Crimea: What Will Happen to 14,000 Drug Users?

The Russian Federation has extremely repressive drug laws and the annexation potentially puts at risk the lives of drug users benefiting from HIV prevention services such as the distribution of clean needles. The Russian government does not itself support any efficient programs for preventing HIV and hepatitis C among people who use drugs and the government refuses to help its own 1.8 million injecting drug users. Needle exchanges and opioid substitution therapy are illegal in Russia.

Fight against HIV/AIDS: launch of enhanced Action plan in EU and neighbouring countries

The Commission has renewed its commitment in the fight against HIV/AIDS by extending the Action Plan for the EU and neighbouring countries up to 2016.

About 800 substitution therapy patients may become the first refugees from the Crimea

As of today the stock of medicines for opioid substitution therapy (OST) available on the peninsula, i.e. methadone and buprenorphine, is sufficient for several weeks only. In Sevastopol the situation is the most critical, as OST sites in this city were compelled to start decreasing patients’ dosage. As you know, OST and medicines for it are prohibited in Russian Federation, thus these drugs may be supplied only from the inland part of Ukraine.

Community consensus statement on the use of antiretroviral therapy in preventing HIV transmission

HIV therapy can reduce the chances of someone transmitting the virus to near-zero, it says. But there is disagreement about who should take it, when, and who decides who takes it. The statement says that partnership and communication between people with HIV and their healthcare providers is essential to stop transmission of the virus. People with HIV need to be given the choice and power to take treatment in the way and at the time that suits their lifestyle and does not expose them to stigma; healthcare providers should value their opinions and initiate treatment as part of a shared decision. People will only consistently take treatment they feel happy about. This will help ensure their treatment will work – which makes it much less likely that they will pass on HIV to anyone else.

Unattainable miracle

$80,000 USD for a single course of treatment of sofosbuvir - this price tag means that sofosbuvir and the other new hepatitis C medicines will remain out of reach for the majority of those in need.

Help us to debunk myths

There are an estimated 16 million injecting drug users (IDUs) in the world - three million of them living with HIV/AIDS. Providing IDUs with clean needle and syringe saves lives. Help us to spread this message by sharing our infograph! There are many myths surrounding Needle and Syringe programs. Help us to debunk these myths!

Open Letter to Gilead Sciences, their Board of Directors and shareholders

The recent data confirmed the amazing 100% cure rate with Gilead’s sofosbuvir and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir. But to our continued disbelief and monumental heartbreak, Gilead refuses to move forward in this collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb and the most significant discovery in the history of hepatitis C.

Guidance: HIV testing in Indicator Conditions

This guidance focuses on individuals who attend health care settings, including medical specialties where HIV testing may not be undertaken as part of the standard medical care for individual patients with certain medical conditions. This proposed approach, indicator condition-guided HIV testing, should be an additional element of an overall comprehensive national HIV testing strategy. Any person (without an HIV-positive test in the patient’s medical record) presenting with potentially AIDS defining conditions should be strongly recommended HIV testing.

Medical societies launch new hepatitis C treatment guidelines

With the advent of more effective and better-tolerated direct-acting antivirals - sofosbuvir and simeprevir, many experts believe that more people are now eligible for treatment. But given the rapid advances in the field, it is often unclear whether to treat someone now with available drugs or to wait for something better.

Dallas Buyers Club in Riga

These were the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and the U.S. was divided over how to combat the virus. Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof free-wheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live.

11th Annual Conference of the Baltic Network Against Life-threatening Viral Infections

The 11th Annual Conference of the Baltic Network Against Life-Threatening Viral Infections would provide a wider platform for discussion of results of research on blood-borne virus infections as HIV-1, viral hepatitis B and C, also enteral infections as viral hepatitis A and E, as well as influenza. This 11th meeting will be organized in Vilnius, Lithuania, at 24-29 April, 2014.

All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV makes its statement about current situation in Ukraine

As an Organization created for provision of care to the patients and protection of their rights the Network opens out the site of emergency medical care. We welcome medical professionals for emergency care provision at the site which is located at our premises. We strongly believe that feasibility of creation alternative medical site is lifesaving activity for Ukrainian citizens at the moment. We urge international organizations experienced in provision of medical care in armed conflicts to follow our initiative and open field hospital in Kyiv.

Conference EECAAC 2014

The IV Eastern Europe and Central Asia HIV/AIDS Conference will take place on May 12-13, 2014, in Moscow.

New HIV medicine Tivicay® (dolutegravir) is approved in Europe

Approval of Tivicay is an important advance, opening the door to new treatment combinations for people living with HIV in Europe.

European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Sovaldi® (sofosbuvir)

The marketing authorization of Sovaldi is an important step forward in the management of hepatitis C in Europe, enabling many more patients the opportunity of cure.