via the Commission on HIV and the Law The end of the global AIDS epidemic is within our reach. This will only be possible if science and action are accompanied by a tangible commitment to respecting human dignity and ending injustice. Law prohibits or permits specific behaviours, and in so doing, it shapes politics, economics and society. Read More >>

via The New York Times, Denis Grady An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is expected to vote Thursday on whether a drug already used to treat H.I.V. infection should also be approved to prevent it. Such a recommendation, if made, would mark the first time that government advisers have advocated giving antiviral medicine to Read More >>

via Cape Argus, by Sipokazi Fokazi If South Africa is to win the battle against HIV/Aids it cannot rely solely on treatment, and must explore prevention strategies that would target those most at risk, including women and children, a Cape Town scientist and HIV researcher has cautioned. Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, head of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, at Read More >>

via The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, by Melanie Newman “India is literally the lifeline of patients in the developing world, especially in the poorest parts of Africa…If Sec. 3(d) is overturned, it means any meaningful effort to make these vital medicines available will be put in jeopardy.” A technical case going through the Supreme Court in India Read More >>

Via Health News, by Randy Dotinga In a development that could enhance HIV-prevention research, a new study of heterosexual couples confirms that the risk of transmitting HIV rises with the level of the virus in semen and cervical fluid. The finding, that more virus translates to higher likelihood of transmission, hasn’t been proven to this extent before, Read More >>

Via PlusNews Internally displaced people in northern Uganda face a difficult choice – whether to return to their ancestral villages or stay in camps hoping for better access to healthcare, as antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are in short supply. “Going back to the village to me means committing suicide because the village health centres do not provide us ARVs Read More >>

Via PlusNews UNAIDS has released a new policy brief to help countries make intellectual property rights work for them, amid growing concern that an impending free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and India could threaten the world’s supply of generic antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. The World Trade Organization’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Read More >>