AVAC’s HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellows gathered for an orientation and wrap-up session in Kampala at the end of January. Fellows from 2010, 2011 and eight new fellows from 2012 together with their host organization supervisors gathered in Kampala, Uganda, to take stock of recent accomplishments, plans for the future and take steps to forge an African movement to end the AIDS epidemic. The three-day meeting included debates and discussions about how to prioritize prevention strategies that are available today, such as treatment as prevention and voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), and explorations of the agenda for emerging strategies such as PrEP and microbicides and hoped-for interventions like an effective AIDS vaccine. One highlight was an intensive afternoon session on the potential for influencing the Country Operating Plans that guide the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These “COPs” can be used to leverage additional resources for the pillars of combination prevention—ARV treatment, VMMC and prevention of pediatric infection. In the coming months, advocates will be participating in intensive country-level campaigns.
Yes We Can End the Epidemic: AVAC Fellows Orientation 2012
HIV Prevention Research: Defining moments since 2010
Published in AVAC Report 2011, this timeline shows the HIV prevention scientific breakthroughs from July 2010 to Nov 2011, including the CAPRISA 004, iPrEx and Partners PrEP trials.
Many Opportunities for HIV Prevention
To end AIDS, we need HIV prevention options that are highly effective before, during and after exposure or infection. This graphic from AVAC Report 2011 lists some of these tools.
Priority Tools and Actions
This graphic from AVAC Report 2011 outlines the need to define, evaluate and implement combination prevention in every community affected by HIV. The boxes identifies some of the key strategies and actions needed to make this a reality.
AVAC Playbook 2012
AVAC Playbook 2012 includes AVAC’s analysis of what the top strategic goals should be on a global level, and particularly in hard-hit countries, over the year 2012. It also includes AVAC’s organizational priorities for contributing to these goals.
Press Release
AVAC Report Defines Agenda for Ending the Global AIDS Epidemic
New York, NY — AVAC today issued a three-part, science-based agenda for ending the AIDS epidemic within our lifetimes. The new report, titled The End?, is a unique strategic vision encompassing key steps to accelerate impact with existing HIV prevention tools, emerging strategies and longer term research. It identifies critical priorities in each of these areas and advances specific recommendations for both 2012 and for the next decade.
“The past year has seen building excitement about the possibility of ending AIDS in our lifetime. It is an ambitious goal, but a realistic one, provided we have a clear path forward and the will to do what’s needed,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director. “The science-based agenda in this year’s AVAC Report fills a gap at a critical moment: it describes the full spectrum of actions needed to realize the potential of existing, emerging and long-term biomedical HIV prevention options and change the AIDS response forever.”
The report comes at a pivotal moment for the AIDS response. Just weeks ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton committed the US government to realizing an “AIDS-free generation.” A recent report from UNAIDS mapped a new framework for AIDS investments which are focused on high-impact, evidence-based strategies. Yet at the same time, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced that it has insufficient funds for its next round of grants, effectively delaying any new funding commitments until 2014. Ensuring that the Fund is replenished and continues to support countries worldwide is a top priority for ending AIDS.
“Secretary Clinton and other leaders have put a spotlight on what’s possible. Now, it’s time to agree on a coherent, long-term plan to make it happen,” said Warren. “While our success at ending AIDS is far from assured, the scientific data are speaking loud and clear and expectations are running high. It is essential that funding, implementation and research commitments align. The future of the epidemic hangs in the balance.”
Game-changing research advances fuel optimism
Recent studies have demonstrated that antiretroviral (ARV) medications and other tools can prevent HIV transmission, creating new opportunities to accelerate the global decline in new HIV infections:
- In 2006, trials showed that voluntary medical male circumcision can reduce a man’s risk of infection from a female partner by about 60 percent.
- In 2011, a large US-funded trial released data showing that starting effective HIV treatment earlier reduced individuals’ risk of transmitting HIV by 96 percent.
- In 2009 and 2010, trials of oral and topical pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using ARV medications in specific populations of HIV-negative people provided proof of concept that PrEP is an effective prevention tool.
- In 2011, scientists identified vaccine-induced immune correlates of risk that help explain the positive finding from the RV144 AIDS vaccine trial—the first to demonstrate that a vaccine can have an impact on HIV transmission—and point the way to discovery of an effective AIDS vaccine.
AVAC Report 2011 outlines priorities for success
The agenda for action in the AVAC Report covers three major priority areas. Each area demands action today, while the dividends in terms of impact on the epidemic will be seen in the short, medium and long term:
- Deliver today’s proven strategies at scale, for immediate impact on the epidemic.Scale up innovative HIV testing programs to identify people who can benefit from prevention and treatment; expand access to treatment to preserve health and prevent transmission; and realize the full potential of voluntary medical male circumcision, a so-far underutilized tool.
For 2012, specific global goals include achieving universal access to ARVs at CD4 counts of 350 or below; and ensuring that relevant countries have long-term plans in place to roll out voluntary medical male circumcision with the goal of achieving 80 percent voluntary circumcision rates.
- Demonstrate and roll out emerging tools, including PrEP and microbicides, for even greater impact in five to 10 years.Quickly establish clear plans to understand how and for whom these promising tools might work; launch pilot projects to determine their best uses in different populations; and then prioritize their use in the populations, and in combinations, where their potential impact is greatest.
For 2012, global goals include swift implementation of pilot projects, establishing a clear pathway for confirmatory research on the tenofovir-based microbicide gel, and building and maintaining a pipeline of longer-acting options.
- Develop long-term solutions, including an effective vaccine and a cure.Sustain funding to capitalize on recent scientific advances that have energized the research field.
A key 2012 goal is to close funding gaps for trials that are needed to pursue leads from the RV144 vaccine trial. Such trials are increasingly threatened by potential research budget cuts in the U.S. and other nations. In addition, it is increasingly important to define how a vaccine could impact combination prevention.
Success hinges on sustained financing, used wisely
The report urges that resources for HIV prevention be allocated for greatest possible impact. Where necessary, funding that supports low-impact activities should be reprogramed, based on evidence, to further reduce infections and save more lives. Moreover, AVAC argues that to end the AIDS epidemic, the field needs to define, evaluate and implement combination prevention in every community affected by HIV.
“If we’re serious about ending the epidemic, then we all need to make certain that precious resources are put where they’re needed most,” said Warren. “And we need to ensure that adequate resources are available. We cannot meet these ambitious goals if the Global Fund, PEPFAR and other essential programs are not adequately funded.”
In launching the report, AVAC called on the United States, global health donors and developing countries to increase funding for scale-up of interventions including HIV testing, treatment and voluntary medical male circumcision. At the same time, renewed promise in the vaccine research field can only be pursued through sustained support from the US and other research sponsors.
“Today’s exciting science comes at one of the most challenging and frustrating economic times,” said Warren. “But the case for investing in the AIDS fight is the strongest it has ever been. If we spend more today—and spend it more wisely—we can save money over the long term and rid the world of one of the most devastating and prolonged epidemics in history.”
The full AVAC Report 2011: The End?, along with AVAC’s Playbook 2012, podcasts, graphics and other materials about ending the epidemic, are available at www.avac.org/report2011.
A PDF version of this press release is available here.
Contact:
Mitchell Warren, mitchell@avac.org, +1-914-661-1536
Kay Marshall, kay@avac.org, +1-347-249-6375
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About AVAC: Founded in 1995, AVAC is a non-profit organization that uses education, policy analysis, advocacy and a network of global collaborations to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines, male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP and other emerging HIV prevention options as part of a comprehensive response to the pandemic.
Press Release
AVAC Applauds Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Ambitious, Science-Based Vision to End the AIDS Epidemic
New York, NY — AVAC welcomes today’s remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as the first step in an ambitious vision for ending the global AIDS epidemic.
“Secretary Clinton rightly recognized that this is an era of unprecedented opportunity for changing the course of the AIDS epidemic and making an AIDS-free generation a reality. The announcement of an additional US$ 60 million for combination prevention impact evaluation in four countries is a useful first step in terms of realizing the vision. In the coming months, it will be critical for the Obama Administration to build on the plan that she outlined with specific commitments and objectives for the near-, mid- and long-term,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director.
Secretary Clinton emphasized three core prevention strategies that, if fully implemented, would lead to an AIDS-free generation: prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision and effective antiretroviral treatment for people who are HIV positive.
“HIV testing and counseling programs are the foundation for each of the interventions Secretary Clinton described, and it will be critical for the Obama Administration to focus on massive scale-up of innovative, ethical testing programs as part of its articulated plan for an AIDS-free generation,” Warren said.
“It is also critical to sustain investments in research and development of additional powerful prevention tools, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using ARVs in HIV-negative people, microbicides, and an AIDS vaccine,” Warren added. “If voluntary medical male circumcision, treatment as prevention and prevention of mother to child transmission are taken to scale, the number of new infections will plummet. Deploying additional tools over the long term,could help realize the greatest achievement of ending the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime.”
“This is truly a new era in the AIDS response, with unprecedented opportunities. Research has brought us a host of new ways to prevent HIV, but we have a long way to go before realizing their full potential. Having identified these key areas, the United States needs to continue to show leadership by articulating a clear plan with milestones for progress. Other developed and developing country governments, communities and donors need to show leadership, ownership and initiative as no single nation can end the epidemic on its own.”
AVAC will release its annual report on the state of global HIV prevention at the end of November, laying out a science-based prescription for the coming decade to realize the end of the AIDS epidemic.
Contact:
Mitchell Warren, mitchell@avac.org, +1-914-661-1536
Kay Marshall, kay@avac.org, +1-347-249-6375
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About AVAC: Founded in 1995, AVAC is a non-profit organization that uses education, policy analysis, advocacy and a network of global collaborations to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines, male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP and other emerging HIV prevention options as part of a comprehensive response to the pandemic.
Modeling the End of the Epidemic
“We need to use modeling to communicate what the possibilities are and what’s been gained from investments to date.” This was the consensus of a small group of advocates, activists, public health leaders and modelers gathered on September 9 by AVAC and amfAR to take a closer look at the state of epidemiological modeling as it relates to the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic. There is scientific evidence for a range of potent prevention strategies including treatment as prevention, male circumcision in the immediate term and, in the future, microbicides, PrEP and vaccines. But decision makers face real challenges about determining priorities and budgets. Models can’t provide the answers, but they can give a sense of the benefits and trade-offs for different scenarios. On October 3, Tim Hallett, a modeler and epidemiologist from Imperial College London, met in Nairobi with AVAC and a small group of East African advocates including several of our Fellows, to discuss how advocates can be what Hallett calls “informed consumers” of HIV models. In the coming weeks and months, AVAC and its allies will be working to help frame the questions and modeling the needs critical to ending AIDS. Watch this space.
A New Tool for Laypeople Serving on Institutional Review Boards
The New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS), a partner in AVAC’s work on Good participatory practice for biomedical prevention research, recently published two new training manuals: one for training laypersons serving on ethics committees on how to read and give feedback on protocols, and one on the basics of research ethics. The training manuals and a PowerPoint presentation for training laypersons serving on ethics committees are available for download here. If you have trouble downloading the files or require printed copies, contact us at avac@avac.org.
Press Release
Government Incentives Should Extend to AIDS Vaccine Development
NEW YORK — The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today hailed new federal legislation that provides financial incentives for private industry to develop vaccines and other antidotes to protect people in the event of biological or chemical weapon attacks.
But AVAC called on Congress and the administration to extend the same kind of incentives as those provided under Project Bioshield to spur private investment in a vaccine to combat AIDS.
“Every day, 8,000 people die of AIDS-related illness and 14,000 become newly infected with HIV,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director. “By tearing apart the fabric of entire societies in the developing world and destabilizing governments, AIDS is as much of a national security threat as various agents of biological and chemical warfare.”
Of the estimated $540-$570 million spent for global AIDS vaccine research in 2002, less than 25 percent came from private industry, Warren said. Most of the work was financed by governments and other public-sector sources.
“If we are to find an AIDS vaccine, we must establish new incentives for private industry to greatly accelerate its involvement,” Warren said.
Project Bioshield, signed into law by President Bush on Wednesday, will give private companies $5.6 billion in incentives over the next 10 years to develop and stockpile vaccines and other antidotes to chemical and germ warfare. Among the carrots are guaranteed government purchase of the products and accelerated regulatory approval.
“These are exactly the kind of incentives we need to get the private sector, with its wealth of expertise, more involved in developing a vaccine against the worst plague of modern times,” Warren said. He said similar efforts should be undertaken to spur private investment in vaccines to combat two other killers in the developing world – TB and malaria.
AVAC is a non-profit and non-partisan group that works to speed the ethical development of an AIDS vaccine. It is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and other philanthropic groups.