TargetHIV: New Name, New Look
It's easier than ever to stay on target. The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) technical assistance (TA) and training website has undergone a major update to make it easier for users to access tools and materials for the RWHAP. The website, formerly called TARGET Center, is now named TargetHIV. Beyond the name change, there have been multiple revisions and updates, including a new look, easier navigation, and decluttering of the content.
U=U in PARTNER2 Study of MSM
PARTNER1, whose results were reported last year,(1) was one of the studies that supported current efforts to promote the growing scientific consensus supporting "Treatment as Prevention" (TasP) or Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Dolutegravir + 3TC in Initial Therapy
As we have commented in the past, initial ARV regimens consisting of 2 drugs tend to perform poorly in comparison with currently recommended 3-drug regimens. Yet, given toxicity concerns about some ARVs (particularly about tenofovir DF and abacavir) and cost concerns about 3-drug regimens, the search for a potent and tolerable 2-drug regimen has continued. At the recent International AIDS Conference in late July, data were presented
Darunavir/Cobicistat/FTC/TAF Coformulation Approved; More Data from EMERALD Switch Study
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given approval to a coformulation of darunavir 800 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) 10 mg, to be marketed under the brand name Symtuza. DRV/COBI/FTC/TAF constitutes a complete regimen for patients with susceptible HIV, and is the first protease inhibitor-containing single-tablet regimen (STR).
Practicing Cultural Humility to Transform Health Care
Moving beyond culture competency to cultural humility acknowledges patients’ authority over their own lived experience
Health care delivery often involves a one-size-fits-all approach. As clinicians, we treat a patient with a particular diagnosis similar to the last patient we saw with the same diagnosis because it’s efficient—we think. But shifting that mindset is one of the best opportunities we have to help people truly thrive. An individual’s lived experience is rich, diverse, and complicated.
Possible Safety Issue with Dolutegravir during Pregnancy: Reports of Neural Tube Defects
On May 18, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization announced that cases of neural tube defects have been reported in babies of women with HIV who were on treatment with dolutegravir at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. The information comes from an unplanned interim analysis of an observational study (the Tsepamo Study) of ART (dolutegravir/TDF/FTC or efavirenz/TDF/FTC) in pregnant women in Botswana.
Rifampin Drug-Drug Interactions with Newer Antiretrovirals (TAF, Bictegravir, Dolutegravir)
Treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected persons remains challenging, in part because of drug interactions between rifampin and some ARVs that may compromise antiretroviral therapy (ART). Three studies presented at CROI provide clinicians with additional guidance on
Bictegravir Approved for Initial ART, in Combination with TAF/FTC
Bictegravir (BIC), a new integrase inhibitor, was recently approved by the FDA for use in a single-pill coformulation with TAF/FTC (brand name: Biktarvy) as initial therapy and as a switch regimen
Bictegravir/TAF/FTC in Women
The single-pill combination of bictegravir (BIC) with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and emtricitabine (FTC) has been shown in four Phase III trials to be effective as initial therapy.
Immediate ART Initiation Improves Time to Viral Suppression
The availability of ART immediately after the diagnosis of HIV offers many possible benefits, including earlier engagement in care and earlier HIV suppression, which may result in personal and public health benefits. 
Based on randomized clinical trials done in developing-world settings, the World Health Organization now recommends starting ART within 7 days of HIV diagnosis.