Leading international researchers call on governments to evaluate illicit drug policies by prioritizing indicators that measure their ‘real world’ impact on communities
Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), has been recognized by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) with the prestigious Barer-Flood Prize in Health Services.
January 11, 2016 (Vancouver, BC) The Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) have joined forces to respond to a highly concentrated HIV epidemic driven by the injection of prescription opioids in Austin, Indiana. Austin, in Scott County, has an estimated population of 4,200 with approximately 10
In response to a letter from the Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) Dr. Julio Montaner, all federal political parties – except the Conservative government – pledged their support of a global target to end AIDS by 2030. On September 22, Dr. Julio Montaner wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which was also sent to all leaders of the Canadian federal parties, calling on the federal government to formally endorse the United Nations HIV/AIDS strategy. The 90-90-90 Target, created by UNAIDS, is based on the made in BC concept of Treatment as Prevention¨ (TasP¨) pioneered by Dr. Montaner.
HIV testing in parts of Canada remains based on”perceived risk” and could be keeping people living with the disease from discovering their status. A new study, based on the largest Canadian database of people living with HIV, finds nearly half of those surveyed started antiretroviral treatment (ART) when they had already reached an AIDS-defining illness or a weakened immune system.
This open letter was sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, calling for his endorsement of the UNAIDS’ strategy to combat AIDS during this year’s UN General Assembly Meeting. The letter was also sent to NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and to Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde.
Due to the introduction of modern highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), people living with HIV are now much less likely to develop AIDS-related cancers, which were characteristic of the epidemic in the 1980s. However, a new study published in HIV Medicine shows women living with HIV still have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with certain cancers, when compared with the general population.
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is proud to announce its director, Dr. Julio Montaner, has been selected as a recipient of the 2015 McLaughlin Medal by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
A new study finds patients who start HIV combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) at high CD4 levels – when the immune system is still healthy – have higher likelihood of long-term adherence and better clinical outcomes. Published in the journal AIDS
As British Columbia’s methadone maintenance program comes under provincial review, a new study by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) highlights major benefits of methadone in Vancouver.
A new study from the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration, housed at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), finds the overall life expectancy of people living with HIV who have initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) is 65 years of age.
Vancouver, BC [July 22, 2015] At the 2015 International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference, the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and the Government of Brazil signed a Letter of Intent in which Brazil confirmed its commitment to expanding access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy across the country.
I echo Chris´s sentiments. It has been a terrific week. Science, venue, weather, volunteers, staff, delegates and even Pope Francis; everything came together better than we ever hoped.
It has been quite a conference. Indeed, a transformational week. Much, as in Vancouver 1996, this has been a game changer for HIV. IAS 2015, with more than 6,500 delegates from all over the world, comes on the heels of three major achievements.
Vancouver, BC [July 21, 2015] – New research shows that HIV treatment for illicit drug users improves their social and socioeconomic wellbeing as well as their health.
Vancouver, BC [July 20, 2015] A new study from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) presented at the 2015 International AIDS Society Conference finds, among HIV positive people who inject drugs, engagement in methadone maintenance treatment (also known as opioid agonist therapy or OAT) leads to a steep decrease in HIV- and drug-related mortality.
VANCOUVER – The Government of B.C. is providing St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation with $2 million to help the Hope to Health Research Clinic expand
Vancouver, BC [July 17, 2015] A study published in The Lancet HIV by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) shows expanding Treatment as Prevention¨ (TasP¨) could save up to $66.5 million over the next 25 years, compared with a scenario with reduced access to antiretroviral medication. The study finds expanded access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has more than offset the additional costs of treatment, resulting in improved health outcomes and cost-savings.
Vancouver, BC [July 17, 2015] A new British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) study finds 44 per cent of participants within a research cohort of people who use injection drugs living with HIV in Vancouver would be legally obligated to disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners. Within the study, 65 per cent of male participants compared with only 45 percent of female participants satisfied the Supreme Court of Canada’s legal test for HIV non-disclosure, based on the October 2012 ruling in R v. Mabior.
Study Examined Antiretroviral Therapy Access & AIDS-Related Mortality in 30 High HIV Burden Countries
Panama launches new treatment targets in partnershipwith the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
