16-19 February 2010
The annual Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections (CROI) is one of the major conferences
of the year for the HIV world. The conference aims to give
scientists and doctors an opportunity to share their HIV
research, so that the work they do in clinical practice and in
laboratories can be turned into progress around the world.
Highlights from this year's conference may include new
information on:
Treatment as prevention
Hepatitis and HIV co-infection in the developing world
Heart disease and bone problems in people on long-term
treatment
HIV and the brain: should we worry about long-term effects?
Cancers in people with HIV
TB prevention and treatment
NAM is an award-winning, community-based organisation, which works from the UK. We deliver reliable and accurate HIV information across the world to HIV-positive people and to the professionals who treat, support and care for them.
Live Coverage Blog for CROI Launches
The International Foundation for Alternative Research
in AIDS (IFARA) launched it blog to provide Live coverage of
CROI Press Conferences, on-demand Interviews, Summary Panel
discussions in multiple languages and programming for special
populations.
CROI - Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
is the pre-eminent conference on the science of AIDS, covering
current HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis research peer reviewed by
thousands of attendees in poster sessions and convened sessions
from February 17-19th 2010 at the Moscone West Convention
Center, San Francisco, CA
PRESS CONFERENCES: will be webcast on www.IFARABLOG.org 1pm PT
each day at CROI
ON DEMAND INTERVIEWS: Community educators and scholarship
recipients of the CROI will interview leading scientists and
clinicians presenting data and discussion about the use of
anti-HIV and Hepatitis medications being presented and reviewed
at the CROI. These interviews should provide a deeper look at
the work of the researchers and answer some of the questions one
might have about the individuals work.
MAIN PROGRAM: A LONG LIFE WITH AIDS / UPDATE 2010. IFARA
produces its ninth annual webcast from the Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, CROI on February
20th, 2010 (3-5pm ET, 2-4pm CT, 1-3pm MT, noon-2pm PT, 11am-1pm
AKT, 10am-Noon HT). The webcast direct from San Francisco will
be a two-hour summary of the CROI conference, highlighting new
information related to HIV and Hepatitis treatment issues. This
multi-panel program is appropriate for medical and non-medical
HIV/AIDS providers and informed community, supportive friends
and family. To become a host in your city or view the program
see above contacts.
PROGRAMMING FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS: Panel programs hosted by
individuals who are best able to present useful information
requested by special populations will be presented on Saturday
the 20th before and after the MAIN PROGRAM. Focuses: African
American, Native American, Women, Aging, Youth, (special
language programs) Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian,
Chinese, Japanese.
IFARA is a not for profit organization dedicated to delivering
important new HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis information to as many
interested people as possible, focusing on diverse populations
and multiple levels of education in both patient and provider
communities.
All programs shown on the Blog site www.IFARABLOG.org will
appear with past conferences within a month on the IFARA
Website: https://IFARA.info . The IFARA website contains further
information about this years project including disclosure
statements, Host site information and evaluation forms.
FDA Advises Serious Liver Disorder Associated with the Use of
Videx/Videx EC (Didanosine)
AIDSinfo At-A-Glance Volume 6 Issue 4 (1.29.10)
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare professionals and patients about a rare, but serious, complication in the liver known as non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in patients using Videx or Videx EC (didanosine). Didanosine is a medication used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Videx was the first approved didanosine medication. Videx EC is a delayed-release version of Videx.
"Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (portal hypertension that is not caused by cirrhosis of the liver) is rare in the United States. It occurs when blood flow in the major vein in the liver (the portal vein) slows down. This slowed blood flow can lead to the development of severely enlarged esophageal veins (varices) in the gastrointestinal system. Because esophageal varices are thin and portal hypertension increases the pressure of blood flow in these veins, esophageal varices can break open. This can result in serious bleeding and, in some cases, death.
"FDA became aware of cases of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension through adverse event reports submitted to FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS). Based on these reports, FDA has revised the didanosine drug label to include information about non-cirrhotic portal hypertension to help ensure the safe use of this drug.
"FDA believes the clinical benefits of didanosine for certain
patients with HIV continue to outweigh its potential risks. The
decision to use this drug, however, must be made on an
individual basis between the treating physician and the
patient."
Additional safety information regarding Videx/Videx EC (didanosine)
can be found in the
FDA press release.
