Content about Sexually transmitted diseases and infections

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline is making a donation that it said would give more than 10,000 girls and women access to human papillomavirus vaccination.

GSK announced that it would donate $1 million worth of Cervarix (human papillomavirus bivalent [types 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant) to the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership over the next five years, as well as $50,000 to support the program operations. The partnership is an initiative led by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, UNAIDS, the President's Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief and the George W. Bush Institute.

ATLANTA — Increases in vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus are trailing increases in rates for two other vaccines recommended for teens and preteens, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.

Coverage rates for the other two vaccines — Tdap, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis; and MenACWY, which protects against meningococcal meningitis — are continuing to increase, but vaccination rates for HPV vaccine remain low, the study found.

INDIANAPOLIS — A statin made by Eli Lilly and Kowa Pharmaceuticals America appears to work well with drugs used to treat HIV, according to a study presented at the sixth International AIDS Society conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

The study was designed to investigate potential interactions between Livalo (pitavastatin) and Abbott’s antiretroviral protease inhibitor Kaletra (lopinavir and ritonavir). The study found that each drug had only a minimal effect on the other.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has teamed with Greater Than AIDS, a national campaign in response to HIV/AIDS in the United States, to distribute informational resources and specialized HIV-related services at more than 300 Walgreens pharmacies in heavily affected communities, the Kaiser Family Foundation announced Tuesday. 

WASHINGTON — Patients with HIV who immediately started antiretroviral therapy significantly reduced the risk of spreading the virus to an uninfected partner, compared with those who delayed therapy, according to results of a multinational study. The study also found that antiretroviral therapy reduced the risk of transmission by 96%.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic division has expanded its suite of services to now include vitamin B12 injections and the human papillomavirus vaccination Gardasil.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a topical treatment for genital warts made by Graceway Pharmaceuticals, the drug maker said Monday.

The FDA approved Zyclara (imiquimod) cream in the 3.75% strength for patients ages 12 years and older. According to clinical trial data, the cream effectively cleared genital warts, and of patients who achieved complete clearance, only a small percentage had a recurrence 12 weeks after treatment.

PRINCETON — Sandoz has introduced an authorized generic version of a herpes treatment made by parent company Novartis, the company said Thursday.

Sandoz announced the launch of famciclovir tablets, an authorized generic of Famvir, used to treat genital herpes and cold sores in patients with healthy immune systems, and to treat shingles and herpes simplex infections of the skin and mucosa in patients with HIV.

Authorized generics are branded drugs sold under their generic chemical names at a reduced price, often through third-party companies.

NEW YORK and TOKYO — Bristol-Myers Squibb has signed a definitive licensing pact with Oncolys BioPharma, a privately held Japanese biotech company, that will give it control of a promising new HIV treatment.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Pharmacy advocates are using every tool they can to spread the message that pharmacists bring a lot more than prescription services to the healthcare table. So how about a 341-ft. digital billboard looming above Times Square?

ST. LOUIS — Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, one of the greatest advances has been antiviral drugs that have helped extend the lives of patients with viral infections.

SALT LAKE CITY — Identigene last month officially unveiled its Identigene STD test kit, which tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea—two of the more common sexually transmitted diseases—and essentially created a new niche within the growing self-test category.

For the 52 weeks ended Oct. 3, sales of self-test kits—including paternity, drug testing and disease state screening—were up 20.5% to $57.2 million across food, drug and mass (minus Walmart), according to SymphonyIRI Group data.