September 24, 2020
The latest estimates for COVID-19 anticipate a death toll approaching 2.8 million by year’s end. Economies are stuttering on every continent. Controversy surrounds how vaccines will be allocated, with ten leading candidates racing to show efficacy without sacrificing rigor. All this, as global health leaders of every stripe struggle to sustain the gains against HIV, TB, malaria, other preventable diseases and unintended pregnancies. Advocates must be armed with information and tools to demand transparency, and to get effective interventions for both HIV and COVID-19 developed and distributed equitably. Read on for recently produced resources to help get the job done.
HIV Prevention Moves Forward
AVAC’s latest episode of its Px Pulse podcast looks at critical next steps for the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, which received a positive opinion in July from the European Medicines Agency. Hear five different perspectives on what must happen next and what it means for cisgender women.
Fill out our survey on tools for PrEP rollout! AVAC is evaluating how the PrEPWatch site is used at the global and country level to inform PrEP planning and introduction. Your responses will be kept confidential. The survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.
Designing a New Generation of Prevention Efficacy Trials is a report by AVAC founder Bill Snow that lays out basic concepts for innovation in trial design and offers an analysis of their implications for advocacy. And check out this Consensus Statement that emerged from AVAC’s inaugural Trial Design Academy, convened in September 2019.
COVID-19 On the Ground
Catch up on the conversation about how COVID-19 is impacting countries across Africa and learn about the collective response in this recorded webinar with the heads of Africa CDC and WACI Health. Hosted by WACI Health, AVAC and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Science—Not Politics—in the COVID-19 Response
Help lead the push for evidence-based decision-making in COVID-19 vaccine development and approvals with these two resources:
- Regulatory Approval Primer for Vaccine Advocates: This resource explains the process and highlights critical questions along the way to hold authorities accountable.
- Advocates’ Guide: The risks and benefits of expedited COVID-19 vaccine research: This resource provides an accessible and detailed look at strategies to speed up vaccine development.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Pipeline
- Check out COVID-19 Vaccine Pipeline Cheat Sheet for a snapshot on leading vaccine candidates for COVID-19.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Pipeline PowerPoint presentation offers advocates a detailed view of the funders, platforms, research status and key considerations for some of the front-runner candidates.
- An August webinar included an overview of the COVID-19 vaccine pipeline with the Deputy Director of the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center Barney Graham, and a special focus on the Moderna/NIH candidate (mRNA-1273), which is currently being tested in a Phase III trial.
- AVAC’s recently redesigned COVID-19 webpage on avac.org houses all these resources and more to help advocates make sense of the rapidly evolving research landscape.