DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Fact Check-False claim of COVID vaccine link to AIDS-related illnesses recirculates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Expose article says that its central claim is based on a “cherry-picked” list of conditions associated with AIDS and HIV infection. Any increase in the incidence of the listed conditions “would not necessarily be proof that the COVID-19 vaccines cause weakened immune systems,” Mimiaga noted. The claim that COVID vaccines can cause “vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome” or “VAIDS” has been shared since 2021. Similar claims that COVID vaccines cause HIV infections, AIDS or AIDS-like immune weakening have also been debunked (here), (here). The posts stem from a story that uses unreliable data to falsely suggest a link between COVID vaccines and AIDS-associated diseases and cancers, according to independent health experts.

Persons: ”, VAERS, Matthew Mimiaga, Mimiaga, Thomas Russo, ” Mimiaga, ” Russo, Read Organizations: Reuters, U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Facebook, Food and Drug Administration, University of California, Fielding School of Public Health, ”, myocarditis, University, Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Locations: United States, Los Angeles, COVID

☆ Opinion: What Oppenheimer’s reading list can teach us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Jane Carr | Opinion Jane Greenway Carr | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Oppenheimer’s list of books included works by Plato, mathematician Bernhard Riemann and scientist Michael Faraday, and the “Bhagavad-Gita,” with which he has famously long been associated. What happens when the inner workings and potential reach of scientific inventions are unknown, even to the human beings who create them? Still, Pride is also a time to revel in culture’s power to transform, sustain and bring joy to LGBTQ communities. But Medvedev knows that above all else he needs Putin to think of him as unequivocally loyal and useful. What it will do is help 40 million borrowers who, like me, were drowning in debt and need immediate relief.

Persons: Robert Oppenheimer, ” Oppenheimer, Plato, Bernhard Riemann, Michael Faraday, William Shakespeare’s “, ” Charles Baudelaire’s “, Fleurs, Mal ”, Eliot’s, Oppenheimer, ” Matthew Zapruder, ”, William Carlos Williams, Nick Anderson, ChatGPT, Stuart Russell, Jessica Chia, Bethany Cianciolo, Russell, isn’t, ” Russell, “, Clay Jones, Joe Biden, John Avlon, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Joel Pett, Poppy Harlow, James Comey, Donald Trump, Republicans ’, MAGA, Julian Zelizer, Zelizer, Trump, Kayleigh McEnany, Rob Finnerty, Matt Wolking, Cupp, McEnany, that’s, Kayleigh, Pride Luciano, Sereno, Luciano Vecchio, It’s, ” Vecchio, “ Sereno, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s, Frida Ghitis, Medvedev, Putin, ” Medvedev “, Michael Bociurkiw, Biden, Sophia A, Nelson ., Nelson, it’s, …, Brandon Bell, Jill Filipovic —, —, Filipovic, we’ve, ” Don’t, Keith Magee, Kara Alaimo, James Moore, Texas GOP Tess Taylor, Lala Tanmoy Das, Alex Soros, Scottie Pippen can’t, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Nathaniel S, Butler, NBAE, Michael Jordan, ” Pippen, Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson —, Will Leitch, ” Leitch, Pippen, Leitch, There’s Organizations: CNN, Manhattan, American, Committee, Tribune, Agency, Biden, Republicans, Trump, GOP, Luciano Vecchio Pride, United, AFP, Russia’s Security, Republican, Texas GOP, Philadelphia 76ers, Getty, NBA Locations: Berkeley, Iowa, revel, it’s, Argentina, United Russia, United Kingdom, Russia, Houston City, America, European, Texas

☆ Museveni says Uganda won't be swayed after anti-LGBTQ law triggers aid cut threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

His comments were the first since he signed the bill into law, triggering widespread Western criticism including threats by U.S. President Joe Biden and others to cut aid to Uganda and impose other sanctions. If you try to recruit people into a disorientation, then we go for you. And that one I totally support, and I will support.”The law also imposes a life sentence for same-sex intercourse and a 20-year sentence for promotion of homosexuality. Firms including media and non-governmental organisations that knowingly promote LGBTQ activity will also incur harsh fines, the law says. Homosexuality was already illegal in the conservative and highly religious East African country, and homosexuals faced ostracism and harassment by security forces.

Persons: Pres Museveni, Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Museveni, George Obulutsa, Hugh Lawson Organizations: U.S, Resistance Movement, Thomson Locations: Uganda KAMPALA, Uganda

☆ Opinion: The good news about lower HIV infections comes with a big caveat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Opinion Lala Tanmoy Das | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But as of 2019, Black people accounted for 40% of people with HIV, and Hispanic and Latino people accounted for nearly 30%, according to the CDC. And shockingly, in 2021, only 11% and 20% of Black and Hispanic people, respectively, who would potentially benefit from PrEP, were prescribed it. To date, health care providers are the primary gatekeepers of PrEP prescriptions. For example, educational sessions in conferences, easily accessible virtual resources and academic journal clubs may help dispel myths among health care providers about PrEP. Several studies found that White men who have sex with men (MSM) have significantly higher PrEP awareness than Black and Hispanic MSM.

Persons: Lala Tanmoy, Tom, Das, Read, Lala Tanmoy Das Patricia Kuharic, it’s Organizations: Weill Cornell Medicine, CNN, for Disease Control, PrEP, The Joint Commission, California’s PrEP, MSM, Facebook, Pride Month, FDA, Twitter Locations: New York, White, Black

☆ Uganda accuses West of blackmail in its response to anti-LGBTQ law
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KAMPALA, May 30 (Reuters) - Uganda on Tuesday condemned the Western response to the East African country's new anti-LGBTQ law, considered one of the harshest in the world, and said sanctions threats from donors amounted to "blackmail". The law signed by President Yoweri Museveni carries the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality", an offence that includes transmitting HIV through gay sex. In the Ugandan government's first detailed comments since Museveni signed the law, Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi rejected the condemnation. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo"While we appreciate the support we get from partners, they must be reminded that we are a sovereign country and we do not legislate for the Western world. In an interview, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told Reuters he expects the courts to agree.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Josep Borrell, Museveni, Chris Baryomunsi, Abubaker, Human Rights Volker Turk, Turk, France's, Emma Farge, Alison Williams, Aaron Ross, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ugandan, Reuters, REUTERS, UN, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, EU, Kampala, Tanzania

☆ Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reports to prison to begin sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives to begin serving her prison sentence for defrauding investors in the failed blood-testing startup, at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, May 30, 2023. Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes reported to prison Tuesday to begin her more than 11-year sentence for defrauding investors about the capabilities of her company's blood-testing technology. The ruling followed a day after an appeals court rejected Holmes' bid to stay out of prison while she appeals her conviction. A federal jury in San Jose, California, convicted Holmes on four counts of defrauding investors in Theranos, the company she dropped out of Stanford University to found in 2003. Balwani was convicted on 12 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

CNN —Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has signed some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, the speaker of parliament said, defying international pressure. The bill includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality’ which includes sex with a minor, having sex while HIV positive and incest. The bill criminalizes sex education for the gay community and makes it illegal not to expose what it calls perpetrators of aggravated homosexuality to the police. Uganda’s longtime president has already faced extensive criticism from Western governments, including the US, over the law. “The civil society in Uganda together with the LGBTQI community are prepared to take this to the courts and challenge the law.

☆ Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, as in more than 30 African countries, but the new law goes much further. It imposes capital punishment for some behaviour including transmitting a terminal illness like HIV/AIDS through gay sex, and stipulates a 20-year sentence for "promoting" homosexuality. Uganda receives billions of dollars in foreign aid each year and could now face another round of sanctions. The bill's sponsor Asuman Basalirwa told reporters that parliament speaker Anita Among's U.S. visa was cancelled after the law was signed. "Our data shows that this law runs counter to the interests of economic progress and prosperity of all people in Uganda," he said.

☆ Stars at Cannes take break from red carpet to support AIDS research
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CANNES, May 25 (Reuters) - Celebrities including Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright and Heidi Klum escaped the Cannes Film Festival's crowded Croisette Boulevard for a night to attend a fundraiser for AIDS research at a secluded luxury hotel in the nearby resort town of Antibes. In addition to Rexha, Gladys Knight, Adam Lambert and Halsey entertained the high-paying guests while Queen Latifah played host for the evening that included a fashion show and auction. The goal of the luxury evening was to raise money on behalf of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which also supports HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy. [1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - The amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2023 charity gala - Antibes, France, May 25, 2023. Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols pose.

☆ FDA grants full approval to Pfizer Covid treatment Paxlovid for high-risk adults
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to Pfizer's Covid antiviral pill, Paxlovid, for adults who are at high risk of getting severely sick with the virus. The FDA first made Paxlovid available in December 2021 under emergency use authorization for high-risk individuals ages 12 and up. Both Pfizer and the FDA view the treatment as an important complementary tool to vaccination that can help high-risk Americans manage their Covid infections and ultimately save lives. For some doctors, another area of concern is Paxlovid "rebound cases." That's when patients who take the treatment see their Covid symptoms return or test positive shortly after they initially recover.

☆ New HIV infections decline in U.S. but most people at risk are not receiving prevention drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The decline was driven by a 34% drop in new HIV infections among 13- to 24-year-olds, according to the data. The U.S. has set a national goal to end the HIV epidemic by reducing new infections 90% by 2030. About 40% of new infections within the gay community were among Black men and 35% were among Hispanic men, according to the data. Among heterosexual women, 60% of new infections were among Black women. Among heterosexual men, about 61% of new infections were among Black men, according to the CDC.

☆ Fact Check-New York City Subway poster of Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny is a digital creation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) did not authorize a poster showing Daniel Penny placing Jordan Neely in a chokehold, with text that reads “This could be you. Quit f***ing around on the New York Subway.” Some social media posts appear to think the digitally created ad, which bears an MTA logo, is a real sign. The purported poster circulated widely on Twitter (here) and Facebook (here), and (here). The HIV-prevention advertisement was created by healthcare providers in New York City. The poster with Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny is not authentic and was created by editing an HIV prevention campaign advertisement.

☆ Aspen Pharmacare CEO Stephen Saad on the future of medicine in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Stephen Saad discussed the future of the pharmaceutical sector in Africa, and what lessons Aspen Pharmacare has learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, with CNN’s Eleni Giokos. During the pandemic, we’ve seen a spotlight on the inequalities that exist on the continent in the pharmaceutical sector. Aspen has had a very strong commercial presence across Africa and now you’re moving up the value chain. When Covid came and Africa needed vaccines, over 90% of the vaccines were supplied by India — and that wasn’t great. If it hadn’t been for Aspen, there would have been no vaccines made in Africa for the continent.

May 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court has temporarily halted a federal judge's ruling that struck down the Affordable Care Act's mandate requiring insurers to cover preventive care, the New York Times reported on Monday. The ruling stems from one of several legal challenges Republicans have brought against the 2010 healthcare law, former President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement popularly known as "Obamacare." U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in March struck down the Affordable Care Act's mandate that health insurance plans cover preventive care, including screenings for certain cancers and pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV, or the so-called PrEP mandate, at no cost to patients. Reed ruled that the PrEP mandate violated a federal religious freedom law and that other no-cost preventive care mandates were based on recommendations by an illegally appointed task force. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans put Reed's decision on hold, the Times reported, leaving the mandate in place for now.

BMO Capital Markets says Gilead Sciences is a "best-in-class" therapy franchise that could soon see multiple expansion. The firm upgraded shares to outperform from market perform and raised its price target to $100 from $90. The new price target implies shares rallying 27.5% from Monday's close. Analyst Evan David Seigerman said that, in addition to Gilead's strong therapy franchise, its improving solid tumor oncology business and durable-growth anchored by its HIV/virology division could lead to strong growth. "While we note that Gilead currently trades at a discount to large-cap peers, continued de-risking of its oncology franchise could drive multiple expansion."

☆ Appeals court pauses ruling that could end Obamacare's preventative care mandate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Circuit Court of Appeals issued an "administrative stay" of the March 30 ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor of Texas. Administration lawyers said in court filings that O'Connor's decision would affect preventive care for 150 million people. In his March ruling, O'Conner blocked only the requirement that most insurers cover a range of preventive care. The appeal is in the early stages and the appeals court has not yet set a date for arguments. O'Connor ruled that enforcing the recommendations violated constitutional language on how government officials can be appointed.

☆ Fact Check-UN is not calling for decriminalization of sex with children
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It does not advocate for adult sex with children or with other vulnerable individuals, independent legal experts told Reuters. “The 8 March Principles do not call for the decriminalization of sex with children, nor do they call for the abolition of a domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex,” the statement reads in part. The ICJ report “did not call for the decriminalization of sex with children, nor did it call for the abolition of the age of consent,” Dujarric said. “The International Commission of Jurists report set out legal principles to guide the application of the international human rights law to criminal law across a range of issues. The report does not call for the overall decriminalization of sex with children, as claimed online.

☆ Gilead Sciences didn't violate government patents on HIV prevention treatment, jury finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Gilead Sciences pharmaceutical company is seen in Oceanside, California, April 29, 2020. A Delaware jury on Tuesday cleared Gilead Sciences of U.S. government allegations that it violated patents held by the Centers for Disease and Prevention on an HIV prevention drug. The U.S. government had sued Gilead in 2019 arguing that the company was profiting off CDC patents through the company's sales of Truvada and Descovy, oral medications taken to prevent HIV infection. But the jury found that the government's patent claims on an HIV prevention regimen called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, were not valid after a multiday trial in federal court. "Today's decision confirms our longstanding belief that we have always had the rights to make Truvada and Descovy for PrEP available to all who need it," Gilead general counsel Deb Telman said in a statement Tuesday.

However, a number of countries have recently begun lifting their domestic states of emergency, such as the United States. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said he hopes to end the international emergency this year. One source close to negotiations said lifting the "public health emergency of international concern", or PHEIC, label could impact global funding or collaboration efforts. "I expect WHO to end the public health emergency of international concern. If WHO does not end it... [this time], then certainly the next time the emergency committee meets."

☆ Ugandan Lawmakers Amend Anti-LGBT Bill Criticized by U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Ugandan Parliament passed an earlier version of an anti-LGBT bill in March. Photo: Ronald Kabuubi/Associated PressKAMPALA, Uganda—Uganda’s Parliament on Tuesday removed a provision from a sweeping anti-LGBT bill that would have criminalized identifying as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary, but retained most other elements of the legislation. The bill, which has been widely criticized by the U.S., other Western donors and the United Nations, was initially passed in March and includes harsh new punishments for LGBT people, including allowing the death penalty for repeated same-sex intercourse by anyone who is HIV-positive.

☆ Uganda parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ bill mostly unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The legislation now heads back to President Yoweri Museveni, who can sign it, veto it or return it again to parliament. It was not immediately clear if the new bill satisfied his requests, and his office was not available for comment. Proponents of the bill say broad legislation is needed to counter what they allege, without evidence, are efforts by LGBTQ Ugandans to recruit children into homosexuality. Western governments suspended aid, imposed visa restrictions and curtailed security cooperation in response to another anti-LGBTQ law Museveni signed in 2014. The U.S. government said last week that it was assessing the implications of the looming law for activities in Uganda under its flagship HIV/AIDS programme.

CNN —Uganda’s parliament has passed an amended version of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 on Tuesday. Under the new proposed bill, homosexual conduct will still be illegal, but identifying as homosexual without conducting in homosexual acts will not be outlawed. The new bill has made amendments to distinguish between those who identify or appear to be LGBTQ+ and those who actually engage in homosexual acts. Sign it or veto itThe bill will now be returned to President Museveni who will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. Scientists and academics had urged Museveni to veto the bill, which has been widely condemned by Western nations and human rights organizations.

Foster City, California-based Gilead collaborated with the CDC in the mid-2000s to test if Truvada could prevent HIV as well as treat it. The government received four patents for HIV prevention drug regimens that CDC researchers invented. Its lawsuit claims the patents also cover Gilead's pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug regimen for lowering HIV infection risk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead's Truvada for HIV prevention in 2012 and approved its related drug Descovy for the same purpose in 2019. Descovy, which earned Gilead over $1.8 billion last year, is its fourth-best selling drug behind the HIV drugs Biktarvy and Genvoya and COVID-19 treatment Veklury.

☆ Gilead Sciences battles U.S. government in court over HIV prevention patent
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. is trying to enforce four patents issued to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a two-drug regimen known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP for short. The government accuses Gilead of reaping billions of dollars in PrEP sales without paying royalties to the CDC. Gilead has rejected U.S. allegations that the company's sales of its PrEP oral medications, Truvada and Descovy, infringe on any CDC patents. "Indeed, Gilead has reaped billions from PrEP through the sale of Truvada and Descovy, but has not paid any royalties to CDC." Gilead rejects CDC claims that agency scientists developed the the PrEP regimen.

☆ Health Plan Coverage of Abortion and Related Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +36 min

The Dobbs ruling, which returned the regulation of abortion to the individual states, has led to legislation that restricts abortion, including medication abortion, in many states. In response to the rapidly changing post-Dobbs legal landscape, this article addresses health plan coverage of abortion, medication abortion coverage and litigation, abortion-related travel benefits, and related Practical Law resources concerning these topics. The insurer in a fully insured health plan, health maintenance organization (HMO), or similar arrangement:Assumes the risk of providing health coverage for insured events by paying medical costs for eligible claims incurred under the plan. Self-Funded Health PlansBy contrast, employers with self-funded arrangements may have more discretion in providing coverage for abortion and related services. Changes to plan coverage of medication abortion will likely require plan administrators to:(For more on coverage of medication abortion, see Newly Launched, ReproductiveRights.gov Website Addresses Access to Medication Abortion (Mifepristone) Using Telehealth on Practical Law.)

Search resuls for: "HIV"

25 mentions found