Cumulative Number of PrEP Initiations for Q1 of 2023
The Case For an HIV Cure and How to Get There
Viewpoint appearing in The Lancet HIV
Appearing in The Lancet HIV: We propose steps to plan for an HIV cure now, including defining a target product profile and establishing the HIV Cure Africa Acceleration Partnership (HCAAP), a multidisciplinary public-private partnership that will catalyse and promote HIV cure research through diverse stakeholder engagement. HCAAP will convene stakeholders, including people living with HIV, at an early stage to accelerate the design, social acceptability, and rapid adoption of HIV-cure products.
New Issue of PxWire: A look at where we are in HIV prevention
Our new issue of PxWire is here and shares the latest PrEP updates including new data from the PrEP Tracker, the HIV prevention pipeline, the prevention playlist and more! Check out the full issue here.
Evolving Strategies for an HIV Vaccine: One researcher explains where the field is going and why?
Produced and hosted by Jeanne Baron
With several large HIV vaccine trials in the last few years finding no efficacy, the field is in transition. There are diverse ideas in vaccine research, but there’s no clear concept that’s ready to test in a late-phase trial or move towards product development currently. Researchers are back to testing new ideas in early phase research.
In this episode of our Px Pulse podcast, Evolving Strategies for an HIV Vaccine: One researcher explains where the field is going and why?, Dr. Katy Stephenson explores the implications of recent trial results, the big questions driving next generation vaccine development, and new strategies underway in early phase research. Katy is a doctor, a researcher, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and part of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research.
Listen:
Resources:
Experimental Medicine Vaccine Trials (EMVTs): Opportunities and Challenges
In 2023, AVAC and CASPR partners cast a spotlight on many issues and opportunities for HIV vaccine science. This one-pager highlights key conversations.
Avac Event
STI & HIV World Congress (ISSTDR) 2023
The STI & HIV World Congress (also known as ISSTDR) kicks off in Chicago, Illinois, USA and AVAC will be there. This is the first major face-to-face meeting of STI & HIV professionals since 2019 and one of the only spaces the global STI community comes together to promote ongoing STI research efforts and exchange information on current investigations. This is also the first time AVAC is attending ISSTDR in hopes of expanding STI advocacy and community engagement.
STI & HIV World Congress Resources
- Use AVAC’s Roadmap to find sessions where prevention, pandemic preparedness and the larger issues of global health equity are in the spotlight. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or PDF and the full conference program is here.
- Follow events in real time with the official hashtag, #STIHIV2023, AVAC will offer comments and updates on Twitter.
Visit STIWatch.org, a new resource for the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) community to better understand and advocate for STI vaccine and diagnostics research, development and rollout.
STI & HIV World Congress 2023 Roadmap
Check out some AVAC-featured sessions below.
The STI Prevention Pipeline: Where Are We, and What Will It Take to Move Forward Faster?
Monday, July 24 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the Cadmium Room
Join us to explore the current development and implementation stages of STI vaccines and diagnostics and identify ways to accelerate research through advocacy.
Symposium: New Vaccine Approaches to STI Prevention STI Vaccine Acceptance and Equity
Tuesday, July 25 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM in Chicago 6
Join AVAC’s Alison Footman to dive into the topic of STI vaccines and equity as new interventions come into reach.
Setting Up a Remote/Home Testing STI Programme: A Practical Toolkit
Thursday, July 25 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in Sheraton IV/V Room
Join us to explore the power of remote testing to affordably curb STI acquisitions.
Community Happy Hour
Monday, July 24, 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Lizzie McNeill’s
Join AVAC and partners for a no frills happy hour for the STI community. All are welcome!
ISSTDR Advocacy Zone
Monday, July 24 to Thursday, July 27 at the Exhibit Hall
Visit the Advocacy Zone, a space to ask important questions, connect with fellow STI advocates, and begin to chart next steps in advancing STI R&D.
HIV Prevention Plus Plus: Developing Options that Meet the Full Range of our Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs
Tuesday, April 25 at 9:00 AM–10:30AM ET
Despite a dynamic research and development (R&D) pipeline for prevention products, male and female condoms remain the only multi-purpose prevention technologies (MPTs) currently available. Yet MPTs are an integral part of the HIV prevention advocacy agenda. For decades, advocates have pushed for products to be developed that simultaneously prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and/or pregnancy.
With a growing number of PrEP options already, what will it take to bring a new MPT to market? A Dual Prevention Pill (DPP – https://www.prepwatch.org/products/dual-prevention-pill/) that prevents both HIV and pregnancy could be just two years away. Looking further upstream, there are over 25 other MPTs in the pipeline (https://www.prepwatch.org/research-pipeline/), including vaginal rings, which would follow in the footsteps of the dapivirine vaginal ring recommended by WHO and recently approved in several countries.
Within this fast-evolving HIV prevention landscape, work is already underway to build a platform to introduce the DPP, which could speed up the rollout of other MPTs. Join us to hear what we’ve learned so far on R&D, marketing, counseling and delivery for MPTs – and to discuss what we can do now to prepare prevention markets to include new MPT options.
Featured Speakers:
Ruth Akulu, ICWEA, AVAC fellow
Barbara Friedland, Population Council
Gregorio Millet, amfAR
Dr. Thesla Palanee-Phillips, Wits RHI
Danielle Resar, Clinton Health Access Initiative
Co-moderators: Wawira Nyagah, AVAC Kate Segal, AVAC
Avac Event
AIDSImpact Conference
June 12 to 14, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other ongoing conflicts in the world, have globally disrupted health services and affected treatment and psychosocial care of people living with HIV.
HIV prevention including HIV testing has also been negatively affected.
In order to ensure that HIV continues to feature on the worldwide agenda, focus and determination will be required.
The theme of the AIDSImpact 2023 is therefore. Power for Action Now!
Px Wire February 2023
Volume 13, Number 1
This issue offers data from Q4 of 2022, when South Africa became the fourth country in the world to approve injectable cabotegravir (CAB) for PrEP; the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) was approved in a growing number of countries; and oral PrEP use was on the rise, passing the mark of 3.8 million initiations. For the first time, the world has multiple biomedical interventions to offer choice, and it’s essential to develop the programs that bring the fruits of science to the communities facing public health threats, while continuing to invest in developing new options to meet diverse needs.
Advancing HIV Prevention Research in Pregnant and Lactating People (PLP): Think Tank Report & Action Plan
The work of the AVAC/PHASES think tank to advance HIV prevention research with pregnant and lactating people was importantly grounded in a trio of conceptual frameworks: 1. Reproductive Justice, 2. Conceptual shifts articulated in the Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS: Seeking Equitable Study (PHASES) Ethics Guidance and 3. WHO/ IMPAACT framework for accelerated inclusion of pregnant women in pre-licensure clinical trials.