HIV and ID Observations

March 31st, 2008

FDA Investigating Safety of Abacavir and Didanosine — Old News or New?

The FDA has issued one of its new “early communications” indicating that it has opened an investigation into the safety of abacavir and didanosine based on analyses showing higher rates of myocardial infarction with these drugs than with other NRTIs in the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study. The pace of our […]

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March 20th, 2008

How to Solve at Least One Part of the Healthcare Mess: ADAP for All

The presidential elections have once again made our Byzantine healthcare system a regular feature in the news. A recent film also made quite a splash, and though Michael Moore offered no plausible solutions (Cuba? c’mon!), he certainly made me wonder what I’d do if I had two severed fingers that needed to be reattached and only enough money […]

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March 19th, 2008

How long have I got, Doc?

Some aspects of seeing a patient newly-diagnosed with HIV haven’t changed much over the years — for example, the emotions in the room remain a mix of fear, shame (note to world: this is still a highly stigmatized disease), incredulity, and ultimately relief in finding a clinician who is comfortable with the condition. But a lot […]

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