Highlights from the 29th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
The 29th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (2022 CROI) was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s participants included more than 4,000 research leaders from around the world. The annual conference featured presentations on the latest research about HIV, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis, as well as updates about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19.
The opening session on February 13 included presentations on vaccine strategies for COVID-19 and HIV, aging and HIV, the public health response to HIV, and the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. There were plenary and oral abstract sessions between February 14 and 16, followed by symposia between February 22 and 24.
Only registered attendees were allowed to access the sessions during the virtual meeting. However, the CROI organizers said that all sessions will be made publicly available in late March – 30 days after the conference ends. For now, non-participants may access the conference agenda, program guide, and the CROI 2022 Abstract E-book, which has nearly 950 oral and poster abstracts – together with indexes by author and search term. In addition, all may use a Search Abstracts and Electronic Posters feature on the CROI 2022 site to search by author, title, keywords, abstract number, session number, and session type.
Please note: The New England AIDS Education and Training Center will host CROI Update 2022 on March 7 from 6 to 8 pm ET. At the event, physicians Rajesh Gandhi, Kenneth Mayer, and Mary Montgomery will discuss important news and key findings from CROI 2022.
This issue of In Brief is devoted to highlights from CROI in the form of headlines from the HIV, medical, and scientific press. For your convenience, we have curated the headlines by topic and subtopic, so that you may quickly review important developments and then explore in depth news items that are of greatest interest to you. The main topic areas below are:
- COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 (including overlap of COVID-19 and HIV)
- S. and Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
- HIV in Specific Population Groups
- HIV Prevention and Testing
- HIV Care and Treatment
- HIV Comorbidities
- Viral Hepatitis
For additional background information about many of the topics above, you may also visit NEAETC’s Online HIV Resource Library.
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COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2
HIV and COVID-19
Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is extremely common among people with HIV (NATAP)
COVID-19 vaccine rates in people with HIV mirror those in the general population (AIDSmap)
Initial efficacy of two-dose COVID-19 vaccination for PLWH affirmed in Taiwanese study (TheBodyPro – section of CROI summary article)
Durability of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine immune response in PLWH with advanced disease (NATAP)
COVID vaccine non-response appears likelier among PLWH with advanced HIV disease (TheBodyPro – section of CROI summary article)
Booster vaccine doses protect people with HIV against severe COVID-19 (AIDSmap); related coverage from AIDSmap and NATAP
COVID-19 booster vaccine effectiveness in people with and without immune dysfunction (NATAP)
COVID-19 raises the risk of adverse birth outcomes, especially in women with HIV (AIDSmap); related coverage from Healio
Fewer severe COVID-19 outcomes seen in older PLWH on TDF (TheBodyPro – section of CROI summary article)
HIV viral suppression rebounds after COVID setback (Poz)
More data show decline in HIV, STI testing during COVID-19 pandemic (Healio)
Impact of COVID outbreak on prevention and care for HIV and other STIs at a large hospital (NATAP)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV outpatient care and viral suppression in NYC (NATAP)
COVID-19 Vaccination
COVID vax booster cuts breakthrough infections, hospital use, death (NATAP)
More data show COVID-19 boosters are effective against variants (Healio)
‘Listen before you talk’: CDC’s Walensky addresses vaccine hesitancy (Healio)
COVID-19 Treatment
Intramuscular sotrovimab noninferior to IV administration for COVID-19 (Healio); related coverage from NATAP
Sotrovimab mAb limits progression to severe COVID regardless of serostatus (NATAP)
COVID-19 Health Outcomes
COVID makes everything worse in pregnancy (Medpage Today)
Long COVID is real and presents these conditions – or does it? (Medscape)
Long COVID, post acute – half of COVID cohort has heart/lung symptoms 7 months after acute infection (NATAP)
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U.S. and Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Overall lifetime risk of being diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. decreases by 11%, but stark racial and geographical disparities persist (AIDSmap); related coverage from Poz, TheBodyPro, and NATAP
Zero vertical transmissions from over 5,000 pregnant women with undetectable HIV in France (AIDSmap)
What led to the fall in HIV cases in UK gay men? (AIDSmap)
More focused HIV testing in PEPFAR countries yields results (AIDSmap)
Virtual approaches boost HIV self-testing in India (AIDSmap)
Point-of-care viral load tests did not improve viral suppression in Kenyan children (AIDSmap)
Study suggests WHO should reconsider guidance on second-line HIV therapy (Healio)
HIV in Specific Population Groups
Children (Infants through Adolescents)
16 toddlers with HIV at birth had no detectable virus (Medscape)
COVID-19 raises the risk of adverse birth outcomes, especially in women with HIV (AIDSmap)
Impact of maternal HIV/HBV co-infection on pregnancy and infant outcomes (NATAP)
Infant weight and height lower with efavirenz than with dolutegravir in pregnancy (AIDSmap)
Zero vertical transmissions from over 5,000 pregnant women with undetectable HIV in France (AIDSmap)
Could antibodies be used for children with HIV instead of pills? (AIDSmap); related coverage from Healio
Adolescent and parent experiences with long-acting injectables in the MOCHA study (NATAP)
Gay and Bisexual Men
Generic PrEP for young, at-risk MSM in the U.S. could be cost-saving and health-enhancing (AIDSmap)
What led to the fall in HIV cases in UK gay men? (AIDSmap)
People from Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups
Overall lifetime risk of being diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. decreases by 11%, but stark racial and geographical disparities persist (AIDSmap); related coverage from Poz, TheBodyPro, and NATAP
Transgender People
No interactions between hormone therapy and PrEP in transgender women or men (NATAP)
The bi-directional effects of hormone therapy and PrEP in transgender individuals (NATAP)
Trade-off for trans women between hormones and heart risk (Poz)
Women
COVID-19 raises the risk of adverse birth outcomes, especially in women with HIV (AIDSmap)
Impact of maternal HIV/HBV co-infection on pregnancy and infant outcomes (NATAP)
Zero vertical transmissions from over 5,000 pregnant women with undetectable HIV in France (AIDSmap)
HIV Prevention and Testing
HIV Vaccine Research
After more than 40 years, ‘HIV vaccine remains elusive’ (Healio)
Virtual CROI 2022 roundup for advocates: It’s all about choice (AVAC)
Why did an HIV vaccine fail in the Imbokodo trial? (AIDSmap)
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Study suggests young women prefer vaginal ring over oral PrEP for HIV prevention (Healio); related coverage from Medpage Today
Video: Rings and injectable things: Moving from options to choices for HIV prevention in cisgender women (AVAC); related coverage also from AVAC
Apretude and oral PrEP could decrease new HIV diagnoses by up to half (Poz)
Generic PrEP for young, at-risk MSM in the US could be cost-saving and health-enhancing (AIDSmap)
Video: From long to longer – how new ARVs are rewriting the script for HIV prevention and treatment (AVAC)
CAB-LA PrEP keeps advantage over TDF/FTC in 1-year unblinded phase (NATAP)
Injected PrEP: Cabotegravir maintains its advantage over four years (AIDSmap)
Injected PrEP: Breakthrough cases could have been detected sooner (AIDSmap)
No interactions between hormone therapy and PrEP in transgender women or men (NATAP)
The bi-directional effects of hormone therapy and PrEP in transgender individuals (NATAP)
HIV Testing
Big drops in HIV/STI testing (but sometimes not diagnoses) when COVID arrived (NATAP)
CDC: 100K HIV self-tests requested in 8 months (Healio); related coverage from NATAP and Medpage Today
Is it time for free HIV self-tests from the government? (Poz)
More focused HIV testing in PEPFAR countries yields results (AIDSmap)
Virtual approaches boost HIV self-testing in India (AIDSmap)
HIV Care and Treatment
HIV Cure Research
New York woman is free of HIV 14 months after stem cell transplant (AIDSmap); related coverage from NIAID, HIV.gov, Poz, Medscape, and Healio
Video: River deep, mountain high: Pathways toward a cure for HIV (AVAC)
What’s in an HIV cure? Successful haplo-cord transplant opens new possibilities for HIV remission (TheBodyPro)
16 toddlers with HIV at birth had no detectable virus (Medscape)
Potent Targeted Activator of Cell Kill (TACK) Molecules Eliminate HIV Infected Cells (NATAP)
CROI 2022 data bites: HIV cure and epidemiology (TheBodyPro)
Experimental Treatments
Broadly neutralising antibody treatment: Is pre-existing resistance its Achilles heel? (AIDSmap)
Study shows bNAbs [broadly neutralizing antibodies] may be viable treatment for children with HIV (Healio)
Triple & double bNAbs studies (NATAP)
Could antibodies be used for children with HIV instead of pills? (AIDSmap)
HIV: Dual therapy with twice-yearly injections on the horizon (Medscape)
Lenacapavir shows continued promise for first-line treatment and highly resistant HIV (AIDSmap); related coverage from NATAP and Poz
Lenacapavir as part of a combination regimen in treatment-naïve people with HIV: Week 54 results (NATAP)
Long-acting lenacapavir in people with multidrug-resistant HIV-1: Week 52 results (NATAP)
Video: From long to longer – how new ARVs are rewriting the script for HIV prevention and treatment (AVAC)
Other HIV Treatment News
Adolescent and parent experiences with long-acting injectables in the MOCHA study (NATAP)
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with HIV (NATAP)
Study suggests WHO should reconsider guidance on second-line HIV therapy (Healio)
Further evidence that recycling tenofovir in second-line treatment is effective (AIDSmap)
Point-of-care viral load tests did not improve viral suppression in Kenyan children (AIDSmap)
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HIV Comorbidities (see also ‘Viral Hepatitis’ section below)
Cancer
Ablating high-grade anal lesions thwarts progression to cancer (Medpage Today); related coverage from Healio
Screening and early treatment reduce anal cancer risk by 57% in people living with HIV (AIDSmap); related coverage from Medscape and NATAP
Cardiovascular Disease
Risk for myocardial infarction increases among people with HIV (Healio); related coverage from Poz
Heart attack rates are declining, but not in people with HIV (AIDSmap); related coverage from NATAP
Trends in myocardial infarction risk by HIV status in two U.S. healthcare systems (NATAP)
Neurological Conditions
Other Comorbidities
Video: Aging with HIV – frailty, comorbidities, and a call to action (AVAC)
Anticholinergic medications associated with falls and frailty in people ageing with HIV (AIDSmap)
Muscle quality and physical function in men with and without HIV (NATAP)
Testing uncovers high prevalence of active syphilis among people with HIV (Healio)
Viral Hepatitis
HIV and Hepatitis Coinfection
Impact of maternal HIV/HBV co-infection on pregnancy and infant outcomes (NATAP)
Impact of HCV cure on depressive symptoms in the HIV-HCV co-infected population (NATAP)
COVID pushes USA farther off course to meet HCV elimination goals (NATAP)
Other Hepatitis News
New cases of hepatitis C declining in people with HIV as access to treatment broadens (AIDSmap); related coverage from NATAP
Universal screening detects more HCV-positive cases in pregnancy (Healio)
Immunoglobulin-free strategy prevents mother-to-child HBV transmission (Healio)