Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Antiretroviral Drugs Completely Prevent HIV Transmission In Study That Advocates Say Sends 'Powerful Message'
Reuters: AIDS Drugs Prevent Sexual Transmission Of HIV In Gay Men
A European study of nearly 1,000 gay male couples who had sex without condoms – where one partner had HIV and was taking antiretroviral drugs to suppress it - has found the treatment can prevent sexual transmission of the virus. After eight years of follow-up of the so-called serodifferent couples, the study found no cases at all of HIV transmission within couples. (5/3)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: HIV Treatment Signals Possible End To AIDS Pandemic
The risk of transmitting HIV from someone being treated effectively to their partner has been entirely eliminated, according to new study that could signal a possible end to the AIDS epidemic. The study published in the Lancet medical journal looked at transmission rates from 1,000 male couples in Europe where one of the partners was HIV negative and the other was receiving treatment to suppress the virus. The study found no cases where HIV was transmitted to the HIV-negative partner during unprotected sex. Only 15 men were infected with HIV during the study, but researchers found this occurred only when the person had had sex with someone other than their partner who was not being treated. (Clark, 5/3)
Financial Times: Aids Breakthrough As Study Finds That Drugs Stop HIV Transmission
Over eight years of follow-up in the study, 15 HIV-negative men became infected with HIV, but none of the viruses screened in the newly infected partner was genetically linked to the HIV virus that had infected their main partners, ruling out any within-couple HIV transmissions. Underlining the human impact of the study’s findings, the researchers estimate that effective antiretroviral therapy prevented about 472 HIV transmissions during the eight years of the study. (Neville and Craggs Mersinoglu, 5/3)
CNN: HIV Treatment Eliminates Risk Of Passing On Virus, Landmark Study Says
If everyone in the world with HIV knew their status and had access to effective treatment, no new cases would occur, the study suggests. Alison Rodger, a professor at University College London who co-led the research, told CNN's Hala Gorani that if everyone in the world had access to the right treatment, the virus could be eliminated. "We've got a way to go to get people easier access to testing and treatment, but if we could get global coverage, then we could really make headway in eliminating the virus," she said. (Mackintosh, 5/3)
