TAGline Fall 2013
The Domestic Issue: We're at a stalemate. This issue of TAGline underscores TAG’s commitment to ending AIDS in the United States and realizing the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
Help Paying for HIV and Hepatitis Treatment
Health insurance co-payment (co-pay) programs and patient drug assistance programs (PAPs) are critical services for thousands of U.S. residents with HIV and/or viral hepatitis who face out-of-pocket expenses associated with their treatment. The Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC) has negotiated co-pay…
A Necessary Transformation
Simultaneous, not sequential, evaluations of novel drug regimens needed to speed TB treatment research By Lindsay McKenna An example of a multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) phase II trial design. At the first interim analysis, novel regimen 2 is considered to lack…
Sanofi’s Double-Edged Sword
Rifapentine’s manufacturer helps to advance TB research while stalling access By Erica Lessem Sanofi-Aventis, manufacturer of the tuberculosis (TB) drug rifapentine (Priftin), can be credited for aiding research efforts to shorten and simplify treatment dosing for TB. However, the company’s…
Undetectable Is Not Always Enough
Immunologic nonresponders face increased risk of illness, but lack therapeutic options By Richard Jefferys A subset of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience limited or no recovery of CD4 T-cell counts despite achieving and maintaining undetectable viral loads. Various terms…
Preparing for Generics
The push for affordable HIV treatment doesn’t end with patent expirations By Tim Horn Expiry of guidelines-preferred and -alternative first-line ARTs The United States is on course for some much-needed economic relief from the crippling cost of HIV treatment, with…
Razing the House of Cards
The discovery of HAART and the push for evidence-based HIV treatment By Mark Harrington This is the third in a series looking back at the first two decades of TAG’s work to speed up AIDS research. In Part I: TAG’s…
TB Drugs for Children
Poor treatment options spur innovative research strategies By Polly Clayden, HIV i-Base Pediatric Drug Development Considerations: Pharmacokinetics There is an old adage in pediatric medicine: children are not little adults. This is particularly true when it comes to tuberculosis, for…
The “G” Word
Gilead’s greed gives rise to a slew of advocacy priorities By Tracy Swan Activists are decrying Gilead’s refusal to continue codeveloping a winning HCV drug combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), opting instead to focus on co-formulations of its own promising…
Ryan White at a Crossroads
Preparing to defend and reshape a still-critical program By Coco Jervis An increasing demand for services, coupled with significant fiscal retrenchment among federal and state agencies, leaves the Ryan White HIV/AIDS CARE Act-funded program at a crossroads. But advocacy strategies…