Thursday 28 August 2025 at 13:00 – 14:00 Geneva-time
Times in your location: 7:00 EDT / 12:00 WAT / 13:00 CEST / 13:00 SAST / 14:00 EEST / 16:30 IST / 18:00 ICT / 19:00 PHST
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
This is the first webinar in a three-part series:
Part 2 on 4 September 2025 focus on HIV testing (in partnership with PSI)
Part 3 will focus on e-training for PrEP providers (in partnership with Jhpiego)
Further details about these webinars will be shared soon!
Avac Event
Expanding HIV Prevention Options: Spotlight on new HIV prevention technologies
Join the International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) to discuss the dapivirine vaginal ring, lenacapavir, and cabotegravir. Moderated by Lillian Mworeko and Dr. Lilian Benjamain Mwakyosi, speakers include:
Michelle Rodolph, WHO
Shannon Kowalski, Global Fund
Leonard Solai, Population Council
Yvette Raphael, Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa
Beryl Abade, youth champion and PrEP advocate
Avac Event
GBGMC Town Hall
We are excited to invite you to our next TOWN HALL 📣 happening on Tuesday, August 12th at 10 AM EST!
We will be launching two critical resources:
📊 Market Assessment Report
📈 Key Population Long-Acting PrEP Demand Forecast
Gain insights from leading voices driving innovation in HIV prevention:
✨ Micheal Ighodaro – GBGMC
✨ Matt Hamilton – Avenir Health
✨ Catherine Verde-Hashim – AVAC
Together, we’ll explore what’s next for long-acting PrEP access, readiness, and demand among key populations globally.
Will Lenacapavir be a Lever or a Let-Down? Lessons, Resources and Considerations for Implementation in the United States
Approved in July, lenacapavir for PrEP has tremendous potential to increase access and engagement in the United States, reaching individuals who have been unable to embrace PrEP in its previous formulations. The Choice Agenda and the HIV BLUPrInt team for a deep dive into rolling out lenacapavir (Yeztugo) in the US. Speakers summarized lessons, previewed existing resources, and called for expanded research and practice models that use lenacapavir as a lever to increase HIV prevention access, empowerment, and reach.
What’s New & Next in HIV Prevention: Update on Research & Development AND Delivery
This is an ongoing series which occurs on the first Monday of alternating months and moderated by Drs. Patrick Sullivan (Emory Center for AIDS Research) and Kenneth Mayer (Harvard University Center for AIDS Research).
In August, AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren presented. Watch the presentation below. Download his slides.
Avac Event
PrEP Implementation — What’s worked and what are we learning
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as a critical tool in the global HIV prevention response. Despite its proven efficacy, global uptake of oral PrEP has been slower than anticipated, falling short of UNAIDS’ 2025 targets. However, several countries have successfully scaled up oral PrEP, and in the process learnt significant lessons, many of which they are already applying to introduce newer long-acting (LA) PrEP options such as the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) and injectable cabotegravir (CAB), and in planning for the introduction of the recently FDA approved twice yearly injectable lenacapavir (LEN).
This webinar aimed to increase momentum around ARV-based HIV prevention by highlighting key opportunities and challenges in scaling up PrEP. Drawing on findings from AVAC’s recent report, “Getting PrEP Rollout Right This Time: Lessons from the Field” (June 2025), the session shared country-level insights and effective interventions to support PrEP adherence and uptake. It reinforced the need for robust, context-driven strategies to accelerate equitable access to these critical prevention tools.
The specific objectives of this webinar were:
Disseminate key findings from AVAC’s report, Getting PrEP Rollout Right This Time, with a focus on country experiences thematically analysed across the key stages of the Product Introduction Pathway.
Share country-level evidence and insights on the introduction of new PrEP products, such as injectable cabotegravir (CAB) and the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) and preparations for the rollout of lenacapavir.
Introduce an SOP to guide the adaptation of national PrEP policies for the inclusion of lenacapavir, supporting evidence-informed decision-making and implementation planning.
Highlight effective interventions that support PrEP adherence and uptake, drawing on evidence products developed by the i2i programme.
The IAS 2025 conference in Kigali will go down as a critical turning point in the history of the HIV response. Every session, every meeting, every presentation played out against an existential threat: will the world find the courage and political will to end the HIV epidemic, with tremendous advances in technology underway, or will the momentum seen through 2024 collapse as evidence-based interventions fall way to ideology?
Leaders across the field are persevering to push forward the science, policies, programs and partnerships that are essential to achieve impact; and they are calling for solidarity. Advocates are leading the way, cutting a path and demanding equity, human rights and community leadership. WACI Health’s Rosemary Mburu captured this call to action at the opening session, saying “Community action is not the soft side of science — it’s what gives science its soul, its reach, and its relevance.”
See AVAC’s resources tracking the impacts and consequences of actions to dismantle foreign aid.
New research on the HIV prevention pipeline is expected to be shared alongside evidence on how the dismantling of foreign aid and the retreat from US commitments to science and global health are impacting lives and livelihoods. Every aspect of the HIV response is under attack — from basic research and clinical development to policy, programs, and global access to life-saving treatment and prevention.
Use AVAC’s Roadmap to find sessions where prevention and the larger issues of global health equity and sustainability are in the spotlight. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or PDF.
The future of HIV prevention clinical trials, Satellite, 18:00 – 19:30, featuring AVAC’s Grace Kumwenda presenting on community perspectives in HIV prevention clinical research
Co-Chair’s choice, Oral abstract, 15:00 – 16:00, featuring a presentation of the Phase 2 safety and pharmacokinetic study of MK-8527 as once-monthly oral PrEP
Getting to grips with prevention, Plenary, 09:00 – 10:30, featuring updates on HIV vaccine discovery medicine and evidence-based innovations to simplify and de-medicalize PrEP choice
Pregnancy and long-acting ARVs for prevention and treatment, Symposium, 13:45 – 14:45, featuring AVAC partner Chilufya Kasanda of Ascend Futures Foundation in Zambia and updates from Merck, ViiV and Gilead on their respective PrEP programs
Avac Event
2025 International Society for Vaccines Mini Symposium
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is partnering with the International Society for Vaccines (ISV) to host a virtual mini-symposium on HIV vaccine research and development (R&D). Be sure to take up this unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around HIV vaccine development.
Event speakers Part of ISV’s quarterly Mini Symposia series, this session brings together global leaders in HIV vaccine R&D to share the latest research, challenges and breakthroughs in the field.
Join us in a discussion with:
Glenda Gray, Wits Infectious Disease and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), South Africa
Lindsey Baden, Mass General Brigham, USA
Nyaradzo Mgodi, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Peter Gilbert, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, USA
Shan Lu, UMass Chan Medical School and Worcester HIV Vaccine, USA
