Med Monitor

The Food and Drug Administration has granted traditional approval to Gilead Sciences' Viread and Truvada. Viread had been approved through an accelerated review in October 2001; Truvada, in August 2004. The traditional approval was based on long-term clinical trial data. ''''''''''''''' While treatment interruptions can sometimes help reduce drug-resistant HIV through a resurgence of 'wild-type' virus, HIVers resistant to Epivir are better off switching to Epivir monotherapy than completely stopping all their meds, according to a study in the April 4 issue of the journal AIDS. ''''''''''''''' The anticonvulsant drug valproic acid might improve cognitive function and restore nerve cells in the brains of HIV patients experiencing dementia, according to a study reported in the March issue of the journal Neurology. ''''''''''''''' Treating oral thrush in HIV patients with the antifungal drug posaconazole produces better long-term protection against a recurrence of the condition than treatment with fluconazole, according to a study in the April 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.