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Fastmarkets has launched a new bleachable fancy tallow, delivered California, price assessment to strengthen visibility into regional animal fats markets and expand coverage of key renewable diesel feedstocks. The strategic launch provides market participants with clearer insight into the relationship between inland, Gulf and West Coast tallow prices, reflecting California’s critical role in renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel production in North America.

The specifications are as follows:

AG-TLW-0040 Bleachable fancy tallow, delivered California, cts/lb
Quality: Free fatty acids (FFA) max. 5%, titre minimum of 40.5°C, 2 R&B max, moisture, impurities and unsaponifiable matter (MIU) max 1%
Quantity: Minimum three railcars
Location: California, delivered
Timing: Shipment within 45 days following date of sale
Unit: USD cents/lb
Publication: Daily, until 3pm US Central time

This price will be part of the Fastmarkets Ags oils, fats and biofuels package.

To provide feedback on this price or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to this price, please contact Sarah Schneider by email at: fats_oils@fastmarkets.com and pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading “FAO: Sarah Schneider, re: California bleachable fancy tallow.”

Please indicate if comments are confidential. Fastmarkets will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available upon request.

To see all Fastmarkets pricing methodology and specification documents, go to the Fastmarkets methodology page.

The combination HIV treatment bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF; Biktarvy, Gilead) continues to be effective and well-tolerated five years after starting the regimen, according to new data from the BICSTaR trial presented at EACS 2025, in Paris (abstract MeP05.3).

Positive quality-of-life measures also were reported by study participants five years out.

“The five-year outcomes presented at EACS 2025 are consistent with the results observed from multiple phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the treatment responses of people with HIV on Biktarvy,” Gilead spokesperson Brian Plummer told Infectious Disease Special Edition. “In the group of BICSTaR study participants with 5 years of real-world follow-up who were enrolled in Canada, France, and Germany, Biktarvy continued to demonstrate sustained viral suppression, a favorable safety and tolerability profile, and a high barrier to resistance. These benefits were seen in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced people with HIV who have a high burden of comorbidities.”

A large portion of the study population had comorbidities: 63.6% of treatment-naive participants and 84.1% of treatment-experienced participants. Even so, at five years, 97.9% (47/48) of treatment-naive and 96.8% (306/316) of -experienced participants were virologically suppressed, and in both groups, the median CD4+ cell count and CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased from baseline.

Maintaining Quality of Life

Using the HIV Symptom Index (HIV-SI) and the Short Form Health Survey mental and physical component summary scores (M/PCS) and the HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (HIVTSQ), the investigators found the quality-of-life measures remained steady through the study period. At five years, HIV-SI overall bothersome symptom count stayed low. MCS and PCS scores improved from baseline; however, treatment experienced participants saw a small decrease in PCS scores. Finally, HIVTSQ scores were high.

The investigators also reported that changes in metabolic and renal parameters were small.

Low Rates of Adverse Events

Drug-related adverse events occurred in 18.9% (25/132) of naive participants and 14.6% (101/691) of experienced participants, which correlated with regimen discontinuation in 5.3% and 7.7%, respectively. However, the investigators did not find any treatment-emergent resistance.

“The results underscore the importance of patient-reported outcomes as a person-centered approach to HIV research and can help us to better understand the impact on health-related quality of life and specifically, mental health status of people with HIV,” Mr. Plummer told IDSE. “This could help inform treatment strategies for these groups.”

By Meaghan Lee Callaghan

[Mr. Plummer and several of the study investigators are employees of Gilead, the maker of Biktarvy.]