An Insite supporter protests against the federal government's efforts to close the safe injection site.

Photograph by: Les Bazso, PNG, Special to the Sun

The federal government is once again appealing a court decision in favour of Insite, Vancouver's internationally recognized supervised injection site. This time it is appealing all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. It is challenging the recent B.C. Court of Appeal ruling that Insite's supervised injection service is a health care service which the government of British Columbia had the authority to implement.

 

This is consistent with the position of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation when, in 2002 at the Dr. Peter Centre, it integrated supervised injection service into its range of health care services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

 

The centre's approximately 300-day health program participants have a complexity of illnesses and disabilities in addition to HIV/AIDS, including serious mental illness and long-standing addiction issues. About 35 per cent are homeless or have unstable housing. The centre's health care services range from nursing care to nutritious meals, art, music and recreation therapies. Counselling includes support for reducing harm from drug use and assistance with referrals to detox and other addiction treatment. The Dr. Peter Centre's 24-hour skilled nursing care residence integrates supervised injection into nursing practice.

 

The galvanizing impetus to pursue integration of supervised injection service was two overdoses -- one in a bathroom, the other in a laundry room -- fortunately, neither fatal. Aware that there had never been a death in a supervised injection site anywhere in the world, it seemed inconsistent with our mission of care for people with HIV/AIDS to ignore that there was a way to reduce their risk of death by overdose. We also knew that injecting in clean conditions with sterile equipment could prevent our severely immuno-compromised clients from having serious and persistent, often life-threatening, infections.

 

The foundation consulted the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia, the entity authorized and required, under B.C.'s Health Professions Act, to establish standards for registered nursing practice. The college's practice standards state it is the responsibility of an employer to provide a work environment that supports registered nurses in meeting those standards.

 

The college confirmed it was within the scope of registered nursing practice to provide clients with evidence-based information so they can give themselves intravenous injections more safely. It noted that teaching and promoting such self-care prevents illness and promotes health, especially for clients with high-risk behaviour.

 

The College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses provided the foundation with the same nursing practice clarification.

 

When the Dr. Peter Centre integrated supervised service, it did not request an exemption under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act because it was undertaking a necessary health service. The nurses do everything reasonably possible to observe federal law -- they do not touch, inject or provide the drugs.

 

The foundation was granted intervener status in Insite's B.C. Court of Appeal case. In her written summary of judgment, Justice Carol Huddart stated, "The evidence [provided by the foundation] establishes how and why the decision in this case will have significant effect on registered nurses seeking to comply with the professional and ethical standards to which they are held by their governing body. That concern is at the root of the division of powers issue and the evidence will be helpful to a full understanding of that issue."

 

In an earlier decision, Justice Ian Pitfield found that the application of federal laws to Insite violated its clients' rights to life, liberty and security of the person under section 7 of the Charter. He noted the "incontrovertible conclusion" that "the risk of morbidity and mortality [death and disease] associated with addiction and injection can be ameliorated by injection in the presence of qualified health professionals." This reflects the Dr. Peter Centre experience.

 

I hope that the Supreme Court will rule in favour of Insite. The Dr. Peter Centre experience of integrating supervised injection into a broader range of health care services offers the possibility of such a service in any small town or large city in Canada. It does not require a separate facility and can build upon already existing staff resources.

 

It is time to make this health care service available to many others who so desperately need it. It is time to bring individuals in from the street so they can inject safely and cleanly. It is time to create therapeutic spaces of acceptance so that greater engagement in health care is possible for some of our most unwell and disadvantaged citizens.

 

Maxine Davis is executive director of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

 

By Maxine Davis, Special to the Sun

February 17, 2010

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

An HIV-positive man convicted of not disclosing his health status to his sex partners is seeking to overturn his 14-year prison sentence, arguing he posed no significant health risk to the victims.

 

Clato Mabior was convicted in 2008 of six counts of aggravated sexual assault in relation to six victims and one count each of sexual touching and sexual interference.

 

Mabior appeared Wednesday before the Manitoba Court of Appeal, where his lawyer Ian McNair argued

 

Mabior’s “viral load” was so low his sex partners were at no significant risk of infection.

 

But what constitutes a significant risk, countered Crown attorney Liz Thompson.

 

“If one complainant is infected, can you say to them ‘Well, the chance was one in 100,000, so you’re out of luck?’

 

“We’re not criminalizing people with HIV,” Thompson said. “We’re saying as a person, you cannot put anybody in harm’s way.”

 

One of Mabior’s victims was 12-years-old at the time of the offences and three were 17. None of his victims have been diagnosed with HIV.

 

McNair said Mabior used a condom every time he had sex with two of the victims.

 

At the time of his March 2006 arrest, police believed as many as 45 girls and women may have been victimized by him. He stood trial in relation to 11 alleged victims.

 

Prior to his arrest, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority issued a public warning Mabior was defying medical advice about his HIV and knowingly having sex with unsuspecting partners.

 

Police said they believed Mabior had been luring runaways to his Sherbrook Street home with the promise of intoxicants and a place to stay. At his trial, court heard Mabior plied some of his victims with alcohol and drugs.

 

At his sentencing, Mabior was credited five years for time served. His remaining sentence is just under 71/2 years.

 

Mabior is from Sudan and is expected to be deported once he has served his sentence.

 

The appeal court reserved its decision.

 

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca

By Dean Pritchard, WINNIPEG SUN

Last Updated: 10th February 2010, 8:04pm

 

Biased policies against medical marijuana by Saskatchewan's governing body of medical practitioners are deterring doctors from granting prescriptions, say medicinal pot proponents.

 

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan's policy doesn't prohibit doctors from prescribing marijuana, but the policy states the college is uncertain of the risks and benefits because evidence of marijuana's advantages is lacking.

 

"(The college) appears to be deterring doctors, or at least giving them an excuse to deny prescriptions," said Daniel Johnson, Saskatchewan director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

 

The college fails to recognize a growing body of medical studies that suggest marijuana is an effective alternative to chemical-based drugs as treatment for a wide-spectrum of ailments, from HIV-AIDS and multiple sclerosis to anxiety and eating disorders, said Johnson.

 

"Some of the studies are fairly conclusive," said Johnson. "Doctors should be looking at the evidence that's there and comment on it directly."

 

Johnson's organization has been approached by "a lot of people" who've tried to get a prescription, but found only resistance in the medical community, says a letter from NORML to the college.

 

At www.norml.org, there are hundreds of links to studies -- some medical, most anecdotal -- on marijuana's medicinal benefits, as well as a list of support from medical and mental health organizations, said Johnson.

Patients apply to the federal government for the right to secure a prescription -- with the approval of a doctor -- for medical marijuana.

 

The college does not interfere with a doctor's decision to prescribe marijuana or apply pressure to discourage prescriptions, said Brian Salte, the college's associate registrar and legal counsel.

 

The policy statement on a lack of evidence on the advantages of marijuana is "not a matter of extra scrutiny," he said. "It's a suggestion from our college pertaining to current information on real evidence, not anecdotal evidence.

 

"Marijuana is a drug that hasn't been properly studied. . . . When you're talking about palliative care patients who are dying anyway, the risks and benefits are clearly on the side of little or no risk. For other people, it's very unclear what the risks and benefits are."

 

Last updated in 2005, the medical marijuana policy is being studied this year as part of a college-wide policy review.

 

The review will consider the most recent scientific knowledge regarding marijuana risks and benefits, said Salte.

 

"Whenever you review a policy, you abolish it, change it or affirm it," he said.

 

Tim Selenski, owner of Head to Head Novelties in Regina, hosts workshops for people wanting to secure medical marijuana prescriptions but who need help navigating through bureaucratic barriers.

 

"All I want is people to have safe access to pot," said Selenski. "The black market is dangerous. We do not want to see grow-ops all over town."

 

When people with legitimate ailments sought Selenski for advice on how to get a prescription, he originally sent them to "hip doctors," but he said the doctors were eventually placed under extra scrutiny.

 

He now lets people find their own doctors.

 

jjwarren@sp.canwest.com

 

© Copyright (c) The Star Phoenix

 

By Jeremy Warren, The Star Phoenix February 12, 2010

A clinic focusing on patients co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C is opening in Waterloo, about 70 miles southwest of Toronto.

 

"We want to be able to provide those people with the opportunity to get care here," said Dr. Chris Steingart, director of the Sanguen Health Center and a specialist in HIV and hepatitis C.

 

The Waterloo office is supported by Sanguen and the Masai Center in Guelph, about 20 miles away. In addition to Steingart, staff will include Dr. Ann-Marie Zajdlik, head of the Masai Center, and Cambridge physician Keith Hankinson. The official opening is Jan. 26, though physicians already are seeing patients at the new site.

 

The Waterloo clinic will follow the multidisciplinary approach of the Masai Center, where medical care is supplemented with education, counseling and nutritional advice.

 

The Masai Center was the first in the region to partner with the local AIDS committee to care for those with HIV. The Waterloo office has established links with AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.

 

The Waterloo region has about 500 HIV patients and 3,500 to 4,500 with hepatitis C. About one-third of those with hepatitis C are unaware they have the disease, Steingart said.

 

Adapted from:
Waterloo Region Record
01.14.2010; Johanna Weidner

A planned multimillion-dollar HIV vaccine manufacturing facility won't be built in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed Friday.

 

The federal government was to contribute $88 million towards building the facility. It was to be a joint venture between Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, offering manufacturing capacity for HIV vaccines used by researchers worldwide in clinical trials.

 

"After weighing all of the evidence, the Government of Canada and the Gates Foundation have decided not to proceed with the pilot-scale vaccine manufacturing facility," said the notice on the agency's website.

 

A study commissioned by the Gates Foundation concluded there is currently enough vaccine manufacturing capacity in North America and Europe to meet research needs, the agency said.

 

Unofficially, Winnipeg had been the recommended site for the centre, said Terry Duguid, former CEO of the city's International Centre for Infectious Diseases.

 

"Our community has been cheated out of a major development that would have brought $500 million into our community over the next 20 years," said Duguid.

 

The new centre was also expected to employ 60 to 70 people in high-tech jobs.

 

Several factors killed the centre, including local politics, said Duguid, a Liberal candidate for Winnipeg South.

 

Duguid called the Friday afternoon announcement in the middle of the Olympics "typical" of the Conservatives.

 

Winnipeg spent three years and $750,000 on its bid.

 

From: CBC News website

Last Updated: Friday, February 19, 2010 | 5:31 PM ET

No author cited.

Gordon Beange has participated in the Friends for Life Bike Rally in Toronto for four years and is helping organize a similar event in Sudbury. Photo by Laurel Myers.

             

Despite the snow on the ground and the chill in the air, the Access AIDS Network has its mind on cycling — five back-to-back days of cycling, in fact, from Sudbury to Manitoulin Island and back.

On July 11, a group of cyclists, with the support of the agency, will embark on a the 400-kilometre journey. Those who are up for the challenge, or can offer their support in some way, are encouraged to get involved.

The Friends for Life Bike Rally began in Toronto 12 years ago. The seven-day journey covers the 660 kilometres from Toronto to Montreal, and has grown to include more than 400 participants.

For four of those years, Sudbury resident Gordon Beange has been one of those participants. He approached Access AIDS Network last spring with the idea for bringing the ride to Sudbury.

“One of the people who sponsors me every year, asked me if the money (I raised) stays local,” he said.

But it didn’t. All the money he raised was going to a Toronto-based agency — the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA). In the past two years alone, the Toronto ride’s has collected more than $1 million annually.

Ty Cumming, co-ordinator of community resources at Access AIDS Network, said the agency was excited about the concept.

“It is outside of the fundraising events we do here, (and it’s a) way to promote our services and educate the public on HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C,” she said. “Unfortunately, unless you have a reason to look us up, a lot of people don’t know about us, and fail to recognize that HIV and AIDS is a problem in northern Ontario.”

The Access AIDS Network provides support services and programs locally to individuals living with HIV and AIDS, by means of food and travel vouchers, injection drug outreach, education, and Hepatitis C treatment, Cumming said. All funds raised through the bike rally will be used to support these services and programs.

“We’re looking for people to get involved who have been infected or affected — who’ve lost a loved one, or have friends or family who are living with the disease,” she said. “But also for people who are interested in the actual physical activity of it. Through that, we’re hoping to educate them on the reality of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in northern Ontario.”

Beange and Cumming emphasized this rally is not a race, and participants need neither top-of-the-line equipment, nor extensive cycling experience.

“You just need the commitment to train, fundraise on our behalf, and learn how to ride safely,” Cumming said. “We want people of any capability to join us.”

Cyclists will be supported in every aspect of the challenge, from the physical training to fundraising. Arrangements for camping accommodations, meals, the transportation of gear and entertainment will also be taken care of.

“We will also have a medical crew with us in case of any injuries,” Cummings said.

Beange said the demographic of the cyclists at the Toronto event varied from avid cyclists, to weekend warriors and first-timers. Within half an hour of departing each day, the cyclists were spread out over several hundred kilometres.

“There could be a two to three-hour difference between the first person who reaches the campsite and the last person,” he said. “There’s always people called sweeps, they are the last people into the campsites and never go past the last rider, for safety.”

The Access AIDS Network is aiming to have at least 15 cyclists participating in the ride. The deadline to register for the event, or to volunteer, is March 29.

An information night will be held March 3, at the Days Inn, 117 Elm St., from 5-9 p.m. Those interested in participating as a cyclist or volunteer, are asked to contact Cumming at 688-0500 ext. 32, or by e-mail at tyc@accessaidsnetwork.com.

 

Feb 23, 2010

By: Laurel Myers - Sudbury Northern Life Staff

'Now we've got a new, potentially better target on HIV to focus our efforts for vaccine design,' said Wayne Koff of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

Photograph by: Prakash Singh / AFP / Getty Images, National Post

 

 OTTAWA — The head of an association that represents Canada's HIV researchers is criticizing a federal government decision to scrap plans for a facility that would manufacture potential vaccines.

 

Dr. Bill Cameron, president of the Canadian Association of HIV Research, said this week that the move — which some have blamed on partisan politics — will make it difficult for academic researchers to test their work.

 

"You can't test a vaccine without a production facility," said Cameron, who's also an HIV researcher. "I'm disappointed."

 

The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed Friday it and the Gates Foundation would not be moving ahead with plans to build an $88-million HIV vaccine pilot manufacturing facility to produce experimental vaccines for clinical trials.

 

The facility was to have been the signature project of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, a joint venture between Canada and the Gates Foundation announced to much fanfare three years ago.

 

The Winnipeg-based International Centre for Infectious Diseases was among the four finalists for the project and was told informally last summer it had won.

 

However the other finalists were told three weeks ago they hadn't met the criteria.

 

In explaining the decision, the Public Health Agency of Canada cited a July 2009 analysis by the Gates Foundation showing there are already enough manufacturers for test vaccines.That analysis notes there are more suppliers available now than there were five years ago and fewer clinical trials are expected in coming years because scientists have added stricter criteria for advancing to the trial stage.

 

It acknowledged more research is needed to ensure the quality of the suppliers but also said only two out of 30 research experts consulted had issues with capacity for vaccine production available now or in the future.

 

Cameron said it's true the HIV vaccine research field has changed in recent months after two promising vaccines had "ho hum" results in clinical trials. However, he said introducing a new way for researchers to get their vaccines produced may have served as a creative spark to the field.

 

"Whatever we're doing is not working and I see nothing wrong with taking another approach," he said.

 

The vast majority of clinical trials of HIV vaccines currently take place with private sector funding and manufacturing because there is very little manufacturing capacity available in non-profit companies.

 

Cameron said private-sector trials are constrained by intellectual property and market considerations, which can limit the kind of research undertaken.

 

"I don't think that's the best way to find another creative research project," he said. "This is why we need a public facility. Personally, I'd like to see a vaccine facility constructed to meet the needs of academic researchers."

 

So far the Gates Foundation has remained silent about the issue. A spokesperson for the foundation directed media to the Canadian government for comment.

 

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said this week that all the money for the vaccine project is still on the table.

 

"We are working with the Gates Foundation on where to best invest this money to achieve a safe, effective and affordable HIV vaccine," said Josee Bellemare in an e-mail.

 

Terry Duguid, the former chief executive officer of Winnipeg bidder International Centre for Infectious

 

Diseases, who is now running for the federal Liberals in Winnipeg South, said the government's explanations in this case are a "massive coverup."

 

The Liberals on Tuesday demanded an independent third-party investigation of what happened, potentially by the auditor general.

 

Duguid said to turn away from the project because of a sudden discovery of capacity in private-sector drug manufacturing plants doesn't make any sense.

 

"The whole point of this facility was to have a not-for-profit facility for repeatedly and cheaply testing for vaccines," said Duguid. "It's not designed to make money. It's designed to break even."

 

Duguid, who ran for the federal Liberals in 2004 and 2006, was the CEO of ICID when it put in its bid.

 

He resigned as CEO in August when he decided to try to run for the Liberals again, in a Winnipeg-area riding.

In mid-January, the office of Manitoba's regional minister, Vic Toews, confirmed with ICID that Duguid was still working there on contract and then sent an e-mail accusing Duguid of being misleading about his ties with ICID "so that he could continue to receive a paycheque from this government-financed agency while involving himself as a political candidate for the federal Liberals."

 

Not long after that e-mail was sent, a notice was posted on the Public Health Agency of Canada website saying the vaccine facility was not going ahead after all. The notice was removed quickly and the Public Health Agency said it was posted in error.

 

FACT BOX:

There are several different ways researchers are looking for an HIV vaccine. They include:

- Sterilizing immunity — looking for 100 per cent protection from HIV infection. It may be possible in everybody or in certain sub-groups;

- Transient infection — training the immune system to detect and kill of HIV-infected cells;

- Long-term controlled infection — Helping the body keep HIV infection an undetectable or low-viral load, preventing HIV from advancing to AIDS and preventing or eliminating the transmission of the disease to others;

- Altruistic vaccine — little benefit to infected person but could help prevent transmission to another person by keeping the viral load in body secretions low.

 

Source: HIV Vaccine Trials Network

 

© Copyright (c) Winnipeg Free Press

By Mia Rabson, Winnipeg Free Press February 24, 2010

Scientists have made a key discovery in pinpointing how HIV is transmitted in men who have sex with men.

 

The researchers hope that by better understanding how HIV spreads during human sex, that they'll be better able to stop the epidemic.

 

"By knowing the origin of the transmitted virus, scientists may be able to develop new vaccines, vaginal microbicides and drugs to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted HIV," study author Dr. Davey Smith, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, said in a release.

 

Semen is made up of sperm, white blood cells and the fluid around these cells, known as seminal plasma.HIV in semen comes in two contagious forms DNA in the white blood cells and free-floating RNA in the seminal fluid. Until now, researchers did not know whether HIV RNA or DNA was transmitted during sex.

 

Smith and his colleagues used genetic analysis to trace the ancestral history of the virus in six pairs of men, the source partners, who sexually transmitted their HIV to other men, the recipient partners.

 

To investigate, the researchers compared the virus found in the recipients to the DNA and RNA versions in the men who infected them.

 

RNA was the closest match, leading the team to conclude HIV originated from RNA in the seminal fluid of the source partners.

 

The findings are reported in this week's issue of Science Translational Medicine.

 

Davey's team only looked at males, so the findings may not apply to HIV transmission in women. The results also need to be tested in larger samples of pairs to determine which features of viral genomes are linked with transmission.

 

Thu Feb 11, 7:09 PM

From: CBC.ca

No author cited

From left, Sue Mouat, Jim Sinclair and Queenie Haddow play Scrabble on a board that Queenie converted from a Snakes and Ladders game board some 70 years ago.

Photo by Derrick lundy

 

In support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the Salt Spring Grandmothers to Grandmothers group is sponsoring Second Annual Scrabble Fundraiser in early March to help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Recreational and competitive Scrabble players are invited to participate in a weeklong series of games at the Salt Spring Inn and the Salt Spring Elementary School, starting on March 2 and culminating with final games and an award celebration on March 6 at ArtSpring.

There are several ways to play and donate: get pledges, pay to play or, if you can’t get out to a game, the grandmothers suggest inviting some friends in for a private event. Charitable tax receipts are available.

Last year’s event raised nearly $8,000 to support African grandmothers who have buried their own children and are courageously raising orphaned grandchildren.

In 15 sub-Saharan countries, more than 300 projects funded by the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign provide funds for food, school fees and uniforms, income-generating projects, counselling and social support, and even coffins to allow for dignified funerals in areas devastated by HIV/AIDS.

The Scrabble fundraiser helps as well to raise the profile of the Grandmothers group and new members — even non-grandmothers — are heartily welcomed.

 

SCRABBLE FUNDRAISER

Turning the Tide of AIDS/HIV In Africa Games Schedule

March 2: Salt Spring Inn - 2 p.m.

March 3: Salt Spring Elementary - 7 p.m.

March 4: Salt Spring Inn - 2 p.m.

March 5: Salt Spring Elementary - 7 p.m.

March 6: ArtSpring - 7 p.m.

 

Published: February 17, 2010 10:00 AM

From: Gulfislandsdriftwood.com

No author cited

Is this any way to save the world? Three years ago this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and computer-billionaire-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates sat side by side beaming as they announced a remarkable joint venture to speed up development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine.

 

"... Canada, in partnership with the (Bill and Melinda) Gates Foundation, will provide the resources needed to help realize an HIV/AIDS vaccine, which could one day spare millions of people from this horrific disease," Harper told assembled reporters at the time.

 

Flash forward three years: Plans to build a $88-million non-profit vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada -- the centrepiece of the joint venture -- have been unceremoniously scrapped after years of work by groups bidding to build the facility. The decision has left questions, frustration, conspiracy theories and anger in its wake.

 

"This thing smells to high heaven," says Terry Duguid, head of the Winnipeg consortium.

 

Stephen Lewis, the former UN special envoy on AIDS and now a board member of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, called the government's handling of the issue "arrogant, arbitrary and unacceptable."

 

"This isn't a game we are playing. This is a very serious thing involving millions of people."

 

If Canada doesn't have the capacity to build the badly-needed vaccine production facility, he added, the money should be given to a country that can.

 

"They have a moral and scientific obligation to give that money to other groups who can pursue the research into a vaccine."

 

How did something that began as a feel-good story turn into such a mess? And why does this keep happening?

 

In recent months, Rights & Democracy, the independent Canadian institution created by Brian Mulroney's government in 1988 to promote democracy and human rights around the world, has been the centre of a controversy full of strange twists, turns, conspiracy theories, a break-in and more. Earlier this year, the organization's head died of a heart attack after a particularly tense meeting. The federal government has been accused of attacking the organization without foundation and stacking its board of directors.

 

And Harper's most recent feel-good moment involving world health -- a call for the G8 to tackle maternal mortality -- has also lost some of its sheen after Minister for International Cooperation Bev Oda confirmed the initiative would not include funding for contraceptives or abortion.

 

This represents a policy change -- current government funded programs aimed at improving maternal health include access to abortions and contraceptives -- and a move away from the direction of other G8 countries. Critics say it will result in more deaths from unsafe abortions.

 

Finally, this week, there are concerns the $85 million the federal government pledged to help rebuild Haiti is "recycled money" after Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said that the money "comes from budgets already in place."

 

The pattern of feel-good federal announcements going wrong is becoming all-too familiar.

 

Those involved with the HIV vaccine initiative say the government's decision represents a setback for vaccine research, as well as to its own credibility. Finalists were told in January that their bids had been rejected. Last Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada issued a statement saying there is no longer need for such a facility and that none of the applicants met the criteria.

 

The statement has left many of those who bid on the project gobsmacked.

 

Ted Hewitt, vice-president of research at the University of Western Ontario, one of the finalists, said the explanation raises more questions than it answers.

 

The proposal was to build a non-profit facility which would make it easier for researchers to develop vaccines, he noted. Since no such non-profit facility currently exists, the government's explanation that there is already "sufficient vaccine manufacturing capacity in North America" doesn't make sense, he said.

 

"I think the need still exists based on what I've seen."

 

Duguid, of Winnipeg, said his group was told informally last summer that it had met all the criteria and was being recommended for the facility. He said they understood that their bid was "moving towards cabinet and for whatever reason, that process got shut down."

 

Duguid, who is a Liberal candidate in Winnipeg, resigned as CEO of the International Centre for Infectious

 

Diseases, part of the vaccine consortium, when he began his campaign.

 

Last month, Vic Toews' office confirmed he still worked there on contract and accused him of being "misleading about his ties with ICID" according to the Winnipeg Free Press. Soon after, a notice went up on the Public Health Agency of Canada website saying the vaccine facility would not be built. The agency said it was posted in error and the notice was initially removed, but the agency confirmed its decision with a second notice last week.

 

Meanwhile, Winnipeg MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis is asking what role major pharmaceutical companies played in the decision to scrap the non-profit plant.

 

Many suggest it is a slap in the face to Canada's scientific and research community to suggest no one here is capable of building a vaccine manufacturing facility.

 

So what is the real explanation?

 

The federal government says it remains committed to working with the Gates Foundation to "fund HIV prevention," and that the development of safe, effective, accessible and affordable HIV vaccines is a priority. It also says scrapping the vaccine manufacturing facility doesn't mean it will commit less money to the cause.

 

That sounds good, but the government has work to do to close the credibility gap on the issue.

Meanwhile, Canada is no closer to helping spare "millions of people from this horrific disease" than it was three years ago.

 

How did things go so wrong with the vaccine initiative? That's a good question and one that demands a credible explanation.

 

Elizabeth Payne is a member of the Citizen's editorial board.

 

By Elizabeth Payne, The Ottawa Citizen February 25, 2010

 

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

A drug used to treat genital herpes can also slow progression of the AIDS virus among co-infected patients, doctors report on Monday.

 

Most people infected with HIV are also coincidentally infected with type 2 herpes simplex virus, or HSV2.

 

Previous lab research has shown that using an anti-HSV2 drug called aciclovir reduces the amount of AIDS virus in the blood.

 

What was unknown, though, was whether this also had an impact on the spread of HIV in the body.

 

The answer, according to a study published by The Lancet, is that aciclovir does have a braking effect that is modest but could become a useful option for doctors.

 

It could buy time before a patient has to be given powerful drugs to combat HIV.

 

Jairam Lingappa of the University of Washington led a trial in 14 sites in southern and eastern Africa, recruiting 3,381 heterosexual volunteers who were co-infected with HSV2 and HIV-1, the main strain of the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

 

Half of the group were assigned to aciclovir, taking twice-daily doses of the drug, or to a dummy lookalike pill, and were followed for up to 24 months.

 

The key question was whether the volunteers' count of CD4 cells, the immune cells that are destroyed by HIV, fell below 200 per microlitre by the end of the trial.

 

On this score, aciclovir reduced the risk by 16 percent. Of the volunteers on aciclovir, 284 fell below the 200 CD4 count, whereas the number among the placebo group was 324. Using another yardstick, the researchers also found that, among volunteers whose immune system was in better shape, aciclovir also reduced by 19 percent the risk of a CD4 count falling below 350 cells per microlitre.

 

The findings are important, says Lingappa, because they suggest another weapon could be added to the skimpy pharmaceutical armoury for treating HIV.

 

Recent evidence has shown that people with HIV have a better chance of survival if they are given antiretrovirals at an earlier stage of infection.

 

As a result, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revised its guidelines for treating HIV in poor countries.

It recommends that these daily drugs be administered when the CD4 cell count falls to 350 per microlitre, rather than wait for the CD4 tally to hit a lower level, when the immune system can become badly damaged.

 

These recommendations have a wide-ranging impact, not least because they mean cash-strapped countries

have to find extra money to treat people sooner than before.

 

So a drug that can slow progression towards this mark will ease the strain on health budgets. It would also stave off the time when a patient has to take a treatment that can have toxic side effects.

 

"While the HIV disease-ameliorating effect we have observed is modest, it could add one more tool to help people with HIV infection stay healthy for longer," Lingappa said. Further investigation is needed, he added.

 

© Copyright (c) AFP

From: Vancouver Sun site

AFP February 16, 2010

No author cited

Improved Uptake of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Also Leads to Decrease in Community HIV Plasma Viral Load

A comprehensive population-based study, conducted by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco, shows that expanded highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) coverage was associated with a 50% decrease in new yearly HIV infections among injection drug users.

These results were temporally related to an outreach effort specifically targeting injection drug users. In addition, increased HAART coverage was associated with a decrease in the community HIV plasma viral load in British Columbia.

Providing HAART treatment to HIV-infected drug users has been strongly debated by researchers and clinicians. Some argue that social instability related to illicit drug use can compromise HAART-related benefits. As a result, on a global scale, drug users have been less likely to be prescribed HAART and are consequently more likely to have worse health outcomes, including higher rates of HIV disease progression to AIDS and death.

But the BC-CfE’s study results point to the effectiveness of HAART in providing life-supporting benefits to all HIV-infected people, including those in marginalized communities such as injection drug users. A previous BC-CfE study showed that five-year mortality is similar between HIV-infected injection drug users and non-users infected with HIV and treated with HAART. Today’s (February 18) results show that HAART’s secondary benefit of HIV prevention will also be realized among drug users.

“Our results clearly reveal the need to develop specific initiatives to increase HAART coverage among injection drug users,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, Director, BC-CfE, and an early proponent of expanding HAART coverage as a way to decrease progression to AIDS and death in HIV-infected individuals and to prevent HIV infections among individuals at risk.

Based on HAART’s proven efficacy and results from studies at the BC-CfE, the British Columbia government has announced a new C$48-million, four-year initiative to enhance HAART outreach to hard-to-reach populations in B.C., including injection drug users. This builds on the earlier developmental funding ($2.5 million over five years) provided by the National Institutes of Drug Abuse at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Knowledge Translation Award (C$100,000) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The project, known as Seek and Treat to Optimize Prevention of HIV and AIDS (STOP HIV & AIDS), is aimed at curbing the transmission of HIV and decreasing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. These benefits will occur by expanding HIV treatment, care and support, as well as improving access to HIV drugs for hard-to-reach residents. The pilot project will focus on Prince George and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where access to services remains sub-optimal.

As part of this initiative, specific efforts will be made to identify and test individuals at risk (seek) and engage them in care and on HAART if medically appropriate (treat), all within a supportive environment that includes harm reduction strategies. Medical care, laboratory monitoring and HAART are all available free of charge as part of the universal health care system in B.C.

The results of the BC-CfE’s study come at a key time, given concerns raised by a recent mathematical model based on the San Francisco experience published by Smith et al (Science, January 14, 2010). The study conducted in San Francisco suggested that the effectiveness of increased HAART coverage could be seriously undermined by the emergence of an epidemic of drug-resistant HIV.

“However, our population-based results collected over the last decade demonstrate that high levels of sustained viral suppression can be achieved and the emergence of drug-resistant HIV can be prevented through the appropriate use of modern antiretroviral regimens as currently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) coupled with adequate patient support. These lessons are keys to the roll out of HAART around the world,” said Montaner, who is Professor of Medicine, Chair of AIDS Research and Head of the Division of AIDS at the University of British Columbia.

About the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS:

The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility. The BC-CfE is based at St Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, and a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. Located in Vancouver, Canada, the BC-CfE is dedicated to improving the health of British Columbians with HIV through the development, monitoring and dissemination of comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related diseases.

 

For More Information Contact :
Ian Noble
Karyo Edelman
(on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS)
T 604.623.3007 ext. 300
ian.noble@karyo-edelman.com

 

Vancouver, February 19, 2010

From: Canadian Health Reference Guide