New AVAC Report on the State of the AIDS Vaccine Field Calls for Accelerated Action in AIDS Vaccine and HIV Prevention Research

Seattle — The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) announced today at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference that it has received a five-year, $14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a new international HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Network.  The Advocacy Network will work with civil society, policymakers, and research partners around the world to advance ethical research and development of new HIV prevention interventions, ensure that communities are informed about and involved in prevention research, and ensure that the benefits of research are shared globally.

The new grant broadens AVAC’s advocacy focus beyond AIDS vaccines, to include other new HIV prevention interventions such as microbicides and oral prevention drugs.

“We are entering a new era in HIV prevention research, with more products being tested in efficacy trials than ever before,” said Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC.  “A coordinated global effort is urgently needed to support the wide range of prevention research, to ensure that the voices of civil society and communities are heard, and to prepare for results from these trials.”

“It is essential to build support for and understanding of how new HIV prevention tools will help accelerate efforts to slow this epidemic,” said Joe Cerrell, Director of Global Health Advocacy for the Gates Foundation.  “AVAC has been an important voice in AIDS vaccine advocacy for the last decade, and we are extremely pleased to support this broadening of its work.”

“This generous grant from the Gates Foundation will allow AVAC to expand our advocacy efforts and build a global network of advocates who will work to promote HIV prevention research and help communities prepare for the use of new HIV prevention options,” said Mike Powell, President of the AVAC Board of Directors.

AVAC remains committed to advocacy for effective AIDS vaccines, and will now be able to expand its work.  The new international HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Network will:
� Develop international advocacy partnerships that support both the needs of communities involved in research and a global advocacy movement for HIV prevention research.
� Translate complex scientific ideas to communities AND translate community needs and perceptions to the scientific community.
� Work to hold both research agencies and advocates accountable for accelerating ethical prevention research and development.
� Help ensure that communities, policymakers, and civil society have realistic expectations about HIV prevention research and specific clinical trials.
� Work closely with other groups conducting HIV prevention research advocacy, including microbicide advocacy groups.

“With so many clinical trials of HIV prevention interventions underway or planned in the next few years, there is an urgent need for a global advocacy network that will expand and support partnerships among the different groups working in the field,” said Lori Heise, Director of the Global Campaign for Microbicides.

Developing and maintaining strong support for clinical research of new HIV prevention interventions can be difficult in many communities and countries, but is necessary if ethical research is to take place in these communities.  The Advocacy Network will link advocates, researchers, and policymakers from around the world and will share information and identify and promote “good practices” for advocacy and clinical research.

“This network will provide an important knowledge base for those of us working on and supporting clinical trials in our communities,” said Manju Chatani, coordinator of the African Microbicides Advocacy Group. “We look forward to working with AVAC and other partners to strengthen HIV prevention research advocacy here in Africa and in communities around the world.”
Resetting the Clock — New AVAC Report Examines State of the AIDS Vaccine Field and Calls for New, Ambitious Deadlines for Vaccine Development

AVAC also released its annual report examining the state of the AIDS vaccine field today at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference.  The new report, entitled Resetting the Clock, outlines the specific deadlines and challenges facing the field in the arenas of AIDS vaccine scientific strategy, clinical trials, and the broader prevention field and provides recommendations for action by researchers, policymakers, industry, funders, civil society, and advocates, including AVAC.

The report also discusses progress and challenges of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of independent partners committed to accelerating the development of an AIDS vaccine. AVAC is one of the founding stakeholders of the Enterprise.

“We will soon have data from the test-of-concept studies of novel AIDS vaccine candidates,” said Warren.  “It is time to reset the clock to launch a countdown for meeting new, ambitious deadlines for developing new vaccine concepts and candidates that will be needed whether or not there is evidence of benefit from these first test-of-concept trials.”

Key features of Resetting the Clock include:
� New Countdowns looks at progress and barriers in funding and strategy-setting for the vaccine field, addresses key questions about what needs to be done as we wait for the results from current trials, and looks at the responsibilities of key institutions.  It also includes an updated industry survey.
� Racing Against Time examines clinical trials issues and finds that the field is already in danger of slipping behind on several fronts, including clinical trials capacity, consensus on standards of prevention and levels of care, and new funding structures for US prevention research networks.
� Wake Up Call explores the critical lessons to be learned from responses to male circumcision and HPV vaccine introduction.  It also includes a survey of advocates from other areas of the AIDS response about prevention research.
“This report shows that the current state of HIV prevention research is troubling and challenging.  It is time for all AIDS advocates to re-exam�ine their messages, their missions, and their goals for the next five to ten years,” said Warren.  “We at AVAC remain committed to our advocacy for an effective AIDS vaccine and are excited about expanding the scope of our work to include the broader field of HIV prevention research and working with new partners around the globe to ensure that the world finds a way to defeat HIV/AIDS.”

Resetting the Clock is available online at http://www.avac.org/reports.htm.

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About AVAC
Founded in 1995, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is a non-profit, community- and consumer-based organization that uses public education, policy analysis, advocacy and community mobilization to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines and other HIV prevention options. For more information, visit http://www.avac.org.

Call for new urgency, targets and leadership to accelerate research on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

New York, NY — On May 18, 1997, US President Bill Clinton called for a concerted effort to develop an AIDS vaccine within a decade. This year we mark the 10th anniversary of that call for action with a global AIDS epidemic that rages on, and without a preventive HIV vaccine.

“Over the past decade, we have seen great progress in AIDS vaccine development, and we now see signs of great hope for development of a vaccine,” said Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). “But we have fallen short of the goal set out by President Clinton. Critical elements of the accelerated, comprehensive effort that we need to deliver on the promise of an AIDS vaccine are missing.”

In its special HIV Vaccine Awareness Day report, “The Countdown Continues” (available at http://avac.org/pdf/hvad_the_countdown_continues.pdf), AVAC identifies key issues and obstacles to an accelerated, comprehensive approach to AIDS vaccine development and challenges vaccine researchers, advocates, and funders to:

�    Accelerate and better coordinate research and testing of vaccines and other potential new HIV prevention technologies.
�    Sustain clinical trial capacity internationally, especially in communities where the HIV epidemic is most severe.
�    Develop bold and well-resourced plans for vaccine research and community education in all populations at high risk for HIV infection, not only those who are “easier” to reach.
�    Prepare for results of current AIDS vaccine efficacy trials by examining different efficacy scenarios.
�    Ensure that research results of all current trials are widely shared in order to help develop better next generation AIDS vaccine candidates.
�    Urgently expand access to proven HIV prevention options and treatment for all who need them.
�    Bring new, young investigators into AIDS vaccine research.

Ten years ago, President Clinton said, “[W]ith the strides of recent years, it is no longer a question of whether we can develop an AIDS vaccine, it is simply a question of when.”  While the dream of having that vaccine in the first decade of the 21st century has not come true, the world has, nonetheless, made tremendous advances in the past decade.
Global resources for AIDS vaccine development, while still short of what is needed, have quadrupled; the number of countries with clinical trials capacity has expanded from North and South America and Europe to include Asia and Africa; and more than 25,000 brave men, women, and children have stepped forward to volunteer for AIDS vaccine trials around the world.

On this anniversary, AVAC reaffirms its commitment to advocacy for a new clinical trials paradigm that recognizes the need for partnerships that include those from scientific and non-scientific domains. These partnerships both improve research and ensure that communities can immediately benefit from the conduct of clinical trials whose ultimate goal , an AIDS vaccine , may still be years away.

“If we are to sustain the necessary momentum to develop and distribute an AIDS vaccine, advocates, activists, scientists, trial volunteers and concerned citizens must work together to create a new paradigm for AIDS vaccine research and development. We must get better at answering the �question of when,’ and be able to explain why it is taking so long to develop a vaccine. And we must also take every step necessary to ensure that delays are avoided, whether in product development, regulatory decisions, or manufacturing,” said Warren.
“If one candidate fails, we must ensure that communities everywhere know this is not the end of the road. We must be sure that there is another candidate moving steadily forward into clinical trials,” he added. “We will ultimately measure the search for an AIDS vaccine in decades, but both President Clinton’s sense of urgency and optimism must remain with us as we continue the countdown to a day when the AIDS epidemic is over.”

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About AVAC:
Founded in 1995, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is a non-profit, community- and consumer-based organization that uses public education, policy analysis, advocacy and community mobilization to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines and other HIV prevention options. For more information, visit www.avac.org.

About HIV Vaccine Awareness Day:
Each year on May 18th, people around the world commemorate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, an observance to recognize and thank the thousands of volunteers, community members, health professionals, researchers and scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine. It is also a day to educate our communities about the importance of HIV vaccine research and development. More information at http://avac.org/hvad.htm.

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is delighted to announce the launch of its new AIDS Vaccine Clearinghouse, a comprehensive and interactive source of AIDS vaccine information on the Internet. The website, http://www.aidsvaccineclearinghouse.org/, provides a gateway to information and a link to people and organizations interested in AIDS vaccine advocacy, research and global delivery.

The Clearinghouse is divided into separate content sections that each provides an overview, frequently asked questions and “top picks” of other sources to go to for further information on a particular topic. The site covers a wide variety of issues, all of which greatly affect the work of advocates, community members, researchers and policymakers as we work to develop an AIDS vaccine. The Clearinghouse includes both original content and annotated links to other helpful resources. The following sections are included:
� General & Introductory Information
� Vaccine Science, Research & Development
� Clinical Trials Around the World, including a list of clinical trials and trial sites with contact details to get more information
� Communities and Cohorts, with special sections dedicated to issues related to adolescents, women, gay men, sex workers, injecting drug users (IDUs) and African- Americans.
� Participation in a Trial
� Ethics & Human Rights
� Community Involvement
� Vaccine Advocacy
� Policy
� Global Access
� Comprehensive Response to AIDS, which discusses shared issues among AIDS treatment, prevention, and research advocates.
� Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise
� PrEP Watch, which provides comprehensive information on pre-exposure prophylaxis research

In addition, AVAC is simultaneously launching a new Advocates’ Network – an electronic resource for organizations and individuals interested or already involved in advocacy for the development of vaccines for HIV/AIDS. Linked to the Clearinghouse, the Advocates’ Network will provide regular electronic announcements, updates and notices of events or activities related to AIDS vaccine and other prevention research. Advocates can also submit events and activities to be included in the Advocates’ Network Calendar – a calendar of AIDS vaccine related activities around the world. You can join the Network by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

The Clearinghouse and the companion electronic “Advocates’ Network” are being launched in conjunction with the 9th annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, a day designed to educate communities about the importance of HIV vaccine research and thank the thousands of volunteers who have participated in clinical trials.

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, February 7, 2005 — In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) and the Black AIDS Institute (the Institute) are pleased to announce the release of Myths About HIV Vaccines and Vaccine Research, a fact sheet that addresses misconceptions in African American communities about the search for a preventive HIV vaccine.

This fact sheet is part of a partnership between the Institute and AVAC to ensure that African Americans are involved in research efforts to develop vaccines for HIV/AIDS. The fact sheet is available on-line at http://www.blackaids.org/.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 69% of women who tested HIV-positive between 2000 and 2003 were African American. Similarly, African American men had the highest rate of new HIV/AIDS diagnosis among all other racial/ethnic groups in 2003, seven times that of their white counterparts. For African Americans and all communities highly impacted by HIV/AIDS, an effective vaccine could make the difference between life and death.

“One thing we clearly learned from the first large-scale clinical trial of an experimental vaccine for HIV was that African Americans and other communities of color highly impacted by HIV must be represented,” said Edd Lee, AVAC’s Director of Community Education & Outreach.

Recognizing this, AIDS vaccines have been a core component of the Institute’s African American HIV University (AAHU) curriculum, ensuring African American AIDS experts are informed and prepared to tackle the issues of HIV vaccine research.

“This is a great example of how strategic partnerships can create needed resources for communities — AVAC brings expertise in AIDS vaccine research, we bring expertise in African American HIV capacity building, and in the end it is the community that benefits,” said Antonne Moore, Director of Programming for the Institute.

AAHU is a comprehensive training and internship program to decrease stigma and misperception and increase HIV science literacy in Black communities. The Institute is currently accepting applications for the next AAHU session. The deadline for submissions is February 11, 2005, and applications can be found at http://www.blackaids.org/.

About the Black AIDS Institute: The Institute’s mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV. The Institute interprets public and private sector HIV policies, conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, disseminates information and provides advocacy from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

About the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC): AVAC is a not-for-profit, non-partisan community organization dedicated to accelerating the ethical development and global delivery of vaccines for HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit http://www.avac.org/.

NEW YORK — The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) praised a new partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), which was announced today in Johannesburg.

“This is an important step forward in advancing a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention, including the development of an AIDS vaccine, in South Africa,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director. “We are especially excited about this new partnership and its focus on ensuring that a vaccine licensed for adults also be made available to adolescents in a timely way.”

“Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 account for half of all new cases of HIV in the world,” Warren said. “In South Africa, the Mandela Foundation and SAAVI are now taking the lead to make adolescents a top priority in HIV vaccine development.”

AVAC, a non-profit advocacy group that works to speed the ethical development of AIDS vaccines, issued a report in May that called for the inclusion of adolescents in clinical trials of promising AIDS vaccine candidates that have reached the final stages of testing in adults.

Despite the fact that many teenagers around the world are at high risk of HIV, adolescents have generally been excluded from AIDS vaccine trials because of ethical, legal and logistic concerns.

“Although the inclusion of adolescents raises challenging issues, these are all solvable issues  — and they must be solved if we are to develop a vaccine that can reach those most at risk of HIV in a timely way,” Warren said.

He noted that two pharmaceutical companies, Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline, are now conducting large international trials of their STD vaccines among adolescents.  

The full AVAC Report, including the chapter on adolescents, is available at http://www.avac.org.  It is titled “AIDS Vaccine Trials — Getting the Global House in Order.”

NEW YORK – The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today expressed disappointment that the second Phase III trial of an AIDS vaccine did not show efficacy of the candidate vaccine, AIDSVAX. The trial tested AIDSVAX among 2,546 injection drug users in Thailand.

“We are disappointed that AIDSVAX alone did not prove efficacious in this population in Thailand,” said Chris Collins, Executive Director of AVAC. “This trial was not a failure because it tested a product and produced a result. More efficacy trials like the Thai AIDSVAX trial need to be run. Sometimes the results from those trials will be disappointing, but all of us need to be prepared for the long haul to find a vaccine against the biggest infectious disease killer.”

The Thai trial tested AIDSVAX B/E, a version of the vaccine modeled after two strains of HIV – the “B” strain and “E” strain – both found in the Thai population.

“Now is the time to reinvigorate AIDS vaccine research,” Collins said. “Research funding is still woefully inadequate, industry must become more engaged, global clinical trials capacity is insufficient, and there are no real plans to make an AIDS vaccine universally accessible.”

“AVAC applauds the continuing leadership of the Thai government on AIDS prevention, treatment and research, as well as the contributions of the thousands of individuals enrolled in the AIDSVAX trial,” Collins said. “VaxGen’s accomplishment should not be underestimated. Twenty-two years into the epidemic, the company sponsored the first AIDS vaccine efficacy trials and it demonstrated these trials could be completed successfully.”

AVAC is an eight year old community and consumer based advocacy organization dedicated to accelerating the ethical development and global delivery of vaccines against AIDS. The organization is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Until There’s a Cure Foundation, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Gill Foundation, and many generous AVAC Members. More information on AVAC and the AVAC Report are available at http://www.avac.org/.