This HIV Prevention Drug Could Change the Game
A new, long-lasting drug could be a game-changer for preventing HIV infections, experts say. Advocates are hopeful that those who need it most in low- and middle-income countries will not have to wait for it as long as they have for previous HIV drugs. But questions remain about access and price. The drug is called cabotegravir and is delivered as a shot once every other month. In clinical trials, it did a better job at preventing infection than another option — a pill taken once a day.
December 1, 2022 — VOA
HIV Prevention Advocate Talks Ending the Epidemic
Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC, talks HIV prevention, access to medicine, treatment and ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
December 1, 2022 — ABC News
In-Depth: What Should Behaviour Change Efforts Look Like in the PrEP Era?
HIV prevention pills are becoming more widely available in South Africa and the country is set to soon start piloting the use of an HIV prevention injection and vaginal ring. But merely having these pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) tools available in clinics and other places does not mean people will use them. This dynamic is nothing new.
December 1, 2022 — Spotlight
Remembering Dawn Smith, Who Helped Prove PrEP’s Efficacy and Guided Its Use
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) has become such a central part of HIV prevention that it can be hard to remember that in the decade before its 2012 approval by the US Food and Drug Administration, “PrEP was a code word for unethical research.” So says Mitchell Warren, longtime head of the HIV prevention advocacy group AVAC, recalling how, in the 2000s, early trials to determine PrEP’s efficacy fell apart in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Thailand amid accusations from activists that researchers were not treating trial subjects ethically—for instance, by not necessarily guaranteeing lifetime HIV tre
November 22, 2022 — TheBody
‘It’s Always Fear-Based’: Why Sexual Health Projects Should Switch the Focus To Pleasure
In the village in Kenya where Swiry Nyar Kano (not her real name) grew up, sex and diversity weren’t talked about much. The topics didn’t come up in conversation with her parents, and at school she was taught about human anatomy and “sexual immorality”, and told that homosexuality was a sin. “I grew up in society where sex was about having babies and that was about it,” says the social media influencer. “Sexuality was never mentioned. Nobody ever talked about it so I started seeking answers for myself.”
November 22, 2022 — The Guardian
A New Shot Guards Against HIV, but Access for Africans Is Uncertain
For seven years, a daily pill has been available in South Africa to protect people from getting HIV. But when Victoria Makhandule, a community health worker, counsels the young women in her township about the medication, they tell her it doesn’t work for them. These young women are among the most vulnerable in the world to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but they say the daily pills, known as PrEP, bring their own challenges. The women may spend an unexpected night away from home and miss a dose, or forget for a day or two.
September 27, 2022 — The New York Times
Safety Data Needed for Concurrent Use of ARV-Based PrEP
Women at risk of acquiring HIV have increasing antiretroviral-based options for HIV prevention, with long-acting injectable cabotegravir and oral tenofovir-based tablets approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The dapivirine vaginal ring received a favourable scientific opinion by the European Medicines Agency in 2020, was recommended by WHO in 2021, and has been approved for PrEP use in several African countries.
September 27, 2022 — The Lancet HIV
Government Can’t Mandate Coverage for Drugs That Prevent HIV Infections, Texas Federal Judge Rules
A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care Act that mandates free coverage of certain drugs that prevent HIV infections violates the religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor came in response to a lawsuit filed by Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general and a conservative activist, on behalf of Braidwood Management Inc. and other self-described Christian employers and employees.
September 7, 2022 — NBC News
The HIV Prevention Drug That Could Save Millions of People – If They Can Afford It
Someone was blowing a whistle. A crowd with placards surged into the conference room, chanting “PrEP costs pennies, ViiV’s greed kills”. Not an obvious slogan, but everyone in the room knew what it meant. The protesters took over the stage, denouncing “pharma’s greed” at the microphone. On the platform, those whose session had been interrupted smiled, even applauded. “Thank you for your advocacy. Please allow the session to continue,” read prepared slides on the overhead screens.
August 3, 2022 — The Guardian
The HIV Prevention Drug That Could Save Millions of People – If They Can Afford It
Someone was blowing a whistle. A crowd with placards surged into the conference room, chanting “PrEP costs pennies, ViiV’s greed kills”. Not an obvious slogan, but everyone in the room knew what it meant. The protesters took over the stage, denouncing “pharma’s greed” at the microphone. On the platform, those whose session had been interrupted smiled, even applauded. “Thank you for your advocacy. Please allow the session to continue,” read prepared slides on the overhead screens.
August 3, 2022 — The Guardian
Just Six Injections a Year Can Prevent HIV: Here’s What It Will Take for the World To Afford Them
An injection every two months of the antiretroviral cabotegravir is the most effective way to prevent HIV that the world has ever seen. Making it affordable will depend, in part, on how many generic manufacturers will invest in producing it — and for that, the world must show the promise of markets: millions of otherwise healthy people who will line up at a pharmacy or clinic for a quick injection every two months. The question is: how do you create a market for a product that most of the world has not yet seen?
August 2, 2022 — aidsmap
GSK, Still Early in US Launch, Licenses Long-Acting HIV PrEP Drug Apretude To Patent Pool for Poorer Nations
Antivirals have historically made up the bulk of licenses that allow generic companies to copy innovative drugs for poorer countries. Now, GSK’s ViiV Healthcare is adding the world’s first long-acting HIV prevention med to a patent-sharing program merely seven months into an FDA approval. GSK has signed a licensing deal with the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for its long-acting HIV PrEP drug Apretude, or cabotegravir, the two parties unveiled during the 24th International AIDS Conference.
July 28, 2022 — Fierce Pharma
Stop Squandering Opportunities To End AIDS: Be Responsive to the Needs of HIV Prevention Users
en years ago this month, the Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill that was up to 99% effective in preventing infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Expectations were high that this approach, known as oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), could change the course of the AIDS pandemic. It hasn’t. The use of oral PrEP today is stubbornly low, while HIV rates remain tenaciously high.
July 19, 2022 — Stat
A Decade After Approval, PrEP Hasn’t Reached Its Full Potential
On July 16, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis—better known as PrEP—to prevent HIV acquisition. But although uptake has improved over the past decade, PrEP still isn’t reaching everyone at risk for HIV.
July 16, 2022 — POZ Magazine
A Decade After Approval, PrEP Hasn’t Reached its Full Potential
On July 16, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis—better known as PrEP—to prevent HIV acquisition. But although uptake has improved over the past decade, PrEP still isn’t reaching everyone at risk for HIV. Truvada (TDF/FTC) contains two drugs, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine, that are widely used for HIV treatment.
July 16, 2022 — POZ Magazine
The Long & Winding Road
HIV care has come a long way in the more than 40 years since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the first report of AIDS in June 1981. The combined efforts of researchers, clinicians, public health officials, activists and people living with HIV have led to amazing advances in prevention and treatment. And despite many setbacks, cure research is also making progress.
June 27, 2022 — POZ Magazine
Long-Lasting HIV Prevention Drug Too Slow to Reach Africa, Activists Say
Melb Simiyu, an HIV prevention officer at a support organization for sex workers here, says most of her clients have asked when a drug called CAB-LA will become available. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021, the HIV prevention drug could drastically reduce infections among marginalized groups like the one she works with.
June 24, 2022 — Science
Long-Lasting HIV Prevention Drug Too Slow To Reach Africa, Activists Say
Melb Simiyu, an HIV prevention officer at a support organization for sex workers here, says most of her clients have asked when a drug called CAB-LA will become available. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021, the HIV prevention drug could drastically reduce infections among marginalized groups like the one she works with. But even though a trial in Uganda and six other sub-Saharan African countries provided data key for FDA’s approval, Africa, still the part of the world hardest hit by HIV, may face a long wait to get the drug at an affordable price.
June 21, 2022 — Science
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2022
Wednesday, May 18, is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) 2022. It’s an exciting time for vaccine research, marked by the speed with which COVID-19 vaccines were developed. At the same time, the seemingly fast advances in the field led many to wonder, Where is the vaccine to protect against HIV? HVAD offers a chance to explore these topics and to thank the researchers, advocates and volunteers involved in HIV vaccine development.
May 18, 2022 — POZ
HIV Vaccines in 2022: Where to From Here?
For over 2 years, the world has been riveted by progress and pitfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine development and rollout. However, alongside scientific milestones of COVID-19 vaccines, there have been significant results from HIV vaccine and antibody-mediated prevention trials. These include the first proof of concept of HIV prevention from passive antibodies and recent insights on the possibility of germline targeting and the mRNA platform towards an effective HIV vaccine.
May 17, 2022 — JIAS
Preparing Society for a HIV Vaccine
At a 2016 workshop in Chennai to understand people’s hope for a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine, a participant said such a vaccine may make society more “morally corrupt”. He believed that a preventive vaccine may encourage more people to engage in unsafe sex with multiple partners. The respondent had HIV and had experienced stigma and discrimination.
May 16, 2022 — Nature
US Senate Confirms Dr. John Nkengasong to Lead PEPFAR
The US Senate has confirmed Dr. John Nkengasong as the US global AIDS coordinator, which will include leadership of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — the US global HIV initiative. The Cameroonian virologist is the first person born on the African continent to take on the role. He currently serves as the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
May 6, 2022 — Devex
Vaccine Equity: The Rollout That Needs a Booster Shot
With almost half the world fully vaccinated against the pandemic, we can look at the glass as either half full or half empty — it depends on where you are and who you are. The lowest vaccination rates can be found in low-income or low-middle income countries, and among the most marginalized populations within nearly every country. So while COVID-19 vaccine development is a great example of scientific progress, its delivery reflects tragic inequity.
April 5, 2022 — The Hill
Cautious Optimism for Trials of mRNA-Based HIV Vaccine
One remarkable thing about the COVID-19 pandemic was how quickly a vaccine was developed to combat the virus. A process that normally spans a decade or more — dozens of clinical trials, terse patent negotiations, complex roll-out strategies — was condensed into less than one year. mRNA, messenger ribonucleic acids that elicit an immune response from cells before degrading, provided a quick and safe solution to a global health threat.
March 30, 2022 — SciDevNet
HIV Prevention Ring Approved, but Next Steps Unclear
In a decision widely welcomed by civil society organisations, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) recently approved the use of the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring for women 18 years and older to reduce the risk of HIV infection.
March 29, 2022 — Spotlight
Catalyzing Action on HIV/SRH Integration: Lessons From Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe to Spur Investment
Examining the opportunities and challenges of HIV/SRH integration implemented recently in three countries – Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe – provides lessons to spur integration and investments there and in other nations in the region, aimed at improving health outcomes for adolescent girls and young women and curbing the global HIV epidemic. While gaps remain between strong national integration policies and program implementation, the experiences of these countries show opportunities for expanded, quality integration. This commentary draws on a longer comparative analysis of findings from rapid landscaping analyses in Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, which highlighted cross-country trends and context-specific realities around HIV/SRH integration.
March 24, 2022 — Global Health Action
A Sin Tax on Vapes Is Not As Bad as AIDS Denialism. Here’s Why
AIDS denialism — the government’s refusal to acknowledge HIV as the cause of AIDS, and as a result provide people with HIV with lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment — may have cost at least a third of a million South Africans their lives. That’s how many people would likely not have died of AIDS, had they had access to treatment. Now lobbyists pushing for vaping as a way to help people quit smoking insist taxing e-cigarettes like traditional smokes is leading down a similar path.
March 22, 2022 — Bhekisisa
How the Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention That Has Been Approved for Use by Women Above 18 in SA Works
If you bring your index finger to your thumb then make a circle, that’s about how small this silicone ring is. Its size is tiny but its impact enormous, which is why SAHPRA’s decision to give South Africa the regulatory go-ahead to make the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) available monthly to women 18 and older has been lauded by women’s health and reproductive rights advocates as seismic.
March 18, 2022 — News24
More HIV Prevention Options for SA Women As Vaginal Ring Is Approved
South African women who are at risk of HIV infection will now have more options for protecting themselves against infection after the approval of a vaginal ring by the country’s regulator.
March 16, 2022 — Times Live
Medicines Regulator Approves Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention
SA’s medicines regulator has approved a vaginal ring that slowly releases the drug dapirivine, offering women protection from HIV for up to a month at a time. The development has been hailed by HIV advocates as a milestone in the quest to provide women with more options for reducing their risk of contracting the virus, but it is not clear when it will be available in SA.
March 14, 2022 — Business Day
African Women Could Really Benefit From Greater Access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
The effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is well known but its availability has reached a turning point. Access to PrEP, previously solely targeted at men who have sex with men, is now being offered to women, primarily in Western countries. Some pioneering African countries are now offering PrEP to female sex workers, transgender people and the sexual partners of people who inject drugs. Three organizations in Mali, Mauritius and Morocco have developed a community project offering PrEP to HIV-exposed women. It provides women with tailored, sustainable services, combining research, advocacy and implementation. It shows real promise of success and has potential for scale up and replication.
March 11, 2022 — AIDSpan
Are We Close to the HIV Cure? What We Learned at the 2022 Advocacy-for-Cure Academy
Every year, a few young minds from different parts of the world aspire to work at the grassroots to understand and mitigate advocacy and research problems towards an HIV cure. These are made possible jointly through the International AIDS Society (Int. AIDS Society) Towards an HIV cure initiative and AVAC awarding fellowship to talented advocates who are working in the HIV field in resource-limited settings and who are interested in HIV care-related advocacy.
March 10, 2022 — Medium
Global COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 6 Million, Another Grim Milestone in the Pandemic
Worldwide deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 6 million on Monday, a grim reminder of the coronavirus’s lethality as many countries relax mask-wearing and vaccination requirements.
March 7, 2022 — Washington Post
Given A Choice, Young Women Prefer Vaginal Ring for PrEP
When given a choice of two proven HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options, young cisgender women will use both but prefer a monthly vaginal ring, according to data presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2022 (CROI 2022).
March 4, 2022 — POZ
Prioritise HIV Prevention Injection, Activists Say
Rolling out a new HIV prevention injection should be a priority in South Africa, says Thandi Maluka, Executive Director of HIV activist group Positive Women’s Network (PWN). She says an HIV prevention injection, administered every two months, is going to make life easier for many people, especially young people. This is because the injection can be taken more discreetly than prevention pills.
March 3, 2022 — Health 24
Young Women Prefer Vaginal Ring as HIV Prevention
When given the option, adolescent girls and young women in Africa overwhelmingly opted to use either a drug-eluting vaginal ring or oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to protect against HIV infection, a researcher reported.
February 18, 2022 — MedPage Today
What’s an Endpoint?
Understand what matters most about clinical trial endpoints for both advocates and researchers. This conversation includes Jeanne Baron, the host ofPx Pulse; Matthew Rose, a director at Global Health Strategies; Dave Glidden, a professor of biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco; Erica Lessem, a senior strategist for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and Meagan O’Brien, the senior medical director of early clinical development and clinical experimental sciences at Regeneron.
February 14, 2022 — POZ
Research on Transgender People Must Benefit Transgender People
As transgender people working in HIV research and public health, we express concern over the exploitation of transgender communities in academic research. Articles published in The Lancet have compelled our response, but in the spirit of calling our colleagues in rather than out, we are responding to the broader practice of studying transgender communities as so-called subjects of academic intrigue rather than real people with urgent health needs.
February 12, 2022 — The Lancet
A New HIV Vaccine Is in Phase One Trials. But Scientists Aren’t Holding Their Breath Just Yet
Future historians studying the 2020s may disagree about many things, but it is safe to assume all of them will agree that the COVID-19 pandemic was transformative. When it comes to humanity’s ongoing war against infectious diseases, this pandemic accelerated development of a new vaccine platform known as mRNA technology, one that scientists believe could some day be used against everything from malaria and tuberculosis to all strains of influenza.
February 10, 2022 — Salon
Mitigation Strategies To Safely Conduct HIV Treatment Research in the Context of COVID-19
The International AIDS Society convened a multidisciplinary committee of experts in December 2020 to provide guidance and key considerations for the safe and ethical management of clinical trials involving people living with HIV (PLWH) during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This consultation did not discuss guidance for the design of prevention studies for people at risk of HIV acquisition, nor for the programmatic delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
February 9, 2022 — JIAS
HIV Prevention: Financial Slack for Research
Simple effect of COVID-19 or long-term trend? In 2020, HIV prevention research saw a notable drop in funding globally, a report released in December by AVAC reveals. Figures to be interpreted with caution, as research is advancing rapidly.
January 17, 2022 — Transversal
Injectable PrEP and COVID Show We’re All in This Together
Just before Christmas, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved an injectable formulation of the HIV drug cabotegravir for use as PrEP. The drug, to be given as an injection every two months, will be branded asApretudein the US. Although FDA approval came earlier than expected, they could have hardly rejected it.
January 7, 2022 — aidsmap
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