AIDS Alert Archives – July 1, 2008
July 1, 2008
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New Jersey pilot study brings community pharmacists to the adherence table
Even as the HIV health care community continues to make progress in improving patients' adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens, there remain some growing and stubborn obstacles to individual patients achieving the 95-plus percent adherence rate deemed optimal. -
Assess HIV/HCV patients' response to interferon
HIV/HCV coinfected patients who do not respond early on to interferon treatment will gain nothing from continued treatment, according to a study that looked at whether interferon treatment could slow liver disease progression among patients who were nonresponders to early interferon plus ribavirin treatment.1 -
Adherence Strategies: No shows: Expanding the concept of adherence
For too long medication adherence has been studied and viewed from the narrow perspective of how many and how frequently patients take their antiretroviral medications, an expert says. -
Special focus on HIV and stress, depression
Psychosocial influences such as stress, depression and trauma have been neglected in biomedical and treatment studies involving people infected with HIV, yet they are now known to have significant health impacts on such individuals and the spread of AIDS, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientist. -
FDA Notifications
Generic emtricitabine approved by FDA; FDA: Tentative approval of generic nevirapine; CDC web series on HIV among blacks; NYC reports false positives spike with oral fluid tests -
Journal Review
The critical need to address mental health issues has been recognized globally and in the United States, however, significant deficiencies in access to mental health care remain for the general population and for people living with HIV/AIDS, the authors of this review article warn. -
HIV screening of elderly can be cost-effective
Although many HIV infections occur in older adults, national guidelines recommend screening only for persons age 13 to 64 years. However, researchers have found that expanding screening in people age 55 to 75 can be reasonably cost effective under the following circumstances: