Devex: Confronting missed targets, HIV/AIDS experts emphasize drug delivery
“The conversation at AIDS 2020 is focusing not just on developing new technologies to fight HIV/AIDS — but also ensuring the tools that already exist realize their potential for impact. As the world falls short of 2020 targets for progress on HIV/AIDS, global health experts are highlighting the need to make testing, prevention, and treatment affordable and accessible…” (Cheney, 7/8).

New York Times: Patient Is Reported Free of HIV, but Scientists Urge Caution
“A 36-year-old man in Brazil may be the first to experience long-term remission from HIV after treatment with only a specially designed cocktail of antiviral drugs, researchers said on Tuesday. Just two people have been confirmed cured of HIV so far, both after risky treatments involving bone-marrow transplants for their cancers. The Brazilian patient, who was not identified, has not shown signs of lingering HIV infection in blood tests that detect the virus, according to investigators at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, a prestigious research institution. He also does not seem to have detectable antibodies to the virus. … But outside experts greeted the report with skepticism…” (Mandavilli, 7/7).

U.N. News: World must do better to prevent children ‘dying needlessly’ from AIDS-related illnesses
“Despite progress in the global battle against HIV, the response on behalf of children has fallen behind, the U.N. agency leading the fight to stamp out the virus said on Tuesday. UNAIDS reports that children are ‘dying needlessly’ from AIDS-related illnesses, even though simple and cheap treatments could save their lives…” (7/7).

Washington Post: Injectable drug more effective at blocking HIV than daily pills
“A long-acting drug injected every two months is more effective at preventing HIV than the pills most commonly used by people at risk of acquiring the infection, according to research released Tuesday at an international AIDS conference. The drug cabotegravir was tested on more than 4,500 cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men in 43 countries. While Truvada, the pill used most often to block the virus, is also highly effective, the injectable drug proved to be even better, the research shows…” (Bernstein, 7/7).

Additional coverage of the studies presented at AIDS 2020 is available from AP, Devex, Financial Times, New York Times, Science, The Telegraph, and VOA News.