Global Investment in HIV Cure Research and Development in 2018

In 2014, the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group and AVAC began a collaboration with the International AIDS Society’s (IAS) Towards an HIV Cure initiative. AVAC, Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the IAS brought together a group to review and allocate grants towards HIV cure research and analyze data on global funding. The working group released a report in July 2019, Global Investment in HIV Cure Research and Development in 2018.

As per findings, US$323.9 million was invested in cure research in 2018, representing a 12 percent increase over the US$288.8 million invested in 2017. Compared to the US$88.1 million invested in 2012, this is a 268 percent increase. The public sector accounted for the majority of funding, with the remaining US$19.7 million invested by philanthropies such as Aidsfonds, amfAR, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CANFAR, Institut Pasteur, Sidaction and Wellcome Trust.

HIV Prevention Research & Development Investments 2018: Investing to end the epidemic

This annual accounting of funding for biomedical HIV prevention research tracks trends and identifies gaps in investment. The report indicates an uptick after five consecutive years of declining investment. In 2018, funding for HIV prevention R&D increased by a modest 1.2 percent or US$13 million from the previous year, growing to US$1.14 billion. While the increase is encouraging, it’s the smallest net increase since 2003.

Click here for the full archive of past resource tracking reports.

An Activist’s Guide to Influencing and Monitoring KPIF Rollout

Two-page guide for advocates and activists working on the engagement of key population-led groups in the implementation planning of PEPFAR’s Key Population Investment Fund (KPIF). Includes information on the fund, KPIF countries, lead agencies in each country, activist demands and to-do list.

The ECHO Trial Results: Time to Act

In this episode of Px Pulse. we take a look the results of the ECHO study and what they mean from several angles. Leaders of the trial, formally called Evidence for Contraceptive options in HIV Outcomes, announced study findings in mid-June. ECHO found no substantial difference in HIV acquisition among women using one of three highly effective contraceptive methods in the study: DMPA-IM, the copper IUD, the LNG implant).

Understanding the Results of the ECHO Study

A comprehensive guide to interpreting the results of the ECHO Study. Includes concise information on the study’s background, design and results, and a full section on next steps such as the WHO process for updating its guidance and what advocates can do to get involved.

A Roadmap for Results: Understanding the ECHO Study Results

On June 13, FP2020 and AVAC held a webinar, A Roadmap for Results: Understanding the ECHO Study Results, with the ECHO team following the results announcement. The webinar explained the trial, provided topline results, outlined next steps, and offered key advocacy messages to help all stakeholders understand the findings.

Watch here.

The ECHO Trial: Preparing for action

In this episode of Px Pulse, AVAC spoke with two leaders from the ECHO trial team, Dr. Jared Baeten and Dr. Helen Rees, to understand what the trial can and cannot tell us. And you’ll hear leading women’s advocates from several countries where the ECHO trial took place share their demands. Carry what you learn forward as the ECHO trial raises the volume on an urgent conversation—how to empower African women around their sexual and reproductive health.

Women Speak: Preparing for the results of the ECHO trial

Civil society led by and for women in Africa is working with allies around the world to prepare for the ECHO results and advance a broader agenda of sexual health and rights that centers women and affirms the right to full information and informed choice, as well as integration of HIV and sexual and reproductive health programs. Reports from civil society forum meetings in 2018, as well as key resources, are available here.

Hormonal Contraception and HIV Risk: Understanding the ECHO trial

The Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Study is an open-label, randomized, clinical trial comparing three highly effective, reversible methods of contraception — the progestogen-only injectable depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), a levonorgestrel implant, and the non-hormonal copper intrauterine device — to evaluate whether there is any difference in the risk of acquiring HIV infection among users of these methods.

Results, expected in mid-2019, will help guide the implementation of safe, effective policies and services that will enable women at high risk of HIV to make fully informed choices about contraception and HIV prevention.

The webinar featured:

Beth Schlachter, Executive Director, FP2020
Dr. Jared Baeten, Vice Chair, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, ECHO Consortium
Dr. Nelly Mugo, Research Associate Professor, Global Health, University of Washington, ECHO Management Committee
Tamar Abrams, Communications Director, FP2020

You may view the webinar here.

HIV Vaccine Research and Development Pipeline: 2019 Supplement

A slide deck overview of what’s happening in HIV vaccine research now.