November 10, 2023
AVAC has a package of resources, and updates to share on cross-cutting issues facing advocates who care about global health equity and HIV prevention. From discussions on PEPFAR reauthorization, to an evolving picture on sexually transmitted infections, to the latest on the Pandemic Accord, to must-read and must-listen to updates on the state of the field and the state of access to new PrEP options, we’ve got it all. Scroll down for the latest and be sure to mark your calendars for five important webinars coming up this month!
Article: Progress Against HIV and AIDS is Fragile
Ahead of World AIDS Day, Mitchell Warren spoke with POZ Magazine for a comprehensive look at where we are in the fight against HIV/AIDS and what advocacy and scientific breakthroughs are needed in ending the epidemic. “I think a lot about the progress we’ve achieved in providing ARVs worldwide, about what the global HIV response contributed to the COVID-19 response and continues to contribute to current conversations about preparing for future pandemics. It’s remarkable… And yet that progress has not been equitable and is not yet sustainable. What we’ve achieved today could slip away so quickly…”
PxPulse Podcast: Inclusion of Pregnant and Lactating People in HIV Research
The newest episode of our PxPulse podcast is out now! In this episode, experts discuss why pregnant and lactating people have been excluded from HIV research in the past, and what needs to change. The podcast features Anne Drapkin Lyerly of the PHASES Project, a participant from the HPTN 084 trial in Zimbabwe, Ashley Lima of USAID, Takunda Sola of the Zimbabwe MoH AIDS/TB Unit and AVAC’s Manju Chantani-Gada and Jeanne Baron.
Bhekisisa Podcast: The Anti-HIV Jab is Coming to South Africa
Advances in HIV prevention represent a huge opportunity to help get actual prevention choices into the hands of people. Listen to this podcast with Bhekisisa’s Mia Malan and in conversation with Mitchell Warren as they breakdown the complexity of issues in getting cabotegravir for PrEP available to those who want and need it as fast as possible.
Webinar Recording: Boo, Syphilis is Really Back!
AVAC, NACCHO and NNPTC also hosted a webinar on the increasing rates of Syphilis rates to share learnings on how others are addressing these rising rates and the techniques clinicians are using to detect, treat, and prevent infections.
Webinar Recording: Results from STI Landscaping Analyses in East and Southern Africa
Earlier this year, AVAC awarded seven teams funding to conduct projects in Southern and Eastern Africa to help understand the needs and evolving landscape around STI vaccines, diagnostics, and advocacy. These teams shared their findings and insights on two webinars that are not to be missed. Be sure to listen to the recordings, and to stay up to date with other STI events and resources by subscribing to our newsletter and visiting www.stiwatch.org.
Publication: Motivating Demand for the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP)
Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) combining contraception with HIV prevention offer promising solutions to the challenges of adherence and uptake we’ve seen with oral PrEP. This new manuscript published in Frontiers in Reproductive Health by AVAC’s Wawira Nyagah, Kate Segal and partners shares findings to support a demand generation approach for the DPP (Dual Prevention Pill).
Webinar Recording: Where We Are in the PEPFAR Reauthorization
The reauthorization of PEPFAR—a program that just surpassed 20 years, has been a hot button topic both in the US and abroad. Listen to Practicality Over Panic: What Happens if PEPFAR is not Reauthorized, a candid discussion hosted by the Global Health Council and Global AIDS Policy Partnership and including AVAC’s Richard Muko on where things are at. And don’t miss AVAC’s PxPulse podcast episode, PEPFAR at 20: Keeping the promise, which explores important successes of PEPFAR and why the bipartisan program has been so fundamental in ending the epidemic.
Webinar Recording: HIVR4P Preview
Ahead of the HIVR4P conference in 2024, and the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, experts previewed some of the HIV prevention science to expect at these meetings. Be sure to check out the recordings on three important topics: Implementation and rolling out of CAB-LA; Insights into HIV vaccine research; and the future of bNAbs.
Analysis: What You Need to Know About the Pandemic Accord
Negotiations around the Pandemic Accord are ongoing. Join us November 21 as we explore what’s in the Accord, what are the stakes, how can civil society engage, how will it affect our work. And to help make sense of it all, read the analysis by the Coalition of Advocates for Global Health and Pandemic Response, which is a compilation of recommendations from civil society and community organisations on the draft Negotiating Text of the WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Webinars
November 15, HPTN 096: Building Equity Through Advocacy – An Integrated, Status-Neutral Approach for Ending the Epidemic Among Black Gay Men in the South
Join The Choice Agenda and partners for a fascinating discussion about a novel, much-needed HIV prevention research study – HPTN 096. Currently in the field, the study addresses social, structural, institutional, and behavioral barriers to HIV prevention and care. Co-sponsored by PrEP in Black America and Federal AIDS Policy Partnership Research Working Group.Register here.
November 15: Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research
Join Dr. Marina Caskey of Rockefeller University and members of the REACH Community Advisory Board as they review the current state of HIV cure research. This webinar is for any person interested in learning about what makes curing HIV so challenging, the strategies being pursued, and what is happening in NYC! Register here. A follow-on webinar is scheduled for November 29.
November 20: PrEP Resources Showcase
Join AVAC and partners for a dynamic, workshop-style event exploring a digital collection of tools and resources on PrEP planning, access, trends in implementation research, and initiations to support robust access to PrEP and HIV prevention. Click here to register and learn more.
November 21 to 24: Africa Health R&D Week 2023
Coalition to Accelerate & Support Prevention Research (CASPR) partners AVAC and IAVI are hosting the second Africa Health R&D Week November 21 through 24. The virtual forum will focus on the need for sustainable support for vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa, including through domestic resources mobilization. More information and registration are available here.
November 28: Spotlight on New PrEP Tools and Data: From R&D to access
Between the recent accelerated growth in global PrEP initiations, and the introduction of new PrEP products like cabotegravir and the dapivirine vaginal ring, the field of PrEP data has never been more exciting or more complex. Join AVAC, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), and Unitaid to learn more about three important online PrEP resources and understand how they can support and enhance your work.