The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Blood Products Advisory Committee voted 17-0 on 15 May to recommend OraSure's In-Home OraQuick HIV Test, the first such product to be approved for over-the-counter (OTC) testing for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). According to clinical studies, the device is 99.98% effective at determining whether or not a person is infected with the HIV virus. The product had been faced with some early concerns about the accuracy of t...

A Senate hearing being held by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) seeks to advance legislation that would create a prize fund for companies to create new medicines and vaccines, partially replacing the current market-exclusivity model of product development. Sanders' legislation, S.1137: The Medical Innovation Prize Fund Act , was introduced in May 2011, but has thus far eluded much notice. In remarks on the Senate floor on 15 May, Sanders said he did not expect the bill...

Advisory Committees for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared two high-profile pharmaceutical products on 10 May that would, respectively, help patients to lose weight and prevent patients from contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Arena Pharmaceuticals' Lorcaserin: The New York Times : "Government advisers recommended approval on Thursday of a weight-loss drug developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals, making it likely that a new obesity trea...

A report issued by Ireland's Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) contains advice on whether a change in the existing Irish guidelines for the management of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in pregnancy is warranted. The conclusion is that the cost of introducing repeat universal antenatal HIV screening in the third trimester is high compared to the expected benefits. In the context of a finite healthcare budget, consideration must be given to the e...

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has launched an aggressive public advocacy campaign calling for the resignation of the US Food and Drug Administration's top regulator, Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in response to FDA's approval of the anti-HIV prophylaxis drug Tuvada. In a statement released to the media on 27 March, AHF called on Hamburg to step down "in response to the agency's gross mismanagement of new product reviews and a lack of transparency" at FDA. "Hambu...

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) released new reflection paper 15 March on the development of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) products for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The paper, intended for pharmaceutical companies, aims to assist in the development of oral and topical medications to be used as part of an integrated risk-reduction approach. "This reflection paper sets out a consolidated position based on this research, which has culminated in the positive re...