A Facebook-like social media website has been designed to help HIV+ people adhere to their ARV regimens. The website provides participants with a private site where they can interact with other people with HIV. The aim is to create a support network to offset factors that can reduce adherence, such as depression and drug abuse. A test version of the site has been well received by participants, so the developer is planning to seek NIH funding to conduct a large scale study of this approach. (POZ)

Although believed to be rare, severe and potentially life-threatening skin reactions have been reported by patients taking raltegravir, according to an update to the drug’s package insert announced by the FDA. The reactions include cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Other hypersensitivity reactions have been reported and are associated with systemic symptoms and organ problems. Patients should be instructed that if skin reactions occur while they are taking raltegravir, they should contact their health care provider immediately, and, if the skin reaction is severe or accompanied by systemic symptoms, they should discontinue raltegravir. (AIDSMeds)

A study from Italy has reported that treatment-naive HIV patients with VLs >500,000 copies/mL are at increased risk of treatment failure when starting ART compared with patients who have VLs over the conventional 'high' threshold of 100,000 copies. In the study, 10% of patients with pre-treatment viral loads >500,000 copies who achieved viral loads <50 copes/mL by week 24 of treatment subsequently rebounded, compared with 5.4% with VLs between 30,000-500,000 and 3.1% with VLs loads <30,000 copies. The investigators concluded that patients with VLs >500,000 copies deserve special attention and a selected therapeutic approach, and that the concept of 'high viral load' needs to be revised. (AIDSMap)

Researchers are developing a transdermal patch that can be used to deliver 7 days worth of antiretroviral medications into the blood stream, according to a recent  presentation at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition. Although the patch is in the early stages of development, it holds promise as a treatment approach for people living with HIV, because the transdermal patch makes it easier for patients with HIV to adhere to their medication regimes compared to current treatments; this improved adherence could improve patient outcomes. (POZ)

Woman who use hormonal contraceptives double the risk of becoming infected with HIV and are twice as likely to pass the infection on to sexual partners, according to researchers who studied 3,790 heterosexual HIV-serodiscordant couples. The increased risk was not due to differences in condom use between couples that used hormonal contraceptives and those that did not. It is possible that the hormones thin vaginal walls, making it easier for HIV to enter the body, or that the hormones have an effect on the immune system. Until a definitive answer is available, clinicians working with serodiscordant couples should advise women about this increased risk of HIV infection and transmission with hormonal contraception, and about the importance of dual protection with condoms to decrease HIV risk. In addition, non-hormonal or low-dose hormonal contraceptive methods should be considered for women with or at-risk for HIV. (Lancet Infectious Diseases)