Dr. Marina Caskey of Rockefeller University and members of the REACH Community Advisory Board hosted a webinar on November 15 to review the current state of HIV cure research. This webinar explored what makes curing HIV so challenging, the strategies being pursued, and what is happening in locally in NYC!
Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research: An introduction to the science under investigation
Announcing the Good Participatory Practice Body of Evidence
We are thrilled to announce the Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Body of Evidence, a new online clearinghouse of case studies and analyses demonstrating the power of GPP, along with tools, templates and trainings for GPP implementation. The resources we’ve gathered for this much-needed “one-stop GPP shop” can be used to show the impact of GPP to date, how it can be measured going forward, and its practical application in real-time.
The Good Participatory Practice Guidelines have been shaping and improving HIV prevention research since 2007. They provide a global reference guide for ethical and effective stakeholder engagement, helping ensure the priorities of trial participants and their communities are centered in clinical trials and broader research agendas.
Over the past 16 years, the original GPP guidelines for HIV prevention have been issued in 10 languages and adapted to other disease areas, including tuberculosis, COVID-19, and emerging pathogens. GPP has given rise to a robust global community of practice, with an expansive history of lessons learned and success stories for the world to build upon.
But GPP implementation is far from easy. Because GPP looks different in every context and outcomes can be difficult to quantify, engagement work is often seen as secondary to clinical processes, and therefore undervalued and under-resourced. The GPP Body of Evidence demonstrates the contribution of GPP to the research enterprise, and the professionalization of GPP implementation.
Rest assured that this is not a one-off effort! Stay tuned for a webinar series in 2024 with key partners including WHO and Wellcome Trust that will highlight critical issues in stakeholder engagement in research, linking to corresponding resources from the Body of Evidence. And we’ll be keeping the Body of Evidence up to date – so please reach out if you have resources to add.
It’s time for GPP to become an international standard for clinical research. Making that case and making it happen, using the GPP Body of Evidence, has never been easier.
Avac Event
Sex, Gender & HIV Cure Research
Wednesday, December 6, 1:00 to 2:00 PM ET
This webinar reviewed core concepts discussed in the previous webinar, Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research: An Introduction to the science under investigation and introduce how hormones may impact cure strategies.
This webinar featured Dr. Jessica Prodger of Western University.
Objectives:
- Review key concepts and terminology of HIV cure
- Known sex differences of HIV progression
- Potential impact of hormones on HIV cure strategies
Recording
Avac Event
Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research: An Introduction to the science under investigation
Wednesday, November 15, 11:00 to 12:30 PM ET
Dr. Marina Caskey of Rockefeller University and members of the REACH Community Advisory Board hosted a webinar on November 15 to review the current state of HIV cure research. This webinar explored what makes curing HIV so challenging, the strategies being pursued, and what is happening in locally in NYC!
Frontiers in Reproductive Health: How might we motivate uptake of the Dual Prevention Pill?
Findings from human-centered design research with potential end users, male partners and healthcare providers
AVAC’s Wawira Nyagah and Kate Segal co-authored a comprehensive manuscript on a demand generation approach for the DPP (Dual Prevention Pill) including findings from research with potential users, male partners, and healthcare providers.
Read the abstract below and the full published research article here.
Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) combining contraception with HIV prevention offer a promising solution to uptake and adherence challenges faced with oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), which combines oral PrEP with an oral contraceptive pill (OCP), could address unmet need for family planning (FP) and HIV prevention. This study aimed to identify barriers and motivators for DPP uptake to inform the development of a DPP demand generation strategy and broader introduction efforts for MPTs.
Avac Event
Africa Health R&D Week
Save the Date: Tuesday, November 21 to Friday, November 24
Africa Health R&D Week 2023 is designed to recognize achievements and step up advocacy for sustainable financing of health R&D through domestic resource mobilization (DRM) in Africa.
Inaugurated in 2022, the Africa Health R&D Week is a continental movement that builds bridges between researchers, policy makers, regulators, civil society advocates and community members committed to Africa’s health transformation through health R&D, and innovation.
This year the four-day virtual forum focuses on the need for sustainable support for vaccine development and manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM). The 2023 edition will leverage South-South learning, by eliciting/ linking lessons and experiences from Asia and Africa.
Hosted by IAVI, in partnership with AVAC under the USAID-funded Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR), the forum will discuss:
Day 1 – The aspirations, the reality and the gaps in Vaccine Manufacturing in LMICs (underscoring Africa)
Day 2 – African Countries contribution to the continental vision (Case studies of building manufacturing capacity)
Day 3 – Industry perspectives from Africa and Asia: Opportunities and challenges, and addressing the issue of sustainability
Day 4 – Advocates workshop to develop an advocacy roadmap to champion vaccine manufacturing
Avac Event
PrEP Resources Showcase
Monday, November 20, 8:00 to 9:30 AM ET
This dynamic, workshop-style showcase was the first of a series that featured multimedia presentations that took participants through key PrEP resources including: A toolkit to ensure programs related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV prevention are well designed to reach and support adolescent girls and young women. Comprehensive databases for tracking PrEP uptake, Implementation research and other critical data by product, country, and population.
Small groups had opportunities to take deep dives into each of the above resources, and explore how they might use these in their work. Additionally, participants provided input on what resources are still needed, collaborate on how to improve and disseminate what exists, and support the development of evidence and networks to advance HIV prevention.
Global PrEP Tracker video / Integrated Study Dashboard video / Breaking the Cycle Toolkit video
Avac Event
Spotlight on New PrEP Tools and Data: From R&D to access
Tuesday, November 28
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. Staying on top of the latest advances is key for advocates, researchers, funders, and others working in HIV prevention to do their job effectively—but how can you navigate the vast amount of PrEP data online? AVAC, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), and Unitaid presented information on three important online PrEP resources and understand how they can support and enhance your work:
- PrEPWatch.org: the one stop shop for PrEP resources to support introduction and scale-up, including the PrEPTracker, the only place to find information on global PrEP initiations online
- Long Acting Therapeutics Patents and Licenses Database (LAPaL): LAPaL is the go-to resource to learn about long-acting therapeutics, their patent landscape, development and regulatory status
- Access to Medicines Tracker: the go-to place for quarterly-updated insights on regulatory filings, regulatory approvals, and product supplies of MPP-licensed generic medicines at the country level.
Vital Conversations in October and November: So many webinars, so little time!
The October and November calendar of webinars offers a wealth of conversations 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 case studies on new interventions at the intersection of HIV prevention and family planning, to research on barriers to care and health priorities for Black gay men in the US; it is a season for advocates to engage in shaping an agenda for 2024.
Scroll down for details and see you online!
October 26, Practicality over Panic: What happens if PEPFAR isn’t reauthorized?
At 11:00 AM ET: Join the Global AIDS Partnership (GAPP) for a candid assessment of the current landscape around PEPFAR, including the implications for work on the ground. It is intended to redirect anxiety into action and provide a reality check: PEPFAR is not going anywhere any time soon.
October 31, Boo, Syphilis is Really Back!
At 1:00 PM ET: Syphilis rates have increased drastically in recent years. Learn how others are addressing these rising rates and the techniques clinicians are using to detect, treat, and prevent infections. Co-hosted with NACCHO and NNPTC.
November 7, Results from STI Landscaping Analyses in East and Southern Africa—Part 1
At 9:00 AM ET: Hear results from STI landscaping projects conducted by AVAC partners in seven different East and Southern African countries that explored needs for STI vaccines and diagnostics.
November 9, Results from STI Landscaping Analyses in East and Southern Africa—Part 2
At 8:00 AM ET: Hear results from STI landscaping projects conducted by AVAC partners in seven different East and Southern African countries that explored needs for STI vaccines and diagnostics.
November 9, Pioneering Self-care Solutions to Drive Access to HIV Prevention and Family Planning
At 8:00 AM ET: This session will amplify lessons from five self-care interventions in family planning and HIV prevention — with case studies on specific interventions— DMPA-SC; the Caya Diaphragm; the Dual Prevention Pill; HIV self-testing; and Triggerise; an mHealth platform. Learn more about how these successful self-care strategies can be applied across diverse settings and join the discussion on the future of self-care in sexual and reproductive health. This session is part of the 2023 Self-Care Learning and Discovery Series. Learn more here.
November 15, HPTN 096: Building Equity Through Advocacy – An Integrated, Status-Neutral Approach for Ending the Epidemic Among Black Gay Men in the South
At 10:00am ET: 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. Visit the study website here. See the speakers list here. Co-sponsored by PrEP in Black America and Federal AIDS Policy Partnership Research Working Group
Avac Event
Pioneering Self-care Solutions to Drive Access to HIV Prevention and Family Planning
Thursday, November 9, at 8:00 AM ET
This session will amplify lessons from five self-care interventions in FP and HIV prevention — DMPA-SC, the Caya Diaphragm, the Dual Prevention Pill, HIV self-testing, and Triggerise, an mHealth platform – to highlight successful self-care strategies across settings and discuss the future of self-care in SRH.
SPEAKERS
- George William Barigye, Regional Technical Advisor- Anglophone countries, Injectables Access Collaborative, PATH Uganda
- Alexandra Angel, Technical Advisor, Sexual and Reproductive Health, PSI
- Charlotte Pahe, Director, Reproductive Health/Integrated Portfolio, PS Kenya
- Serah Malaba, Chief Impact Officer, Triggerise
- Kate Segal, Senior Program Manager, Product Introduction and Access, AVAC
MODERATED BY
- Anna Rammou, Interim Manager, SRHR Access, CIFF
- Wawira Nyagah, Director of Product Introduction and Access, AVAC
- Mitchell Warren, Executive Director, AVAC
This session is part of the 2023 Self-Care Learning and Discovery Series. Learn more about the Discovery Series here.