Major breakthrough toward the treatment of HIV/HAART-associated Lipodystrophy

[John2038]

Just for those suffering from this syndrome, new hops:

A new drug called tesamorelin may trim belly fat in HIV patients, a study shows.

The study focuses on HIV lipodystrophy -- abnormal patterns of fat buildup and fat loss in people taking drugs that target HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

HIV lipodystrophy patients typically gain fat around the waist and lose fat in the face, arms, and legs. Too much fat around the waist may make heart disease more likely.

Tesamorelin -- which is still in its experimental stages and hasn't been approved by the FDA -- may help treat HIV lipodystrophy. But the drug's long-term effects aren't clear yet.

That news appears in tomorrow's edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Tesamorelin Study

The researchers included Julian Falutz, MD, of Canada's Montreal General Hospital. They studied 412 HIV lipodystrophy patients with large waists.

First, the patients got high-tech body scans to map their body fat. They also took cholesterol tests and completed a survey about their body image.

Next, the patients gave themselves a shot of tesamorelin or a placebo every day for six months. They didn't know if they got tesamorelin or the placebo.

Lastly, the patients repeated the body scans, cholesterol test, and body image survey.

Less Belly Fat

Patients taking tesamorelin shed 15% of their belly fat, compared with a 5% rise in belly fat in those taking the placebo.

The tesamorelin patients also improved their cholesterol levels and boosted their body image.

But nearly half of the patients taking tesamorelin made antibodies against the drug, and six of them developed hives, notes an editorial published with the study.

Patients taking tesamorelin were more likely to quit the study over side effects, even though side effects were similar in both groups.

Studies are needed to check tesamorelin's long-term effects, note the researchers. Their study was funded by Theratechnologies, a Canadian company developing tesamorelin. Falutz and several colleagues note financial ties to Theratechnologies.

Several teams of scientists have tested various drugs that boost growth hormone, Marc Blackman, MD, observes in an editorial published with the study.

"Numerous questions remain" about the long-term use of such drugs, writes Blackman, who works in Washington, D.C., for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Source: http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20071205/drug-may-cut-belly-fat-in-hiv-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC
More: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/mu-mbt120507.php

[ubotts]

If this new drug worked that would be great..and maybe like you say it has worked,
but  one knows the long term side effects....

So it remains that we are still lab rats being tested over and over again...

I wish I had a time machine because I race up the meds and know which ones were
better and if theres side effects, what they will be, besides, rashes or hives..

But for now all we can do is keep on trying new meds till the right ones are finally approved for us to swallow...

[jack]

just read where they expect the cost of this treatment to be $1000 per month. Fucking insane. I will go no carb and get lipo,its cheaper and no sides.

[hartiepie]

>>>I will go no carb and get lipo,its cheaper and no sides.<<<

Liposuction doesn't work with deep visceral adiposity. And oh yes there can indeed be side effects to liopsuction..........

[aztecan]

I read about this medication. I, for one, would try it.

I hope it does work. Maybe it can also help reduce the fat accumulating in the front of my neck.

As for being lab rats, what else is new. Hey, it makes it an adventure, right?

Jack, what hartlepie said regarding lip on the belly fat is correct. It is very dangerous and many docs won't do it because it isn't subcutaneous fat, but visceral fat.

Now, my hump on the other hand might be an idea. I have heard the humps can be difficult for lipo, so it may have to be surgery.

I guess it will all depend on what my insurance will cover and what it won't. I don't have the cash to cover it.

HUGS,

Mark

[ubotts]

Did anyone see Michael Moores movie Sicko..

Well wouldnt it be nice if the USA could give all all free health care.

Id definately try this drug...but I am financially changelled...so i do what I can..
                     

[Antinouus]

Wouldn't be nice if all the people in the entartaining business, who earned hell of lot of money and sometime they don't know what to do with that and waste it, would give just 1% of their income to AIDS and to either Cancer research so they could in practise the dream of many who don't make that amount of money for years.

[kjonyou]

Wouldn't be nice if all the people in the entertaining business, who earned hell of lot of money and sometime they don't know what to do with that and waste it, would give just 1% of their income to AIDS and to either Cancer research so they could in practise the dream of many who don't make that amount of money for years.

I am not sure why you picked the entertainment industry other than it is always the favorite of choice form right wing Conservative pundents.  Yes they make a lot of money, and yes, they can afford to give, but if this is not politically driven, I would look at the facts and start with:

Oil Industry, Pharmaceuticals, Commercial Banks, Securities and Sports.  The entertainment industry is 13th on that list of most profitable industries, start from the top.

I seem to recall after 9/11 I saw a lot of actors and musicians donate around 1 million dollars of their personal income to the victims families.  While its not even a dent in what they have, I also noticed that sports figures making the same if not more money donated on average only about $5,000 or .01%  Oil, pharmaceutical, and stockbrokers..... $0 from their own personal wealth.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you, when was the last time you saw a securities company like Smith Barney raise 100 million dollars for a single charitable cause?  Not to mention they make a huge profit from HIV drug company stock trades.

[MitchMiller]

I'm guessing the company knows this drug will be prescribed more frequently for "hormone" deficiency (aka... Rockie's Disease)... It sounds like a great replacement for injectable HGH which would mean a real blockbuster for the co.  I'm guessing the lipo treatment path is just a mechanism to get it approved more easily... much in the same way Sculptra was approved.  Sculptra is now widely used to plump up the sagging cheeks of aging gold diggers... and I'm guessing those sales dwarf those for HIV related lipoatrophy.

[freewillie99]

New info from Phase 3 trials:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Theratechnologies-Presents-Additional-Results-From/story.aspx?guid={51E49DAF-CEF4-464E-B958-052C6A17B0E2}

[mewithu]

{Don't  forget to mention they are going to try to use it for WASTING also}

Much Care, Jerry