HIV/AIDS

  • Read more: A New Film on HIV Criminalization
    Article

    A New Film on HIV Criminalization

    By Scott Burris A new documentary from the HIV Justice Network gets the views of researchers on the impact of HIV criminalization.  Call it Evidencer-Based film-making.  It premiered last night at the US Conference on HIV and can be seen here. made by Edwin Bernard and Nick Feustel, it captures the issues and what we…

  • Read more: Good News for HIV Prevention Policy: Syringe Access Update
    Article

    Good News for HIV Prevention Policy: Syringe Access Update

    By Scott Burris In documenting how often public health law research does influence legislation, I’ve used syringe exchange programs as an example of evidence NOT guiding policy.  Despite the consensus in health research that increasing access to sterile syringes has helped reduce HIV, state drug paraphernalia laws, and pharmacy regulations remain a barrier, as does…

  • Read more: End the Ban on Blood Donation by Gay Men
    Article

    End the Ban on Blood Donation by Gay Men

    By Dov Fox 86 members of the U.S. Congress have requested an end to the federal policy that prevents men who have had sex with men from giving blood. Advances in blood screening technology have discredited the medical justification for this exclusion. And our country’s current critical blood shortage makes it dangerous for public health.…

  • Read more: Art Caplan: Ease US Blood Supply Shortage by Lifting Gay Donor Ban
    Article

    Art Caplan: Ease US Blood Supply Shortage by Lifting Gay Donor Ban

    By Arthur Caplan Art Caplan has published an opinion piece at NBCNews.com calling for an end to the ban on blood donation by gay men in the United States: The United States is facing a health care crisis. Our supply of blood is dangerously low. The American Red Cross reports that across the nation blood…

  • Read more: Too Young For Sex, But Old Enough For The Sex Offender Registry, Part III
    Article

    Too Young For Sex, But Old Enough For The Sex Offender Registry, Part III

    By Michele Goodwin I conclude Part III in this series from Uganda—a nation recovering from what one doctor describes as a “genocide” from HIV and AIDS. Parts I and II can be found here and here. As a society, do we really care that teens and preteens have sex? On the one hand we care…

  • Read more: The First Amendment Meets Public Health Again — The US AID Case
    Article

    The First Amendment Meets Public Health Again — The US AID Case

    By Wendy Parmet Sometimes it seems as if the First Amendment is the leading legal threat to public health. Not today. In Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International the Supreme Court in a 6-2 decision struck down on First Amendment ground the so-called “anti-prostitution pledge” imposed by § 7631(f) of the…

  • Read more: Live Blogging from FDA in the 21st Century Conference, Plenary 2: Alta Charo on Integrating Speed and Safety
    Article

    Live Blogging from FDA in the 21st Century Conference, Plenary 2: Alta Charo on Integrating Speed and Safety

    By Michelle Meyer [This is off-the-cuff live blogging, so apologies for any errors, typos, etc] Day two of PFC’s FDA in the 21st Century conference begins with a morning plenary by the very fabulous Alta Charo, of the University of Wisconsin Law School, who is speaking on “Integrating Speed and Safety.” Today Alta is presenting what…

  • Read more: Of Evergreening and Efficacy, Part II
    Article

    Of Evergreening and Efficacy, Part II

    By Ryan Abbott I wrote earlier this month about the case between Novartis and the Union of India, in which the Supreme Court of India affirmed denying a patent for Novartis’ anti-cancer drug Glivec. Adriana Benedict added an insightful post about the case last week. In my last post, I talked about the theory behind the decision and…

  • Read more: If Novartis’s “improved” version of Glivec is not more therapeutically efficacious, why is the Novartis decision such a big deal?
    Article

    If Novartis’s “improved” version of Glivec is not more therapeutically efficacious, why is the Novartis decision such a big deal?

    By Adriana Benedict Last week, Ryan Abbot blogged here about the Novartis case decided last Monday by the Supreme Court of India.  Since then, there have been a broad range of reactions to the case, but many of them appear to have left a lurking elephant in the room. I’d like to attempt to provide…