True Choice in HIV Prevention Involves More than Product Options: Novel strategies in service delivery
The Choice Agenda and presenters from Brazil, Kenya, and South Africa discussed novel strategies for the delivery of HIV prevention interventions. All HIV prevention products have their “Achilles Heels.” Differentiated service delivery supports reaching a wide range of potential users and can overcome challenges with product attributes. Offering different strategies can also make the interface with health care easier and more community friendly.
Speakers:
Ines Dourado, Universidade Federal da Bahia
Catherine Verde Hashim, AVAC
Catherine Martin, Wits RHI
Katrina Ortblad, Fred Hutch
Adriano Queiroz, City of São Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat
Daniel Were, Jhpiego
Thanks to WHO for providing live simultaneous Ukrainian translation and to PAHO for providing live simultaneous translation in Portuguese and Spanish.
HIVR4P Highlights, Inclusive Prevention Pipeline, Policy Shaping & More
AVAC’s round-up of resources, updates and insights this week includes highlights from HIVR4P, a new vision for an inclusive prevention pipeline, shaping policy and more!
HIVR4P 2024 conference highlights and recap
The 5th HIV Research for Prevention (R4P) conferencewas held last week in Lima, Peru. The data and discussions centered on accomplishments in HIV prevention, how far the field remains from reaching targets, understanding how choice works and why it matters, and where the research agenda is headed. As AVAC’s Mitchell Warren told Axios, “lenacapavir is on everybody’s lips here at HIVR4P 2024. That’s probably the second-most popular word this week; I think the most popular word is access.
Partners and AVAC launched The People’s Research Agenda (PRA), a global initiative driven by communities and advocates to envision an inclusive HIV prevention pipeline and ensure the voices of those most affected by HIV are integrated into HIV prevention research and development.
AVAC’s Suraj Madoori Joins Developed Country NGO Delegation (DelDev)
Policy Director, Suraj Madoori is one of four new members to join DevDel, one of the 20 voting delegations to the Board of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. DevDel plays a critical role in the development and evolution of organizational strategy, the funding model, the work of the Secretariat and policy.
AVAC’s Jessica Salzwedel Talks Community Engagement with National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement
In a mini series on community engagement, the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement interviewed AVAC’s Jessica Salzwedel, Senior Program Manager of Research Engagement on what centering communities truly means.
AVAC and Impact Global Health, previously Policy Cures Research, co-hosted a webinar on the current STI R&D pipeline. This discussion featured leading experts sharing the latest advancements in STI diagnostics and treatments, discussing their potential impact on public health and where investments stand.
Speakers:
Mandisa Mdingi, Foundation for Professional Development, South Africa
Cécile Ventola, Senior Technical Officer at Impact Global Health
From Clinical Trial Efficacy to Public Health Impact: A Plan for Accelerating Access to Injectable Lenacapavir for PrEP
This plan provides a broad view of all the moving parts and identifies actions and actors responsible for ensuring time is not wasted and opportunity not squandered.
AVAC’s Guide to HIVR4P 2024 in Lima
We are looking ahead to the biennial HIV Research for Prevention 2024 conference in Lima, Peru next week, 6-10 October. HIVR4P is a space where biomedical HIV prevention research, policy and programs takes center stage. Whether you’ll be in Lima or are following from afar, AVAC will keep you connected!
Read on for information on AVAC sessions, a sortable roadmap, the Advocates’ Corner (open all week) and more!
Resources
Use AVAC’s Prevention Roadmap of conference sessions and satellites to find what interests you the most. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or PDF.
Advocates’ Corner: If you plan to be in Lima, be sure to join us and our CASPR partners at the Advocates’ Cornerto take the conversations and themes deeper. The Advocates’ Corner will be open throughout the conference hosting a program of activities along with materials displays and opportunities for informal networking. Be sure to check the events page for updates on programming.
AVAC’s Coverage: From the latest news on injectable lenacapavir, to updates on the development of next generation prevention options, to the complex work of implementing the tools that exist today and all the advocacy needed to get it all done, our email dispatches to the Advocates’ Network keep you informed. Follow events in real time on Twitter at #HIVR4P2024 and Instagram.
People’s Research Agenda: During HIVR4P, we’ll be releasing the new People’s Research Agenda, a global initiative driven by communities and advocates to define the most urgent priorities, research questions and recommendations for HIV prevention research. We hope it serves as a guide to what is – and should be – discussed at HIVR4P and beyond.
Satellites and Sessions Featuring AVAC and Partners
Symposium:Reducing burdens and barriers to expand the use of HIV prevention options, 13:30 – 15:00 This session will explore the promise, potential and risks of using remote tools, such as telemedicine, virtual tools, apps and self-testing and the impact of other tools used to expand access and uptake of HIV prevention modalities. It will also review approaches to overcome misinformation and mistrust.
Find these resources, conference highlights and more at AVAC’s dedicated HIVR4P 2024 page. And watch this space for new opportunities to come together and shape what happens next.
Avac Event
HIVR4P 2024
The 5th HIV Research for Prevention (R4P) conferenceis being held in Lima, Peru from 6 to 10 October. Held every two years, HIVR4P is the only global conference to focused exclusively on biomedical HIV prevention, including AIDS vaccines, microbicides, PrEP, treatment as prevention and other approaches.
See below for conference highlights, recaps and announcements.
Advocates’ Guide to Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs)
Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) are products designed to simultaneously address more than one sexual and reproductive health concern. This advocates’ guide shows the pipeline of products in development, discusses why MPTs are needed, investment, and what advocates can do to push for MPT development and introduction.
The Lens on LEN
The Basics on Injectable Lenacapavir as PrEP
In 2024, Gilead Sciences released findings from the PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 trials testing lenacapavir (LEN) as HIV prevention. The PURPOSE 1 trial found 100% efficacy in preventing HIV in 5,300 cisgender women in Uganda and South Africa, and the PURPOSE 2 trial showed a 96% reduction in HIV incidence among cisgender men, trans, and non-binary individuals across multiple countries. Both trials demonstrated LEN’s safety and effectiveness in reducing HIV transmission. This advocates’ primer provides background on the product and trials; a summary of the early findings of PURPOSE 1 & 2; key questions and next steps.
SRH + HIV integration advocacy, Pandemic Accord, GPP and more!
AVAC’s round-up of resources, updates and insights this week includes a new roadmap for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV integration, resources to support an equitable Pandemic Accord, innovations in Good Participatory Practices (GPP) and more!
The power of choice in contraception, sexual health and HIV prevention this World Contraception Day
Copper Rose Zambia, as a part of CASPR and AVAC launched a new resource addressing the critical need for integrated SRH and HIV services. This roadmap provides key steps for success, focusing on collaboration, strategic mapping and targeted advocacy.
MPTs are products designed to simultaneously address more than one sexual and reproductive health concern. This advocates’ guide shows the pipeline of products in development, discusses why MPTs are needed, investment, and what advocates can do to push for MPT development and introduction.
A group of organizations advocating for an integrated and holistic approach to preparedness that emphasizes equity, inclusion, and synergies of multiple global health programs in advancing preparedness, shares five priorities in Pandemic Accord negotiations.
AVAC’s Sam Rick moderated CISDI’s event alongside Nina Schwalbe, Lawrence Gostin, Eloise Todd and others, reminding the audience that for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR) to succeed, lessons from the HIV response must be integrated into the architecture being built for PPPR.
The 2024 Good Participatory Practice Online Course is now accepting applications for 30 spots! This course offering will run 14 October – 20 December 2024. The application deadline is 9 October.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Integration Advocacy Roadmap
This roadmap addresses the critical need for integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV services. This integration is essential for enhancing public health outcomes, socio-economic benefits, and individual health and rights. The Roadmap aims to revitalize and sustain advocacy efforts for SRH and HIV integration, empower communities to hold stakeholders accountable for implementation, increase political and program support to enable the shift from policy to practice, and foster dynamic partnerships across research, advocacy, implementation, and policy sectors.
It was developed by Copper Rose Zambia (CRZ) as part of the Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR). It draws on extensive input, including desk reviews, interviews, focus group discussions, and a specialized workshop held at the 2023 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
