U.S. approves sale of over-the-counter hearing aids - Reuters

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According to the article:

"The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, allowing millions of Americans to buy hearing aids without seeing an audiologist and potentially saving individuals thousands of dollars.

The rules, which take effect in mid-October, apply to hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. The aids will be available directly from stores or online without medical exams, a prescription or audiologist fitting adjustment."

Read the full source article: U.S. approves sale of over-the-counter hearing aids - Reuters

Go to the FDA NEWS RELEASE - FDA Finalizes Historic Rule Enabling Access to Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Millions of Americans - More Affordable Hearing Aids Could Be in Stores as Soon as Mid-October

A new technology offers treatment for HIV infection through a single injection - World Pharma News

According to the article:

"Currently, the researchers explain, there is no genetic treatment for AIDS, so the research opportunities are vast. Dr. Barzel concludes: "We developed an innovative treatment that may defeat the virus with a onetime injection, with the potential of bringing about tremendous improvement in the patients' condition. When the engineered B cells encounter the virus, the virus stimulates and encourages them to divide, so we are utilizing the very cause of the disease to combat it. Furthermore, if the virus changes, the B cells will also change accordingly in order to combat it, so we have created the first medication ever that can evolve in the body and defeat viruses in the 'arms race'.

Based on this study we can expect that over the coming years we will be able to produce in this way a medication for AIDS, for additional infectious diseases and for certain types of cancer caused by a virus, such as cervical cancer, head and neck cancer and more."

Read the full source article: A new technology offers treatment for HIV infection through a single injection - World Pharma News

World AIDS Day - FDA Voice

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Updated February 15, 2022

The original link broke.

You can still read about the same topic here:

World AIDS Day - CDC.gov

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World AIDS Day | FDA Voice:

"The Food and Drug Administration supports the fight against HIV/AIDS by promoting medical innovation, protecting the blood supply, and reviewing and regulating new and existing medical products, including devices used in prevention, such as condoms and medical gloves. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, scientists and many others at FDA have worked hard in 2012 to make sure that there are safe and effective medical products and devices available to fight HIV/AIDS."

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FDA approves first drug for reducing the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection

Updated June 19, 2025

The original post has gotten very out of date.

You might be interested in this more current announcement, Breakthrough: FDA Approves Injection to Prevent HIV:

https://www.sciencealert.com/breakthrough-fda-approves-injection-to-prevent-hiv

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This is considered pivotal in the 30-year battle against AIDS.

Press Announcements > FDA approves first drug for reducing the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection:

"Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), the first drug approved to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals who are at high risk of HIV infection and who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners. Truvada, taken daily, is to be used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in combination with safer sex practices to reduce the risk of sexually-acquired HIV infection in adults at high risk.

The FDA previously approved Truvada to be used in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-infected adults and children 12 years or older.

As part of PrEP, HIV-uninfected individuals who are at high risk will take Truvada daily to lower their chances of becoming infected with HIV should they be exposed to the virus. A PrEP indication means Truvada is approved for use as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy that includes other prevention methods, such as safe sex practices, risk reduction counseling, and regular HIV testing."

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Preventive Anti-HIV Drug Use - Cautious Prescribing

The CDC just published, Interim Guidance: Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex with Men.

In a nutshell:

The report provides interim guidance to health-care providers based on the reported results of the trial, which indicated that tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) plus emtricitabine (FTC) taken orally once a day as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is safe and partially effective in reducing HIV acquisition among MSM when provided with regular monitoring of HIV status and ongoing risk-reduction and PrEP medication adherence counseling.

You might also be interested in:
The CDC on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

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Daily Truvada Lowers AIDS Risk

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Updated March 15, 2022

You might also be interested in:

FDA Approves First Injectable Treatment for HIV Pre-Exposure Prevention - Drug Given Every Two Months Rather Than Daily Pill is Important Tool in Effort to End the HIV Epidemic - FDA.gov

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The New York Times reports, Daily Pill Greatly Lowers AIDS Risk, Study Finds.

Promising results found that the men taking Truvada, a common combination of two antiretroviral drugs, were 44 percent less likely to get infected with the virus that causes AIDS than an equal number taking a placebo.

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World AIDS Day - Bewildering Number of Official Websites

Today is World AIDS Day. If you Google it, you'll end up finding a dizzying array of websites proclaiming to be the official website for the Day.

Here's my contribution to the conversation. I recommend this helpful US Government site, AIDS.gov.  The opening line on the site just about sums up what they offer, "An estimated 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and yet one out of five don’t know it. World AIDS Day (December 1) is an opportunity for us to take action! Here are a few simple, powerful, and engaging ways:..."

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New Gel Reduces HIV Infection in Women

Updated July 1, 2025

The report of the results of Safety and Effectiveness of 1% Tenofovir Vaginal Microbicide Gel in South African Women: Results of the CAPRISA 004 Trial. 

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Promising New HIV Antibody Discovered

This is an exciting new finding.

For more details, read this Medical News Today article, Antibodies That Prevent Most HIV Strains From Infecting Human Cells Will Advance HIV Vaccine Design, Antibody Therapy For Other Diseases.

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FDA Webinar on Access to Investigational Drugs

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Updated April 17, 2021

The original link broke.

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Training and Continuing Education - Educational resources and training opportunities for healthcare professionals, industry, consumers, and academia - FDA.gov

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The FDA is hosting a webinar where you can learn more about access to investigational drugs. The featured speakers, Theresa Toigo, Director, Office of Special Health Issues and Richard Klein, HIV/AIDS Program Director, Office of Special Health Issues, will discuss what to consider when deciding whether to seek access to an investigational drug and the ways to access investigational drugs. There will be time for questions following the presentation. The 30 minute webinar will be held Tuesday, February 23, at 3 p.m. ET.

You can find out more information about the webinar, including how to participate in the webinar, on the Upcoming Webinar on Access to Investigational Drugs web page.

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HIV AIDS - 97 US Medicines in Testing - PharmaTimes

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Updated November 26, 2025

The original link broke.

You can still read about the same topic here:

U.S. Pharmaceutical Companies Developing 97 New Drugs and Vaccines to Fight HIV/AIDS - MedIndia:
https://www.medindia.net/health-press-release/US-Pharmaceutical-Companies-Developing-97-New-Drugs-and-Vaccines-to-Fight-HIVAIDS-53732-1.htm

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This is a really nice snapshot of some of the clinical testing going on in the HIV AIDS field, PhRMA's Pharmaceutical Researchers Are Testing 97 Medicines And Vaccines for HIV and Related Conditions. The article provides a quick overview for medicines grouped by:

1. Anticancer
2. Antiviral
3. Gene therapy
4. Immunomodulators
5. Vaccines
6. Other

Previous Posts: Abzymes Pinpoint The HIV Achilles Heel 109 HIV Drugs And Vaccines Under Development Listen To People With AIDS and HIV (audio)

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FDA Releases Hearing Aids Guide Online

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new website that benefits current and potential users of hearing aids, A New Online Guide to Hearing Aids.

The site includes sections on:

• general information on hearing aids
• types of hearing loss
• types and styles of hearing aids
• how to get a hearing aid
• benefits and safety of hearing aids
• hearing aids and cell phones
• other products and procedures that people can use to improve hearing

This is of interest to me as I grow older, and my siblings are showing signs that they might benefit from these devices.

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Recent HIV Vaccine Study Results - Could be disappointing

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Updated January 14, 2024

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HIV vaccine research ‘at a crossroads’ after recent failures - Healio

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Optimism generated from a recent HIV vaccine study conducted by the US Army & Thailand, might not be justified after all, reports this Wall Street Journal article, Data Call Into Question HIV Study Results. The statistical analysis is discussed, and calls into question the conclusions reached and recently publicized. I think there's more to come on this. 

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New HIV Antibodies Hold Promise For Vaccines

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Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute report promising findings in their research report, Broad and Potent Neutralizing Antibodies from an African Donor Reveal a New HIV-1 Vaccine Target. According to this LA Times news article, Antibodies found that prevent HIV from causing severe AIDS, this means that they have isolated two so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that can block the action of many strains of HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS. Other bNAbs against HIV have been discovered before, but PG9 and PG16 are the first to be isolated in over 10 years from donors in developing countries, where most new HIV infections occur. Also, the previously identified bNAbs bind to spots on the virus that are hard to target with vaccines. These new antibodies, which are more potent than other antibodies described to date while maintaining great breadth, attach to a novel, and potentially more accessible site on HIV to facilitate vaccine design. 

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HIV AIDS Update - Obama strategy and more (podcast)

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Listen to Ernest Hopkins, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's Director of Federal Affairs, as he talks about the Obama administration's progress on the National AIDS Strategy, the recent White House reception with LGBT leaders on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the progress being made toward lifting the US ban on HIV-positive foreign travelers, in this podcast, SFAF.org Podcast #58 - A Federal HIV/AIDS Update with Ernest Hopkins. 

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Start HIV Meds Early - Live Longer

Updated May 7, 2021

Original links broke.

You can still read about the topic here:

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy improves HIV survival rates, study says - Medical Life Sciences News

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This Medical News Today article reports, "Early Initiation Of Antiretroviral Therapy Improves HIV Survival Rates, Study Says." The study results are available on the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) site, "Effect of Early versus Deferred Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV on Survival. This recent research "provides evidence that patients would live longer if antiretroviral treatment was begun when their CD4+ count was above 500." As with these kinds of studies, there's also the counterpoint opinion, such as this editorial, "When To Start Antiretroviral Therapy: Ready When You Are?" .... darn, NEJM truncated it... go back to the Medical News Today article, they summarize the gist of the editorial. 

Related Posts: New Guidelines Released for HIV Opportunistic Infections HHS Updates HIV Treatment Guidelines (free pdf) Flash - HIV Drug Treatment Needs To Start Earlier 

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HIV AIDS - Gene Research Shows Promise

Jay Levy of UCSF wrote a recent editorial in the NEJM (Levy, NEJM, 2/12/09), as reported in this Medical News Today article, New HIV/AIDS Research Directions Show Promise, NEJM Editorial Says. This is the first time I've read about this, and find it incredibly fascinating and exciting. Here are my takeaways from reading the article . . .

1. Recent HIV/AIDS research that examines the role certain genes play in inhibiting HIV progression shows promise for the development of new treatment measures
2. HIV enters the body through CD4+ T cells and then binds to the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4.
3. Research has found that people whose cells lack expression of the CCR5 gene typically demonstrate resistance to the virus.
4. Researchers examined the case of an HIV-positive patient with myelogenous leukemia who received a bone marrow transplant from a person whose cells lacked expression of the CCR5 gene. After two transplants, the researchers determined that the patient had no leukemia recurrence and no detectable level of HIV in the bloodstream
5. Levy says, "the result of this study [reported in the same NEJM issue] and others provide further encouragement for those examining approaches to treatment that reduce CCR5 [receptor] expression in persons with HIV." This is the study Levy refers to, Brief Report: Long-Term Control of HIV by CCR5 Delta32/Delta32 Stem-Cell Transplantation (summary).

Related Posts: 

CDC Adopts 2 New HIV Intervention Approaches
HIV Pre Exposure Prophylaxis - Very Sharp Two Edged Sword
Abzymes Pinpoint The HIV Achilles Heel
109 HIV Drugs And Vaccines Under Development
HIV AIDS Bone Marrow Transplant Cure - Skeptical View
HIV Treatment Goes Bionic
HHS Updates HIV Treatment Guidelines (free pdf)

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CDC Adopts 2 New HIV Intervention Approaches

According to this Medical News Today article, CDC Recognizes UCSF's Research As Critical To HIV Prevention, two HIV prevention interventions developed by UCSF researchers have been selected as additions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2008 Compendium of Evidence-based HIV Prevention Interventions. The UCSF interventions - Positive Choice: Interactive Video Doctor and the Healthy Living Project - comprise two of the eight added to the list of 57 rigorously evaluated highly effective HIV prevention programs recommended by the CDC for implementation. As a San Franciscan and UCSF alumnus, I'm proud to see these contributions to the CDC's efforts in HIV prevention. 

Related Posts: HIV Hope and Breakthrough - Abzymes Attack HIV Achilles Heel (video) HHS Updates HIV Treatment Guidelines (free pdf) 109 HIV Drugs And Vaccines Under Development Abzymes Pinpoint The HIV Achilles Heel

HIV Pre Exposure Prophylaxis - Very Sharp Two Edged Sword

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection just got a huge spotlight, in this ABC News article, ABC News Examines Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis For HIV Prevention. It seems that HIV drugs taken within days after exposure to the virus have been shown to reduce the risk of infection. Part of the debate is whether approval of such pills could lead some high-risk groups to forgo safe sex practices such as condom use.

After reading this, I'm wondering if we should all be worried about prEP usage without safe sex practices. Are you worried?

Related Posts:
Abzymes Pinpoint The HIV Achilles Heel
109 HIV Drugs And Vaccines Under Development
HHS Updates HIV Treatment Guidelines (free pdf)
HIV Hope and Breakthrough - Abzymes Attack HIV Achilles Heel (video)

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Abzymes Pinpoint The HIV Achilles Heel

Updated August 30, 2023

The original link broke.

You might also have heard about:

Achilles' heel spotted for promising HIV prevention drug. Bi-monthly injections of cabotegravir kept most people free of HIV, but also hid infections and fueled resistance in rare cases, study finds. - Nature

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Many thanks to Mary Ann Liebert publications (AIDS Patient Care and STDs. November 1, 2008, 22(11): 921-923. doi:10.1089/apc.2008.9938) for making the text of this HIV/AIDS and STD Update available online, "Pinpointing the Achilles Heel of HIV" (abzymes). I'm sharing this with you because this update is so well written that I'd do you an injustice in trying to rewrite it. Because there's a fair amount of interest in this topic of HIV abzymes, I'm posting this so that you can do further reading for yourself. 

Related Posts: HIV Hope and Breakthrough - Abzymes Attack HIV Achilles Heel (video) 

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