Bulgaria To Press Charges Against Libyan Police Officers In HIV Infection Case

A Bulgarian senior prosecutor on Wednesday said the country within four months will bring charges against 11 Libyan police officers for allegedly torturing five Bulgarian nurses into confessing to allegedly intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, Reuters reports (Reuters, 1/31). The five nurses and a Palestinian doctor in May 2004 were sentenced to death by firing squad for allegedly infecting 426 children through contaminated blood products at Al Fateh Children's Hospital in Benghazi, Libya. They also were ordered to pay a total of $1 million to the families of the HIV-positive children. The Libyan Supreme Court in December 2005 overturned the medical workers' convictions and ordered a retrial in a lower court. A court in Tripoli, Libya, last month convicted the health workers and sentenced them to death. The health workers say they are innocent of the charges, claiming that they were forced to confess and that they were tortured by Libyan officials during interrogations. The European Parliament on Jan. 18 in a resolution called on European Union member states to review their trade relations with Libya and to urge the country to release the medical workers (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/30). A Libyan court in June 2005 acquitted nine police officers who had been charged with torturing the medical workers and forcing them to confess (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/9/05). Sofia, Bulgaria, prosecutor Nikolay Kokinov said the charges would allow him to begin a judicial investigation, which could lead to a trial. "After completing the necessary police investigation, we believe there is enough evidence proving a crime," Kokinov said. Othman al-Bizanti, a Libyan lawyer representing the five nurses, on Monday said that the nurses have been accused of slandering the police officers with the torture claims and that they will be questioned on Feb. 11. Bulgarian chief prosecutor Boris Velchev said the slander charges are "an obscenity," adding, "The evidence that we have points out that the nurses were indeed tortured. Nobody in Bulgaria has any doubts about that." Trayan Markovski, coordinator of the nurses' Bulgarian defense team, said the questioning on the slander charges is a "good opportunity for the truth to be heard in Libya" (Simeonova, AFP/France 24, 1/30).

Italy's Prime Minister Discusses Medical Workers Release With Gaddafi
In related news, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on Monday during an African Union summit in Ethiopia met with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to discuss the release of the six medical workers, Reuters reports. Prodi said he approached Gaddafi in a "very heartfelt way because this is a problem that has been going on for eight years." Prodi added that Gaddafi said that there still are "problems of reparations and compensation" to the families of the HIV-positive children but that "he would reflect on what [Prodi] told him and [they] would talk about it again" (Reuters, 1/30). Libya earlier this week proposed a plan to release the medical workers, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi -- the son of Muammar Gaddafi and head of Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations -- said in a statement to a Bulgarian newspaper. "We have proposed a road map with solutions (satisfying) all parties: the parents, the Libyan government, the Bulgarian side, the E.U.," Seif al-Islam Gaddafi said. He added that the plan calls for "substantial compensation for the families of those affected" and the release of Libyan officer Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who is in a Scottish jail for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. According to Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, he has discussed the proposal with the foreign ministers of Germany and France (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/30). The U.S. on Tuesday responded to Seif al-Islam Gaddafi's announcement. Sean McCormack, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said, "If, in fact, the Libyans do act on what this gentleman has said, certainly that would be welcome ... news on many, many fronts" (AFP/Yahoo News, 1/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Thai Health Ministry Takes 'Bold Step' In Breaking Patent, Issuing Compulsory License For Antiretroviral Kaletra, Editorial Says

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health is "taking a bold step" in ensuring that the country "takes full advantage" of the World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement by breaking the patent on Abbott Laboratories' antiretroviral drug Kaletra, a Bangkok Post editorial says (Bangkok Post, 1/31). The health ministry on Monday said that it has broken a patent on Kaletra by issuing a compulsory license to produce a lower-cost version of the drug. According to Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla, the compulsory license was signed into law and took effect on Friday. WTO regulations allow governments to declare a "national emergency" and issue compulsory licenses without consulting the foreign patent owner. Thailand, which has 580,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, has won international recognition for its quick launch of a national drug program that treats more than 82,000 HIV-positive people. However, the government's commitment to providing universal access to care is facing increasingly high drug costs. The compulsory license could save the country as much as $24 million annually (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/30). The editorial "applaud[s] the government for using all legal methods possible to ensure Thai patients get the cheapest and best drugs available." However, the editorial says that the government also "should be careful not to unnecessarily further push away foreign investment," adding that even though the government is "not legally required to negotiate with drug companies before issuing a compulsory license doesn't mean it should not do so." The Thai government should "insist on procuring quality drugs" from World Health Organization-approved factories, especially for HIV/AIDS medications, according to the editorial. Although Thailand's Government Pharmaceutical Organization's factories do not meet WHO standards, Thai officials say their generic antiretrovirals are of high quality, the editorial says, adding that it "would be nice to remove the cloud of suspicion." According to the editorial, Thailand should import generic antiretrovirals from India until a new GPO facility that meets WHO standards is complete. This would allow the government to procure antiretrovirals with funds from the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which "refuses to finance Thai-produced drugs because they don't meet international standards," the editorial says. According to the editorial, the money the government saves by using drugs produced in India "could be used to expand patient education." The editorial adds that "[m]uch of the resistance to Thai generic HIV/AIDS drugs is attributed to patients who misunderstand how to take the drugs" and that there is little point in "expanding drug coverage if the drugs will prove ineffective due to incorrect usage" (Bangkok Post, 1/31).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

House Passes $463B Spending Bill That Would Allocate $1.3B Increase To Fund International HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria Programs

The House on Wednesday approved 286-140 a $463 billion spending resolution (HJ Res 20) for fiscal year 2007 that includes a $1.3 billion increase for international HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs, the Washington Post reports (Kane, Washington Post, 2/1). The resolution would bring the total for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to $4.5 billion. PEPFAR is a five-year, $15 billion program that directs funding for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria primarily to 15 focus countries and provides funding to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The $4.5 billion for PEPFAR includes $3.2 billion for the State Department's Global HIV/AIDS Initiative, $712 million for USAID's Child Survival and Health Program, and $494 million for CDC and HHS global HIV/AIDS activities, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary. Of these amounts, $724 million would be allocated for the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund, with $625 million coming from the State Department and USAID, and $99 million from HHS. In addition, $248 million would be allocated to expand programs under the President's Malaria Initiative, an increase of $149 million. The resolution also allocates an additional $75.8 million in funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides care and services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., to bring its funding to $1.2 billion (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/30). "With the increase ... the U.S. is much better placed to go to other countries and urge them to increase their contributions" to the Global Fund, the Global AIDS Alliance said. According to GAA, there were 4.3 million new HIV/AIDS cases worldwide last year, and outbreaks of malaria and drug-resistant TB continued (Cowan, Reuters, 1/31). "Given the incredibly difficult budget situation, the U.S. Congress made a bold decision to help those affected by AIDS, TB and malaria around the world," Natasha Bilimoria, executive director of Friends of the Global Fight, said (Friends of the Global Fight release, 1/31). "What House and Senate leadership have proposed on HIV/AIDS is nothing short of heroic," Pamela Barnes, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, said, adding, "We were facing a nightmare situation where treatment for hundreds of thousands of people was seriously threatened" (EGPAF release, 1/31). The Senate must pass the continuing resolution by Feb. 15 to prevent a "partial government shutdown," the Post reports. The White House has indicated that President Bush will sign the measure if it is approved (Washington Post, 2/1).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Microbicide Trials Halted In Africa, India Because Of Possible Increased Risk Of HIV Transmission

Arlington, Va.-based Conrad on Wednesday announced that it has halted Phase III trials of the microbicide Ushercell, also known as cellulose sulfate, in Africa and India after an independent scientific committee during a routine check found an increased risk of HIV transmission among women who used cellulose sulfate compared with women who used a placebo gel, the New York Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 2/1). Microbicides include a range of products -- such as gels, films and sponges -- that could help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other infections (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/13/06). According to the Wall Street Journal, the trials involved about 1,300 women in Benin, India, South Africa and Uganda. Thirty-five women in both the cellulose sulfate and placebo groups became HIV-positive during the trial, the Journal reports. Although a breakdown of incidence rates for each group is not available, there were more new cases in the cellulose sulfate group, the Journal reports (Chase, Wall Street Journal, 2/1). Final numbers are expected in March, according to a Conrad spokesperson. A separate study of Ushercell involving 1,700 participants in Nigeria and conducted by Triangle Park, N.C.-based Family Health International also was halted in response to the findings of the Conrad study. According to the Times, the FHI study had found neither an increased risk of HIV transmission nor a benefit in preventing transmission of the virus. Both the Conrad and FHI studies were funded with $20 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID (New York Times, 2/1). According to the Journal, it is still unknown if researchers will be able to develop a "chemical that is tough enough to repel or kill HIV, yet gentle enough to spare the female genital tract from corrosive chemical effects that have the effect of favoring infection." However, the Journal reports that it is "premature to declare defeat" with the World Health Organization and UNAIDS saying that there are three other Phase III microbicide trials currently underway. The Population Council is conducting a study of Carraguard in South Africa, with results expected by the end of the year. The U.K. Medical Research Council is conducting a study of PRO 2000 in South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, with results expected by 2009. In addition, NIH is conducting a study of PRO 2000 used in combination with BufferGel in Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with results expected in 2008 (Wall Street Journal, 2/1).

Reaction
According to researchers, the findings are surprising because 11 smaller trials involving more than 500 women conducted since 1999 have found that cellulose sulfate is safe and effective against HIV transmission in laboratory tests (New York Times, 2/1). "This development saddens everyone," Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of the International Partnership for Microbicides, said, adding, "We cannot let it paralyze us. Globally, 17.7 women are living with HIV, and thousands more are infected every day. Prevention is the only way out of this epidemic." Nick Hellmann, interim director of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis at the Gates Foundation, called the results a "disappointment" but said that drug development is a "long, tortuous road." He added that "we have to proceed, stay the course and learn more lessons about what is required for the optimum microbicide product" (Wall Street Journal, 2/1). Lori Heise, director of the Global Campaign for Microbicides, said that "we wish the results had been different, but learning what doesn't work can be just as important to progress as learning what does work." Mitchell Warren, director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, said, "Each trial result is a puzzle piece, and together they make up the complex picture that will show us how to develop successful new HIV prevention tools" (Global Campaign for Microbicides release, 1/31). Pedro Cahn, president of the International AIDS Society, said, "While extremely disappointing, this setback is also an opportunity to learn why some women who used Ushercell were found to be at increased risk of HIV infection. This will strengthen future microbicide research and increase our overall knowledge of how such compounds work" (IAS release, 2/1).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Red Cross Launches Appeal For $50M To Expand HIV/AIDS Programs In Southern Africa

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Tuesday launched an appeal for almost $50 million to expand HIV/AIDS programs in Southern Africa, VOA News reports (Schlein, VOA News, 1/30). The funds will be allocated to initiatives that are part of a five-year HIV/AIDS control plan launched in 10 Southern African countries in November 2006, according to an IFRC release (IFRC release, 1/30). The plan is part of the new International Federation Global HIV and AIDS Alliance, which seeks to prevent new HIV cases and bolster treatment and support. The five-year initiative will cover Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Francoise Le Goff, IFRC's chief representative in the region, said. She added that the program aims to reach 50 million people, as well as provide services to more than 250,000 HIV-positive people and 460,000 children who have lost at least one parent to AIDS-related illnesses (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/2/06). "HIV has destroyed the very fabric of communities in many sub-Saharan countries and is on the increase across Asia and Eastern Europe," Mukesh Kapila, IFRC special representative for HIV/AIDS, said, adding, "We must not let the virus do to Asia, or any other continent, what it has done in sub-Saharan Africa. That would be unforgivable." IFRC in 2007 plans to increase HIV/AIDS services in Southern Africa and to increase efforts to combat the disease in Asia and Eastern Europe, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/30). The $50 million for Southern Africa is part of IFRC's call for $286 million to fund its work in 2007, especially in the areas of climate change and HIV/AIDS (VOA News, 1/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Medical Services International Moves Into Additional Countries In Africa

Medical Services International Inc (OTC: MSITF) wishes to announce that it has been approached by distributors in an additional 5 countries in Africa to start supplying the VScan HIV and TB rapid test kits. Currently it has been reported that the test kits being supplied to these countries are very inaccurate (less than 80% accuracy when compared to conventional tests). Inaccurate kits are worse than no kits as these kits miss HIV positive people, giving a false sense of security, therefore increasing the spread of HIV. The distributors have heard about the continued accuracy of the VScan HIV test kits and have been given copies of the test data from regulatory bodies in other countries showing the accuracy of the VScan HIV test kits.

The distributors have indicated that this could result in the purchase of up to an additional 2,000,000 VScan test kits per year. The Company believes that by the end of 2007, it will be the largest supplier of HIV, TB, Dengue Fever and Malaria rapid test kits in the world.

About VScan

The VScan rapid test kit is a single use, disposable, accurate, cost effective, easy to use test for the screening of HIV 1&2, Hepatitis B&C, Tuberculosis (TB), Dengue Fever, West Nile, Syphilis, Malaria and Prostate cancer. The kits cannot be sold in Canada.

Medical Services International Inc trades in the United States on the NQB Pinksheets under the symbol "MSITF". For further information go to http://www.medicalservicesintl.com or http://www.minerva-biotech.com.

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Act of 1995. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause results to differ materially. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include but are not limited to new economic conditions, risk in product development, market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand, level of competition and other factors described in Company reports an other filings with regulatory bodies.

Medical Services International Inc
http://www.medicalservicesintl.com

USP Publishes Standards For Medications For Neglected Diseases

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has released free documentary standards for medicines used outside the United States to treat neglected infectious diseases. The standards are available on USP's Web site at http://www.usp.org/internationalStandards.

"Public standards for such medicines are urgently needed to help ensure that patients in all parts of the world have access to good quality medications," said Roger L. Williams, M.D., USP executive vice president and CEO. "These international standards will make it easier for healthcare organizations in countries without sufficient regulatory and pharmacopeial resources of their own to ensure the quality and purity of medications."

The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion people -- one sixth of the world's population -- suffer from neglected tropical diseases. Widespread counterfeiting and distribution of sub-standard drugs has worsened this situation.

The initial two drugs included in the International Standards program are used in the treatment of HIV-AIDS: Abacavir Sulfate, and Efavirenz. These monographs are posted in draft form, with a 90-day period for public comment that ends on April 30, 2007. Instructions for submitting comments are at http://www.usp.org/internationalStandards/. Monographs for drugs used to treat malaria will be added shortly as part of the ongoing program.

USP's standards are widely recognized internationally as authoritative, science-based, and credible. They are developed through a process that is transparent and open to public comment. As the world's only private pharmacopeia, USP has the unique ability to work across borders, giving it the ability to set voluntary standards for medicines used outside the United States.

The worldwide public health benefits of the International Standards initiative include:

-- Supporting the effort to provide quality drugs to patients with the greatest need;

-- Helping ensure that medicines for neglected infectious diseases in international commerce meet a high standard of quality;

-- Ensuring the availability of science-based public standards that help prevent counterfeit, sub-standard, or adulterated medicines; and

-- Assisting foreign regulatory bodies, customs officials, purchasing agents, and others by providing information for testing the quality of medicines within a country or in international commerce.

For more information on USP's international standards, visit http://www.usp.org/internationalStandards/.

USP -- Advancing Public Health Since 1820

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, standards-setting organization that advances public health and improves patient safety by ensuring good pharmaceutical care. USP standards, which are recognized worldwide, are developed through a unique process of public involvement by volunteers representing pharmacy, medicine, and other healthcare professions, as well as science, academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, and consumer organizations. For more information about USP and its standards-setting activities, visit http://www.usp.org/aboutUSP/media.

United States Pharmacopeia
http://www.usp.org/internationalStandards/

Thai Health Minister To Break Patents, Issue Compulsory Licenses For Antiretroviral, Heart Disease Drugs

Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Songkhla plans to break patents on an antiretroviral drug and a drug for heart disease by issuing compulsory licenses to produce lower-cost versions, Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Suphan Srithamma announced on Thursday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/25). Mongkol declined to name the two drugs until the ministry officially announces the compulsory licensing on Monday, Thailand's Nation reports (Khwankom, Nation, 1/26). World Trade Organization regulations allow governments to declare a "national emergency" and issue compulsory licenses without consulting the foreign patent owner. Thailand, which has 580,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, has won international recognition for its quick launch of a national drug program that treats more than 82,000 HIV-positive people. However, the government's commitment to providing universal access to care is facing increasingly high drug costs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/1/06). "We have to do this because we have so many [HIV/AIDS] patients to treat with so little budget," Mongkol said, adding, "We can't watch our people die and their patents have been here for so long" (Wong-Anan, Reuters, 1/25). He added that compulsory licensing "is legitimate domestically and internationally, and Thailand is not the first" country to do it (Nation, 1/26). Teera Chakajnarodom, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers' Association, said the Thai government is using an overly broad definition of an emergency. "The law allows such actions with pharmaceutical products only in cases of extreme national emergencies, or during wartime, and only after negotiation with the companies concerned," Teera said, adding, "It is a provision in the law that has to be used judiciously and with extreme caution if one is not to undermine the confidence of the investment community" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/25). Paul Cawthorne, head of Medecins Sans Frontieres in Thailand, said compulsory licensing is a "perfectly legal method for [the government] to ensure access to essential drugs for Thai people" (Reuters, 1/25).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Violence Against Women Fueling Spread Of HIV Worldwide, Undermining Prevention Efforts, Advocates Say

Violence against women worldwide is fueling the spread of HIV in the population, and unwillingness among some governments to acknowledge the issue will continue to undermine prevention and education efforts, advocates said this week at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, Inter Press Service reports. "Violence is largely a cause of HIV infection among many women; violence in the homes and in the streets, violence everywhere," Ludfine Anyango, the national HIV/AIDS coordinator at Action Kenya-International, said. Anyango also discussed women's inability to negotiate condom use with their partners, which puts them at an increased risk of HIV transmission. "Many cannot ask their husbands to use a condom because, in addition to being thought as unfaithful, they fear being beaten," Anyango said, adding, "The woman then has no choice but to continue having unprotected sex with her spouse." Violence against commercial sex workers also is an issue, according to Ros Sokunthy of the Cambodia-based Womyn's Agenda for Change, which promotes the rights of women and female sex workers. "A sex worker negotiates with one man," Sokunthy said, adding, "When she gets to the venue she finds more than one man, and they all want to have sex with her. When she refuses, she is beaten or raped." In addition, WSF participants discussed how some husbands beat their wives if they discover that they visited HIV/AIDS voluntary testing and counseling centers. "This fear discourages many women from knowing their HIV status and thus continue having unprotected sex with their spouses," Mary Watiti -- a counselor at a testing clinic in Kibera, Kenya -- said. According to Inter Press Service, these issues have renewed calls for laws to address all forms of violence against women, as well as implementation of laws in countries where such legislation exists. Male involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS also is important, advocates said. According to experts, men seem to fear HIV/AIDS stigma more than women do and, as a result, avoid HIV testing clinics. "As long as our men are not part of the war, then we should forget about ending HIV/AIDS infection and the violence that comes with it," Lilian Musang'u, a WSF participant from Malawi, said (Mulama, Inter Press Service, 1/24).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

DANIDA, UNFPA, Radio Station Launch Program In Vietnam To Provide Youth With HIV/AIDS Education

The Danish International Development Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund and the Voice of Vietnam radio on Wednesday launched a radio program that aims to educate young people in the country about HIV/AIDS, the Vietnam News Brief Service reports (Vietnam News Brief Service, 1/25). The long-term goal of the program is to promote increased access to and improve the quality of reproductive health services. The program will be targeted to youth in the country and will focus on changing behavior to prevent HIV transmission, according to the Saigon Times Daily (Trung, Saigon Times Daily, 1/24). The program -- which will be broadcast in 64 provinces and cities in Vietnam and in several ethnic languages -- will run as a serialized soap opera that includes 104 episodes. It will be funded with a $770,000 grant from DANIDA (Vietnam News Brief Service, 1/25). DANIDA earlier collaborated with VOV on a call-in radio program, called "Window of Love," that focused on reproductive health education. The program was positively received among youth in the country, according to the Times Daily. Lack of awareness and understanding about HIV are contributing to stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people in the country, the Times Daily reports. Vietnamese media outlets -- including radio, television, newspapers and films -- in recent years have sponsored campaigns aimed providing education about HIV/AIDS. The DANIDA project will end in December 2009, the Times Daily reports (Saigon Times Daily, 1/24).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Guyanese Health Ministry To Provide $450,000 For HIV/AIDS Programs Nationwide

The Guyanese Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced it will provide $450,000 to 16 nongovernmental organizations to conduct HIV/AIDS programs nationwide, the Stabroek News reports. The funding will be provided through the health ministry's HIV/AIDS prevention and control project. Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy urged the NGOs -- which include the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Spectrum Health Net and the Art of Living Foundation -- to execute their projects in a timely and organized manner (Seales, Stabroek News, 1/25). In related news, Guyana's Government Information Agency on Tuesday announced that the number of HIV-positive people accessing antiretroviral treatment at clinics nationwide has increased since the end of 2005, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports (Caribbean Media Corporation, 1/24). Eight public health clinics in six of the country's regions by the end of 2005 were providing access to antiretrovirals, following the establishment in 2002 of the first treatment clinic in the capital, Georgetown, according to Stabroek News. In addition, GINA announced that the government plans to provide 80% of HIV-positive pregnant women in the country with treatment access through a program aimed at preventing vertical HIV transmission. GINA on Wednesday also announced that the government has provided almost 11,000 HIV-positive people with access to treatment through a clinic in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. According to GINA, the government in conjunction with CDC and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief remodeled the clinic in June 2006 to increase its treatment capacity. The New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company with PEPFAR funding is producing antiretrovirals that the government makes available at no cost to all HIV-positive people in the country, GINA said, adding that Guyana plans to further expand prevention, treatment and care initiatives (Stabroek News, 1/24).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Global AIDS Alliance Thanks Congress For Increasing Funding For AIDS, TB And Malaria Programs

Today the Global AIDS Alliance thanked the US Congress for agreeing to a major increase in funds to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and other regions for fiscal year 2007. Congress will increase funding by $1.3 billion, for a total of $4.5 billion. This will raise the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a cost-effective international partnership, to $724 million.

Congress has recognized that global disease is a true emergency in which bold US leadership can be truly effective. The AIDS epidemic is still spreading, with 4.3 million new infections this past year. Extremely drug- resistant TB is a major new threat, especially in southern Africa. Malaria is a major killer of children and a contributing factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance, made the following statement:

"This funding increase will save millions of lives and provide urgently needed care and support for millions of orphaned and vulnerable children. We thank all members of Congress responsible for this funding increase, in particular Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Representative David Obey (D-WI), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA). These legislators are putting the US on the right side of history by fully backing the fight against disease. This is exactly the kind of bold leadership we need in the US Congress.

"With the increase for the Global Fund, the US is much better placed to go to other countries and urge them to increase their contributions to the Fund. We will need Germany, Japan and others to now reciprocate by upping their contributions; otherwise the global goal of universal access to AIDS-related services by 2010 will remain out of reach.

"A new, extremely dangerous form of TB has emerged, and much more US funding will be required to combat it, and quickly. Extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) threatens to undermine much of our progress in fighting HIV/AIDS. The emergency is so great that the Congress should use the upcoming Supplemental Budget for 2007 to channel $300 million to address this disease threat.

"A wide range of humanitarian, student and religious groups worked together to urge Congress to provide the funding agreed to this week. People across the United States also appealed to Congress to provide this funding, and Congress responded with vision and leadership.

"Increases are also urgently needed for other global poverty programs, as well as the response to AIDS in the United States, and we hope Congress provides these as a part of the FY 2008 appropriations process."

Global AIDS Alliance
http://www.globalaidsalliance.org

Uganda AIDS Commission Announces Plans To Test 500,000 Annually, Provide Treatment For 90% Of HIV-Positive People By 2012

The Uganda AIDS Commission in a report released last week said it plans to test and counsel 500,000 people for HIV annually by 2012 and provide opportunistic infection prevention and treatment services to 90% of HIV-positive people in the country, Uganda's New Vision reports. The report -- released at a two-day workshop attended by officials and HIV/AIDS advocates in Fort Portal, Uganda -- says the commission aims to increase access to antiretroviral drugs to 90% of HIV-positive people who require treatment. It also says HIV testing and counseling will be available at 107 hospitals and 160 health centers across the country. The strategies include increasing HIV testing and counseling. There are about 1.1 million HIV-positive people in Uganda, and the number of cases is expected to increase to 1.8 million by 2012 "at the current rate of 135,000 new infections annually," the report says (Thawite, New Vision/AllAfrica.com, 1/25). The commission also plans to improve services for people coinfected with HIV and tuberculosis, Xinhua News Agency reports (Xinhua News Agency, 1/25).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Cellulose Sulfate Microbicide Trial Stopped - Statement Developed By The World Health Organization And UNAIDS

A Phase III study of the candidate microbicide* cellulose sulfate to prevent HIV transmission in women has been stopped prematurely because of a higher number of HIV infections in the active compared with the placebo group. This is a disappointing and unexpected setback in the search for a safe and effective microbicide that can be used by women to protect themselves against HIV infection.

Cellulose sulfate was one of four compounds being evaluated in large-scale studies of effectiveness among women at high risk of HIV infection. Currently there are three other Phase III microbicide studies under way. The Carraguard study (sponsored by the Population Council and conducted in three sites in South Africa) is nearing completion and results are expected by the end of 2007. Another product, PRO 2000, is being tested in one study in five sites in South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda (results expected in 2009) as well as in a second study in seven sites in Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe (results expected in 2008). In this second study a further compound, BufferGel, (a vaginal defence enhancer) is being tested. All the other compounds mentioned are products that block HIV infection - known as HIV entry inhibitors - and have a similar presumed mechanism of action.

Data from these clinical trials will be indispensable to the researchers and developers of emerging and future microbicide candidates. It is important for the microbicide field to understand why cellulose sulfate was associated with a higher risk of HIV infection than the placebo product. At present there is no explanation for this higher rate of transmission of HIV. The need to continue research to find a user-controlled means of preventing HIV infection in women is urgent. Despite the effectiveness and availability of condoms, the HIV epidemic continues to spread and the search for a safe and effective microbicide is a vital part of the effort to stem the spread of the HIV epidemic.

*Microbicides are products being developed to be used by women to reduce the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse. A microbicide could take the form of a gel, cream, film, tablet or sponge, or be contained in a vaginal ring that releases the active ingredient gradually.

http://www.who.int

New York City Health Department Approves $1.57M Contract To Distribute 20M Condoms To Curb HIV/AIDS

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently approved a $1.57 million contract to deliver more than 20 million Ansell Healthcare's Lifestyle condoms and packets of lubricants to organizations and venues in the city to help curb the spread of HIV, the New York Post reports (Campanile, New York Post, 1/26). The health department will pay Ansell four cents per condom, putting the cost of the program at about $720,000 annually, according to health officials. Officials are attempting to make the packaging for the condoms, which will be distributed by the city, more distinctive. Current condoms distributed by the city are wrapped in the red packaging from the Lifestyles brand. City officials said they hope the condom's packaging will help them to better track the effectiveness of their distribution program, the AP/CBS4Denver.com reports. Officials plan to track the progress of the program through an annual community health survey, which polls 10,000 city residents by telephone. New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said, "We ask, 'Did you use a condom the last time you had sex?' And once this is launched, the next time we ask that question, of those people who say yes, we'll say, 'What did the wrapper look like?"' He added that if "they describe our wrapper, then we'll know that they would have used our condom." Frieden said, "Brands work, and people use branded items more than they use nonbranded items, whether it's a cola or a medicine even." New York City currently distributes about 1.5 million condoms monthly, or about 18 million annually, at no cost to organizations, health clinics, advocacy groups, bars, restaurants, nail salons, nightclubs and prisons. Organizations or venues can request an unlimited supply of condoms at no cost through an online ordering system set up by the city health department (AP/CBS4Denver.com, 1/26). There are more than 100,000 HIV-positive people in New York City, and health officials estimate that there are thousands more undiagnosed HIV cases (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/20/06).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Leading Advocates Express Support For Microbicide Research, Despite Disappointing Clinical Trial Results

HIV prevention advocates from three major civil society organizations today emphasized the importance of continued research into new HIV prevention options, despite the recent discontinuation of the Phase III effectiveness trials of the microbicide candidate, cellulose sulfate (CS).

CS was one of the four microbicide candidates in Phase III effectiveness trials for prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. CONRAD, a reproductive health research organization, was conducting Phase III trials to assess its effectiveness in Benin, India, South Africa, and Uganda. Another Phase III trial of CS sponsored by Family Health International was underway in Nigeria. Both sponsors are not-for profit research groups dedicated to advancing health in developing countries.

At the recommendation of their respective Data Safety Monitoring Boards both sponsors chose to discontinue their CS trials after findings from the CONRAD trial suggested that CS might be contributing to an increased risk of HIV infection. Although review of the data from the Nigerian trial found no evidence of increased risk, FHI felt that the only responsible course of action was to halt its study also.

"Of course we wish the results had been different, but learning what doesn't work can be just as important to progress as learning what does work," observed Lori Heise, Director of the Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM). "It's also reassuring that the independent Data Safety and Monitoring Committees, put in place to identify problems early on in a trial, appear to have worked well. Advocates have been instrumental in pushing for extra mechanisms to help protect participant safety."

African advocates are following the trials conducted in their countries particularly closely, reported Manju Chatani, Coordinator of the African Microbicide Advocacy Group (AMAG). "Scientists scrutinized the data available on cellulose sulfate before the Phase III trials started, including safety results from 11 clinical trials done in Africa, India and the US. All the data suggested that the product was safe and should proceed into Phase III trials," she said.

"This is a setback but it does not detract from the issue that women still don't have the tools they need to protect themselves from HIV", Chatani added. "And African women, especially, urgently need more prevention options. So while we need concrete answers to why this happened as soon as possible, we must continue to research new options so women don't have to ask for permission to protect themselves".

Dr. Kim Dickson, an African physician who serves on the boards of both GCM and AMAG, noted that care and treatment of trial participants are among the top concerns of both groups, along with clinical trial ethics. "At civil society's insistence, the trial investigators forged written agreements in advance to assure that any women who sero-converted while enrolled in the trial would get ongoing care and treatment, including anti-retroviral drugs as needed", she said. "Our priority now is to make sure that advocates' and community questions about this trial and future research are heard and addressed as soon as possible."

Adding his perspective, Director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) Mitchell Warren observed that "Getting a negative result for one product certainly doesn't signal failure for the microbicide field or broader biomedical HIV prevention research effort as a whole. The nature of research is that the information gathered is cumulative", he continued. "Each trial result is a puzzle piece and, together, they make up the complex picture that will show us how to develop successful new HIV prevention tools."

Heise concluded by noting that "The real heroines and heroes in this are the people who enroll in clinical trials because they know how urgently new prevention tools are needed. In Benin, South Africa, and Uganda, the African countries in which the CS trials were being done, between one third and one half of all women of reproductive age are already HIV positive", she added. "It is essential to build on what has been learned here and proceed with the research as rapidly as possible. Millions of women's lives are at stake."

The Global Campaign for Microbicides is an international movement of activists, citizens and not for profit organizations dedicated to accelerating access to new HIV prevention tools, especially for women.
http://www.global-campaign.org.

The African Microbicides Advocacy Group (AMAG) is a coalition of microbicide advocates from organisations and institutions based and/or working in various African countries.
http://www.global-campaign.org/amag.htm.

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is a non-profit, community- and consumer-based organization that uses public education, policy analysis, advocacy and community mobilization to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines and other HIV prevention options.
http://www.avac.org.

Caribbean Summit On HIV/AIDS 'Long Overdue,' Opinion Piece Says

At last week's Caribbean Summit on HIV/AIDS in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, a "few regional leaders ... have finally taken their heads out of our soft sand," which hopefully will "expos[e] the salutary neglect" of those heads of state who have not applied for funds from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief for "political reasons" or "fatal ignorance," Anthony Hall, an international lawyer and political consultant, writes in a Caribbean Net News opinion piece. According to Hall, the "collective failure of leadership" of Caribbean leaders has allowed HIV/AIDS to reach "the highest prevalence of HIV in any region of the world outside of sub-Saharan Africa." Will it take Oprah Winfrey and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) "coming to our islands and being tested publicly for HIV (as they did separately in Africa recently) before some of our leaders feel sufficiently moved to launch comprehensive treatment and prevention programs?" Hall asks. Caribbean leaders "face a daunting but absolutely critical task of disabusing our people of prevailing social taboos and religious dogma that affect their disregard" because "only then will they be receptive" to HIV/AIDS education and prevention, Hall writes (Hall, Caribbean Net News, 1/26).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

British PM Blair, Musician Bono Call On Countries, Corporations To Fulfill Pledges To Africa, Including HIV/AIDS Commitments

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish musician Bono on Friday at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, called on international corporations and donor countries to fulfill their commitments to Africa, including HIV/AIDS pledges, the AP/Sydney Morning Herald reports. "I think it's important that the momentum" surrounding African development efforts is "redoubled" for the next meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, which is scheduled for June in Germany, Blair said, adding, "There are good things that have happened, both on debt cancellation and a lot of work done on HIV and AIDS" (AP/Sydney Morning Herald, 1/27). G8 leaders in July 2005 at the close of their summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, agreed to an immediate doubling of aid to Africa to $50 billion annually in order to fight poverty and disease on the continent. The final summit comminique officially endorsed a debt relief plan, which canceled at least $40 billion in debt owed by the world's 18 poorest nations. The communique also included an agreement on providing universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, according to Blair (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/8/05). In addition, Bono said that although corruption is one of the biggest issues facing Africa, there also has been corruption "north of the equator" in terms of a failure to quickly cancel debt owed by many African countries. He added that debt cancellation should be the focus of the G8 summit in Germany. "As we go into Germany, this is where we find out if we are making progress, and if we fail, it is corruption of the highest order," Bono said. South African President Thabo Mbeki, Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-founder Bill Gates also participated in panel discussion (AP/Sydney Morning Herald, 1/27). Mbeki said that there is a need to use available HIV/AIDS funding more efficiently. "Let's not add new programs and new projects," he said, adding, "[W]e've identified enough of those and agreed on enough of those. Let's remove the things that block implementation" (Xinhua/People's Daily, 1/27). Sirleaf Johnson said that Africans "shouldn't be so poor," adding, "Get rid of the debt and that frees us to get to our objective." Gates said that he is "incredibly hopeful" that efforts to improve the health of Africans are successful and that the continent's economic situation improves (AP/Sydney Morning Herald, 1/27). Blair at the forum also urged leaders to relaunch talks concerning the World Trade Organization-endorsed Doha Declaration, which is aimed at lowering trade barriers to promote economic development in poorer nations. "I think there is every chance the (talks) will get underway again," Blair said, adding, "If it succeeds, it'll be great. If it fails, it'll be catastrophic" (Xinhua/People's Daily, 1/27).

GAVI Initiative
The GAVI Alliance, a partnership aimed at providing increased access to immunizations in developing countries, on Friday at the World Economic Forum announced plans to commit $500 million over three years to strengthen health care infrastructures and train additional health workers in developing nations. The GAVI initiative aims to counter the migration of health workers where its training and immunization programs have been most effective, the Los Angeles Times reports. GAVI, which was launched in 2000 with a grant from the Gates Foundation, also will provide training and support to deliver new vaccines for diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, according to Gates. Julian Lob-Levyt, executive secretary of GAVI, called the lack of health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa a "capacity crisis," adding, "Instead of just training sophisticated doctors and nurses, we will train paramedics" to administer vaccines. It would be more cost effective to provide training and support to health care workers, who likely would remain in their home countries, where their skills are in higher demand, Lob-Levyt said (Piller, Los Angeles Times, 1/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

China To Launch HIV/AIDS Prevention Campaign Focusing On Migrant Workers

China's Ministry of Labor and Social Security on Friday launched a HIV/AIDS prevention campaign focused on the country's migrant workers, Xinhua/China Daily reports (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/26). The program -- funded by U.S. Department of Labor -- aims to raise public awareness of HIV prevention, protect employment rights of people living with the disease, and reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace (Xinhua/People's Daily, 1/26). According to Xinhua/China Daily, many of the 200 million migrant workers in the country avoid taking no-cost HIV tests available at their workplace because of stigma associated with the virus and fear they will be fired if they test positive. Employers and migrant workers will be taught about HIV transmission and prevention methods and will be given brochures, Zheng Dongliang, the program's director, said at the program's launch on Friday (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/26). A recent report conducted by the International Labor Organization estimates that the country could lose five million laborers by 2015 if it does not take effective measures to address HIV/AIDS. Deborah Seligsohn, counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, said the education program will also help increase awareness among the spouses of migrant workers. The U.S. Labor Department is providing $3.5 million for the program, according to Caijing Magazine. According to Seligsohn, through the program the U.S. government will help build capacity and share effective methods in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS and caring for those living with the disease (Xinhua/China's Daily, 1/26).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Democrats Propose $463.5B Spending Bill; Allocate $1.3B Increase To Fund International HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria Programs

Congressional Democrats on Monday released a $463.5 billion spending resolution (HJ Res 20) for fiscal year 2007 that includes a $1.3 billion increase for international HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs, bringing the total for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to $4.5 billion, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Taylor, AP/Houston Chronicle, 1/30). PEPFAR is a five-year, $15 billion program that directs funding for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria primarily to 15 focus countries and provides funding to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/12). The $4.5 billion for PEPFAR includes $3.2 billion for the State Department's Global HIV/AIDS Initiative, $712 million for USAID's Child Survival and Health Program, and $494 million for CDC and HHS global HIV/AIDS activities, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary. Of these amounts, $724 million would be allocated for the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund, with $625 million coming from the State Department and USAID, and $99 million from HHS. In addition, $248 million would be allocated to expand programs under the President's Malaria Initiative, an increase of $149 million. The resolution also allocates an additional $75.8 million in funding for the Ryan White CARE Act , which provides care and services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., to bring its funding to $1.2 billion (House Appropriations Committee summary, 1/29). However, the resolution does not appear to grant Bush's request to increase funding for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a program meant to encourage economic and political reforms in developing countries, the AP/CBS News reports. According to the AP/CBS news, the resolution would freeze most other federal spending at 2006 levels (Taylor, AP/CBS News, 1/30). "I don't expect people to love this proposal, I don't love this proposal, and we probably have made some wrong choices," House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) said, adding, "At least we have made them in order to bring last year's issues to a conclusion so we can turn the page and deal with next year's priorities." The bill is scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday, the AP/Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 1/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Attention Drawn To The World's Health Inequalities

When it comes to the inequality in people's health across the globe, says Professor Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom) "you can say it, you can prove it, you can tabulate it, but it is only when you show it that it hits home."

This is the philosophy behind Worldmapper, a collection of cartograms that rescale the size of territories in proportion to the value being mapped (examples of values that are mapped are public health spending, malaria cases, HIV prevalence, and number of physicians).

Worldmapper Poster 213, for example, shows public health spending--most of Africa appears tiny on this map. Another cartogram (Worldmapper Poster 229) shows global malaria cases - in this case Africa appears enormous.

In a paper in PLoS Medicine, Professor Dorling describes why he and his colleagues launched the Worldmapper project (http://www.worldmapper.org/). The project is a collaboration between researchers at the Social and Spatial Inequalities Research Group of the University of Sheffield and Mark Newman from the Center for the Study of Complex Systems at the University of Michigan in the United States. During the course of 2006, the project aimed to create 365 new world maps, embed them in explanatory posters, and provide raw data and technical notes on many of the most prominent of the world major datasets published mainly by various United Nations organizations. This information is all freely available on the Worldmapper website.

"What I think matters most," says Professor Dorling, "are the new ways of thinking that we foster as we redraw the images of the human anatomy of our planet in these ways. What do we need to be able to see - so that we can act?"

###

Citation: Dorling D (2007) Worldmapper: The human anatomy of a small planet. PLoS Med 4(1): e1.

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CONTACT:
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University of Sheffield
Department of Geography
Western Bank
Sheffield, S10 2TN United Kingdom

About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org/

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HIV/AIDS Advocates Protest Novartis' Case Challenge India Patent Law

Some HIV/AIDS advocacy groups are calling on pharmaceutical company Novartis to drop its legal challenge to the Indian government's patent laws, saying that if the company wins the case it could restrict access to antiretroviral drugs for millions of people worldwide, South Africa's Business Day reports. Novartis is challenging a section of India's Patents Act that aims to restrict certain kinds of patents, according to Business Day. Novartis brought a civil lawsuit against the Indian government after the country in January 2006 rejected the company's attempt to patent a new version of its leukemia drug Gleevec on the basis that the drug is a new formulation of an existing drug (Musgrave, Business Day, 1/25). According to the AP/International Herald Tribune, India's patent law, which went into effect in January 2005, allows patents for products that are new inventions developed after 1995, when India joined the World Trade Organization, or for an updated drug that exhibits improved efficacy. Although some Indian drug companies and groups say that Gleevec is a new formulation of a drug developed before 1995, Novartis says that it is an improved drug (Rabinowitz, AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Decisions concerning patents on some newer HIV/AIDS drugs in India have not been announced (Business Day, 1/25). If Novartis wins the case, it could potentially set a precedent for other pharmaceutical companies seeking patent protection for drugs, including antiretrovirals, some HIV/AIDS advocates have said (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Medecins San Frontieres International Council President Christophe Fournier last month said the organization relies on reduced-cost, quality drugs produced in India to provide treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. According to the group, antiretrovirals produced in India are used to provide treatment to more than 80% of the 80,000 people in more than 30 countries who receive treatment from the organization's projects (Business Day, 1/25). A court in Chennai, India, heard arguments in the case on Monday (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). According to the New York Times, the court was asked to clarify regulations on patents for new versions of existing drugs whose original patents have expired. Novartis spokesperson John Gilardi said, "We are trying to gain clarity as to what guides India's patent laws. ... This is not about access to medicines. It is about establishing whether India is going to step up and adopt the minimum international standards required for the protection of intellectual property." Unni Karunakara, medical director of MSF's campaign to broaden access to medicines, said, "Novartis is trying to shut down the pharmacy of the developing world." A decision in the Novartis case is not expected until Feb. 15 (Gentleman, New York Times, 1/30).

Protests in India; Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of HIV/AIDS advocates on Monday protested in New Delhi, India, against the Novartis patent challenge, the AP/Herald Tribune reports. MSF, along with Oxfam International, has gathered about 250,000 signatures for a petition asking Novartis to drop the case (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Several HIV/AIDS advocacy groups in Washington, D.C., also protested on Monday, the AFP/France24 reports. David Bryden, communications director for Global AIDS Alliance, said that the advocates were attempting to deliver a golden miniature coffin to a Novartis office in the district but that they were turned away. The demonstrators chanted, "Patient rights, not patent rights" and, "Novartis greed kills people in need; Drop the case now," AFP/France 24 reports. The protest symbolizes the "fatal consequence" of Novartis' action for people who rely on India for generic drugs, Bryden said (AFP/France24, 1/29).

APM's "Marketplace" on Monday reported on the protests. The segment includes comments from Bryan Liang -- a professor at the California Western School of Law who advises pharmaceutical companies on competition, pricing and access -- and Chan Park, a patient advocate with the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit (Levitt, "Marketplace," APM, 1/29). Audio of the segment is available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Thai Health Ministry Breaks Patent, Issues Compulsory License For Abbott's Antiretroviral Kaletra

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Monday said that it has broken a patent on Abbott Laboratories' antiretroviral drug Kaletra by issuing a compulsory license to produce a lower-cost version of the drug, Reuters UK reports. According to Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla, the compulsory license was signed into law and took effect on Friday (Pongpiphat, Reuters UK, 1/29). World Trade Organization regulations allow governments to declare a "national emergency" and issue compulsory licenses without consulting the foreign patent owner. Thailand, which has 580,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, has won international recognition for its quick launch of a national drug program that treats more than 82,000 HIV-positive people. However, the government's commitment to providing universal access to care is facing increasingly high drug costs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/26). Kaletra currently costs about $347 per patient monthly, and the lower-priced version could cost about $120 per patient monthly, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/29). According to Reuters UK, the compulsory license could save the country as much as $24 million annually. "We have to do this because we don't have enough money to buy safe and necessary drugs for the people under the government's universal health scheme," Mongkol said. Some HIV/AIDS advocates welcomed the announcement concerning Kaletra, according to Reuters UK (Reuters UK, 1/29). According to MSF, lowering the cost of Kaletra will make the drug more widely available. Some pharmaceutical companies criticized the decision, saying that they might have to reconsider their investments in Thailand (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/29). According to Teera Chakajnorodom, chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers' Association, the group might petition the country's Administrative Court, which rules on the legality of government actions, to block the compulsory license (Reuters UK, 1/29). "After the company does 10 years of research, and then suddenly the Thai government would like to impose the compulsory license, taking away their property, their assets -- this is not a good practice," Teera said, adding that the government says the drug is "far too expensive for the Thai public to have access. But they never approached the companies before. Everything is negotiable" (Zamiska, Wall Street Journal, 1/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Senior WHO Official Nabarro Leads New Shortlist Of Candidates For Global Fund Executive Director Position, Financial Times Reports

David Nabarro, a senior World Health Organization administrator leading U.N. efforts to fight avian and pandemic flu, heads a new shortlist of three candidates for the executive director of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Financial Times reports (Jack, Financial Times, 1/29). The Global Fund in November 2006 called off plans to name a new executive director to succeed Richard Feachem -- whose contract ends in March -- and launched a new search. Board members at closed meetings in November 2006 were unable to agree on one of two finalists. The final two candidates were Michel Kazatchkine, a former Global Fund vice chair and France's global ambassador for HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, and Michel Sidibe, director of UNAIDS' country and regional support department, according to meeting participants. Sidibe withdrew his candidacy for the position. According to a previous report, a nomination committee in January named nine candidates for the executive direction position:

• Kazatchkine;
  
  
• Julio Frenk, former health minister of Mexico and a finalist in last year's search for a new WHO head;
  
  
• Nabarro;
  
  
• Alex Coutinho, manager of AIDS treatment programs in Uganda;
  
  
• Carol Bellamy, president of World Learning and former UNICEF director;
  
  
• Kunio Waki, deputy executive director of the U.N. Population Fund;
  
  
• Jack Chow, former U.S. Department of State senior official who also oversaw WHO AIDS programs;
  
  
• Arata Kochi, head of WHO's Malaria Department; and
  
  
• Brad Herbert, former Global Fund director of operations (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/9).
  

A Global Fund board meeting is scheduled for early next month to select a new executive director (Financial Times, 1/29).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Trial On Anti-HIV Gel For Women Stopped

A trial on a microbicidal vaginal gel designed to protect women against HIV infection has been stopped. Sponsored by the US reproductive health organization CONRAD, the trial was stopped because the group of women using the active gel were being infected with HIV at a higher rate than the placebo group.

The cellulose sulfate microbicide gel is one of four currently in a third phase of testing by clinical trials. Trials on the other three products have not been stopped.

The trial was being conducted on over 1,300 women in Benin, India, South Africa and Uganda. Another trial in Nigeria, sponsored by Family Health International, using the same product has also been stopped as a precautionary measure, although there is no news as to whether this trial was giving similar results.

The World Health Organization said today that "This is a disappointing and unexpected setback in the search for a safe and effective microbicide that can be used by women to protect themselves against HIV infection."

CONRAD, the sponsors of the trial that has been stopped, is a cooperating agency of USAID, whose Chief of Research, Technology and Utilization Division, Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Jeff Spieler, said in a prepared statement that he was "surprised and disappointed by these findings given the pre-clinical effectiveness and safety profile of CS and its safety profile demonstrated in Phase I trials."

He said he was hopeful that the other three products in Phase III trials would yield good results and help to push forward the fight to help women protect themselves against HIV infection.

The other three microbicide products in Phase III trials are: Carraguard, which is being tested in 3 South African sites and is expected to finish in 2007; PRO 2000, which is being tested in two studies, one due to finish in 2008 and another in 2009, also in a range of African countries. And one of the PRO 2000 studies is also testing the third microbicide, BufferGel.

Apart from BufferGel, which is a vaginal defence enhancer, the other Phase III products, including cellulose sulfate, are known as HIV entry inhibitors - they block the infection route for HIV.

The cellulose sulfate microbicide gel in the trial that has been stopped is manufactured by the Canadian company Polydex Pharmaceuticals.

Microbicides are a range of products for use by women. Each product acts in its own way to reduce the transmission of HIV by sexual intercourse. The products are available in a range of forms such as gels, creams, tablets, sponges, films, or in a vaginal ring that releases the agent over a period of time.

They are considered an effective route for HIV prevention because studies show that significant numbers of African men will not use condoms for a range of reasons and women are not able to insist that they do.

Click here for cellulose sulfate microbicide Clinical Trial Summary (CONRAD site).

Click here for more information on microbicides (Alliance for Microbicide Development).

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today

Initial Product RED Contributions To Global Fund Flowing To Africa, Financial Times Reports

The initial contributions from the Product RED label -- a project created by Irish musician Bono and Bobby Shriver that aims to raise money for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by donating a portion of profits from a range of branded products -- have started flowing to HIV/AIDS programs in Africa, the Financial Times reports (Beattie, Financial Times, 1/27). American Express, Converse, Giorgio Armani and Gap were the initial partners in the program and are distributing credit cards and selling tennis shoes, sunglasses and T-shirts, respectively, carrying the Product RED label. The four partner companies have committed to the brand for five years and have pledged to give an average of 40% of profits from the products to the Global Fund. London's Independent in May 2006 announced that it would become the first media outlet to sign on as a partner in the project. In addition, Motorola in May 2006 announced that it will partner with Product RED. Apple Computer in October 2006 began selling a red-colored iPod Nano and $25 iTunes gift cards under the Product RED label. According to Global Fund Executive Director Richard Feachem, Product RED has raised more than $10 million in the United Kingdom from February 2006 through September 2006 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/16/06). According to the Times, $5.25 million from the project has been directed toward HIV/AIDS programs in Rwanda, and $4 million has been directed toward programs in Swaziland. The programs in the two countries aim to provide access to antiretroviral drugs, as well as care for children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related causes. Although contributions from the Product RED label are grouped into the Global Fund's common pool of resources, the label "felt it needed to show concrete examples of its donations being used," and the Global Fund has "allowed it to present that Rwandan and Swaziland projects as being a direct result of RED donations," the Times reports. Feachem said that he hopes Product RED in a few years will contribute a "few hundred million" dollars annually to the Global Fund, adding that RED consumers could call on political leaders to increase their contributions (Financial Times, 1/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Jamaican Senate Passes Motion To Prohibit HIV Testing Among Prospective Employees

The Jamaican Senate on Friday approved a motion that would change the country's labor laws to prohibit employers from screening potential employees for HIV/AIDS, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports. Senate Opposition member Dwight Nelson called the screening practice discriminatory and called on the government to amend the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act to make the practice illegal. Nelson also said the practice violates the conventions of the International Labour Organization (Caribbean Media Corporation, 1/27). An amendment to the motion states that the Senate can "call upon the government to put in place the mechanisms that are necessary, including legislation to address the mischief identified by this motion." The motion was backed by Sen. Trevor Munroe, who called on the Senate to amend Jamaica's Charter of Rights to make it illegal to discriminate based on health status or disability. Nelson said he introduced the measure because many employers were not observing a memorandum of understanding issued by the Jamaica Employers' Federation that says people living with HIV/AIDS are entitled to the same rights, benefits and opportunities as those with other conditions (Campbell, Jamaica Gleaner, 1/29).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Libya Proposes Plan To Release Medical Workers Sentenced To Death In HIV Infection Case

Libya has proposed a plan to release the five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi -- the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and head of Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations - said in a statement to a Bulgarian newspaper on Monday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/29). The health workers in May 2004 were sentenced to death by firing squad for allegedly infecting 426 children through contaminated blood products at Al Fateh Children's Hospital in Benghazi, Libya. They also were ordered to pay a total of $1 million to the families of the HIV-positive children. The Libyan Supreme Court in December 2005 overturned the medical workers' convictions and ordered a retrial in a lower court. A court in Tripoli, Libya, last month convicted the health workers and sentenced them to death. The health workers say they are innocent of the charges, claiming that they were forced to confess and that they were tortured by Libyan officials during interrogations. The European Parliament on Jan. 18 in a resolution called on European Union member states to review their trade relations with Libya and to urge Libya to release the medical workers (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/23). "We have proposed a road map with solutions (satisfying) all parties: the parents, the Libyan government, the Bulgarian side, the E.U.," Seif al-Islam Gaddafi said. He added that the plan calls for "substantial compensation for the families of those affected" and the release of Libyan officer Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who is in a Scottish jail for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. According to Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, he has discussed the proposal with the foreign ministers of Germany and France. "We believe al-Megrahi is innocent in the same way you believe that your nurses are innocent," Seif al-Islam Gaddafi said, adding, "Just like you have the right to demand the return of your nurses, we have the right to insist for the return of al-Megrahi to Libya." Seif al-Islam Gaddafi said that Libya would not carry out the death sentences against the six medical workers, adding, "The case took a wrong direction from the beginning. ... There were many mistakes." The Bulgarian foreign ministry on Monday said it would not comment on Seif al-Islam Gaddafi's statement (AFP/Yahoo! News, 1/29).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.