News Briefs
Access to Treatment and Information
ADAP Report 2008 Summary -
The 2008 National ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). Sign on letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to urge support of ADAP coverage of the Medicare Part D "donut" hole (TrOOP), and the Clinton/Smith Early Treatment for HIV Act. Please sign on with Kali Lindsey at klindsey@taepusa.org
Current law doesn't allow ADAP spending to count towards TrOOP (the out of pocket expenses you pay for the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D). When an ADAP helps pay for drugs, you're stuck there for the rest of the year. People with HIV/AIDS are then forced to rely on the underfunded ADAP program, which in nearly all states also has a much more limited drug formulary. It also means that ADAPs must spend money for these clients that could be used to expand access to other uninsured or underinsured individuals. If ADAP were allowed to count as TrOOP, it would save about $50 million per year.
The U.S. Senate will debate Medicare reform legislation. They can play a major role in fixing this problem by including the ADAP as TrOOP provision. The House of Representatives has already approved this provision. The Senate needs to hear that this is a priority for people with HIV/AIDS and a fix that is badly needed. Please, call them!
Call the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at (800) 828-0498. Ask to be connected to your Senator's office. If you don't know who your Senators are, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code in the upper left corner. If you can't call, send an email to both of your Senators with the same message. Go to www.senate.gov to find their websites and how to email them.
Medicaid Watch April 2008 - covers state Medicaid developments, and reports on other state health assistance programs
The drug Selzentry (maraviroc) was added to New York State ADAP. It is also available through NYS Medicaid, which also covers the Trofile test that should be done before using maraviroc.
FDA has granted accelerated approval for a new anti-HIV drug. The drug is Intelence (also known as etravirine or TMC-125).
A new 600mg pill of Prezista has been approved by the FDA. More on that soon. Also, it might not be a great idea to take Epzicom with either Sustiva or Reyataz if you are starting out with a viral load of over 100,000. We're waiting on a lot of data regarding that. Coming back at you soon with some really interesting info from CROI (the big retrovirus conference). Don't hold off on HCV treatment if you think any of the small molecule anti-HCV drugs will be available in just a year or two. Since resistance is going to be an issue with these drugs, just like with HIV drugs, you'll probably end up taking more than one - along with peg-interferon and ribavirin. See below how you can get involved.
People in the United States die from lack of access to HIV medications. It's a fact. It's time to show your support of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). It's urgent. Please urge the House Appropriations Committee to provide ADAPs with a $134.6 million increase in 2009. Please call your Member of Congress and urge him/her to include ADAP in their programmatic request letters. Also, please send to your state-wide networks and ask them to do the same thing.
Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! - Action Alert
Urge your members of Congress to fund Hepatitis C in their appropriations programmatic request letters
On Monday, President Bush kicked off the Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations process with the release of his budget proposal. The President's FY2009 budget flat funds the CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH). We need your help in raising awareness of Members of Congress and asking their support for increased funding for hepatitis C activities at the federal level. Hepatitis advocates are asking for $50 million for hepatitis funding, which is an increase of $32.4 million over the current funding of $17.6 million.
Hepatitis C Activists take note: Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! is a national, grassroots network of individuals and organizations fighting for increased funding for hepatitis programs and legislation to mount a comprehensive federal effort to fight the disease. Be a part of this movement! To join Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED!,
send an email to
. In the email, put your first name (and last name, if you are comfortable)
and city/state. We will communicate through a moderated listserv
and monthly conference calls.
The February edition of Medicaid Watch is now available.
The Fair Pricing Coalition issued a press release regarding stunning price increases of HIV medications manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb
The January 2008 version of Medicaid Watch is now available for download in PDF format.
New HIV Treatment Guidelines have been released, along with Fact Sheets in English and Spanish.
An important article was published in Hepatology, Vol.46, No.6, 2007 that highlights a meeting of the Antiviral Products Advisory Committee that discussed the development and approval of treatments for hepatitis C (HCV). Full transcripts of the meeting are available to the public.
Find out all about advocacy and activism on Ryan White/ADAP, Medicaid and ETHA and a new group, Hep C Advocates UNITED ! at the newly redesigned website of Project Inform .
The December 2007 version of Medicaid Watch is now available for download in PDF format. The first ever integrase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV disease was approved.
Monogram Biosciences and Pfizer, the makers of the newly approved drug Selzentry (maraviroc), released the results of tests that showed that the Trofile assay is much more reliable and specific than the SensiTrop assay. Until further studies are conducted Pfizer suggests that the Trofile test be used to determine CCR5 tropism if you are considering taking the drug Selzentry. Contact The Network if you need more information about this important information.
The drug fosamprenavir (Lexiva) was approved as a once a day treatment for protease inhibitor naive individuals. Ritonavir (100mg) is taken with 1400 mg fosamprenavir. Discuss all treatment options and decisions with qualified medical professionals who know your health history.
States are continually being updated with information on HIV and Hepatitis services and treatments through The Access Project. Some recently updated states include Hawaii , Kentucky , Washington , Rhode Island, Oregon, and Alabama .