the hospital mere weeks after testing HIV positive. Race, ACT UP and Why Older HIV/AIDS Leaders Need to Pass the Torch Vazquez-Pacheco, former member of the world-changing HIV/AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, discusses the organization's biggest achievements, the historic race and class tensions between its members, and the need for older leaders in the HIV/AIDS movement to encourage and mentor younger leaders. From a Leather Jacket to a Suit Jacket: Still an HIV ActivistHow does a longtime HIV/AIDS activist maintain his will to fight? Jeff Graham, a 20-year veteran with a dozen arrests to his name, explains why, "after a quarter century, I still feel the urgency."More Opinions Perspectives:Keeping My Promise; Loving Myself (From Black AIDS Institute)Criminal Injustice: Three HIV-Positive Americans Share Their Stories (From POZ)The Testimony of Hazel , an HIV-Positive Woman (From "D.C. HIV/AIDS Examiner" on TheBody.com) Detail from:"Watches 10.00 (Collaboration with Maxine Henryson)," 1993Hunter ReynoldsVisit the May 2012 Visual AIDS Web Gallery to view our latest collection of art by HIV-positive artists! This month's gallery, " Jungle Pussy, " is curated by Yeni Mao.HIV/STD TRANSMISSION & EDUCATION Community Unrest in Wake of FDA Panel Recommendation to Approve Truvada for HIV PreventionLate last week, an expert advisory panel recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP -- but its recommendation wasn't universal, and the HIV/AIDS community remains deeply divided over the issue. First-Ever Rapid, Oral, Home-Based HIV Test Recommended for FDA ApprovalCompared to the Truvada-for-PrEP vote, this one was a breeze: A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel unanimously recommended for approval what would become the first rapid HIV test that people can administer to themselves in their homes. Federal Cuts Take More Than $1 Million From HIV Prevention and Education Programs in Massachusetts County JailsFederal cuts have sharply reduced Massachusetts' HIV prevention budget, forcing the state to reduce HIV services in county jails, which are seen as a unique venue for intercepting people who are at risk and who otherwise might not access HIV services.More HIV/STD Transmission Education Headlines:Indoor Sex Workers Face Less Violence, Exposure to HIV, Says Vancouver Study (From the Vancouver Sun)UNAIDS Launches Campaign Aimed at Ending New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 (From the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)Female Trouble: Studies Look at the Factors That Lead Women to HIV and Incarceration (From Positively Aware)PrEP: PK Modeling of Daily TDF/FTC (Truvada) Provides Close to 100% Protection Against HIV Infection (From HIV i-Base)Worried Your Spam Filter Might Trash Our Mailings?TheBody.com's e-mail updates are especially prone to being caught up in spam filters, since our newsletters tend to refer frequently to sex, drugs, the human anatomy and so forth.To make sure you never miss one of our mailings because anti-spam software labeled it as junk mail, add update@... to your address book, talk to the person who manages your e-mail security or check your anti-spam program's instructions for more information.About This E-mailThis e-mail update has been sent to nelsonvergel@....Want to change your subscription? Click here or send us a message at updates@....Missed an update? Our archive of past updates will keep you in the loop.Have any other questions or comments, and don't want to send an e-mail? Feel free to snail-mail us at:TheBody.com's E-Mail UpdatesRemedy Health Media, LLC250 West 57th StreetNew York, NY 10107 HIV, Aging, Care With Dignity: Webinar on Justice for In-Home Care Support Election 2012: Getting the HIV/AIDS Community to Vote C2EA Youth and WhatstheT Launch Correspondent Contest Stop Arizona Bill 2625 Under Attack: Your Health Care Rights Activists Launch New Survey to Help Speed HIV Cure Research Demand Hershey Reverse Decision on HIV+ Student and Dismiss School Officials Count HIV+ Women In! PWN Launches National Campaign on World AIDS Day