The HIV world conference, held in Montreal in 2022, was the first in-person International AIDS Society meeting since 2019. Amidst funding concerns and overshadowed by visa issues, it was a slightly subdued affair. This article from the Lancet provides highlights and takeaways from the conference including the denial of VISAs to potential attendees, STI prevention with doxycycline, treatment of HBV and HIV infections, and the use of PrEP in pregnancy.

VISAs DENIED TO SEVERAL POTENTIAL ATTENDEES

The Canadian immigration office was severely criticized, both in the opening ceremony and in the closing remarks, as it denied several VISAs to many scientists and patients who planned to attend the conference. Dr. Omar Sharif loudly exclaimed, “Come on, Canada! We can do better than this, eh?!”

STI PREVENTION WITH DOXYCYCLINE

Annie Luetkemeyer (University of California San Francisco, USA) presented the interim results of a clinical study, which was stopped early by the data and safety monitoring board in light of a clear benefit of using doxycycline to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The antibiotic doxycycline was given within 72 hours of condomless sex, and it showed it can help prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. This may be of particular relevance to low-income countries, as doxycycline is widely available and maintains a low cost.

TREATMENT OF HBV AND HIV

The ALLIANCE study presented by Anchalee Avihingsanon (Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, Bangkok, Thailand) demonstrated that the coinfection with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) can respond well to the daily single-pill regimen of bictegravir, tenofovir, and emtricitabine. The study recruited 243 patients from China, Malaysia, and Thailand.

PrEP IN PREGNANCY

The PrIMA study provided reassuring data about child health outcomes for pregnancies in which mothers used PrEP (Pre-Exposition Prophylaxis) to prevent HIV infection. Lauren Gomez (University of Washington, Seattle) presented data that measured developmental outcomes of children born to women using perinatal PrEP: the study was performed in Kenya.1

Click here to read the full article.

References

  1. Hayward, P. (2022, September). Highlights of AIDS 2022. The Lancet HIV, 9(9), e602. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-3018(22)00224-7

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