IAS 2021 was a virtual event running from July 18 to July 21. AVAC tracked the landscape of prevention research to explain, frame, connect and contextualize what’s new, what’s next and what it all means for advocacy.

Below we gathered some resources and highlights.

Resources

• AVAC’s Roadmap tracked sessions where prevention was in the spotlight. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or pdf.

• AVAC’s Research Literacy Zone took the conversation deeper with advocates and researchers exploring timely topics including: updates on rolling out the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, updates on recent results and new trials, advances in vaccine and cure research and new approaches to understanding social factors that impact health. See the full schedule here.

• In real time, AVAC offered comments and updates on Twitter @HIVpxresearch, and our friends at NAM/AIDSMAP reported throughout the conference. You could also follow the conversation using the conference hashtag, #IAS2021.

Satellites, sessions and panels featuring AVAC and partners

Sunday, July 18

Symposium—Pivoting HIV prevention during a parallel pandemic
Ch. 4 14:00-14:50 CEST / 8:00-8:50 EDT
This session explored how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted HIV prevention services and some of the positive changes to how services are managed. Co-moderated by AVAC’s Micheal Ighodaro and Loice OMBAJO, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Monday, July 19

Satellite—Paving the road for new PrEP products: The promise of differentiated, simplified, and decentralized delivery to maximize the potential of emerging PrEP products

Ch. 2 08:30-09:30 CEST / 2:30am-3:30 EDT
Though the world missed the 2020 UNAIDS targets for the uptake of PrEP, there have been gains. PrEP uptake has increased over 100 percent since 2019, largely due to efforts to innovate and adapt PrEP delivery. Instead of clinic-centered models, mobile, pharmacy, and virtual approaches are supporting the effective use of PrEP. The next generation of PrEP, including long-acting injectables, antiretroviral-containing vaginal rings, and the dual prevention pill, must learn from these experiences. Implementers, advocates and researchers discuss these models and others to scale up all forms of PrEP to reach those who need it. Chaired by AVAC’s Jessica Rodrigues, Anna Grimsrud of the International AIDS Society, Davina Canagasabey and Kim Green of PATH.

Symposium—What is missing in the HIV response? Strengthening HIV programmes for trans populations in the Global South (CME)
Ch. 3 11:00-11:50 CEST / 5:00-5:50 EDT
A recent systemic review of health studies among trans populations revealed a dearth of information on health outcomes outside of North and South America. What’s more, little of such research is underway in the Pacific or Asia (Reisner et al., 2015). Without this information how can HIV programmes effectively design interventions, develop indicators and plan for monitoring and evaluation. This session featured a dialogue among academics, HIV service providers and trans community members on where research must expand and to engage the trans community in the development of this research agenda.

Symposium—Build it: But will they come? Prevention efficacy versus population effectiveness
Ch. 3 14:00-15:50 CEST / 8:00-9:50 EDT
Community uptake is crucial for the success of prevention interventions. This session included a discussion how the field can better prepare for the delivery of effective prevention interventions and how communities can contribute to ensuring their success. Co-moderated by AVAC’s Manju Chatani-Gada and Moses R. Kamya of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Satellite—Bringing the Dual Prevention Pill to Market: Opportunities for HIV and Pregnancy Prevention and Implications for Future Multipurpose Prevention Technologies
Ch. 1 21:00-22:30 CEST / 15:00-16:30 EDT
The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), a tablet containing oral PrEP and combined oral contraceptive, is likely to be the first MPT with PrEP to go to market. This combination, preventing both pregnancy and HIV, may transform challenges related to stigma that women face taking PrEP alone. Using the DPP as a case study, this session highlighted practical considerations for future MPTs such as: What are best practices with end users and providers? How do different financing sources for family planning and HIV shape next steps? What approaches can be used to estimate impact? Download the flyer.

Tuesday July 20th

Satellite—An HIV vaccine: who needs it?
Ch. 3 19:00-20:30 CEST / 13:00-14:30 EDT
The response to the HIV epidemic, now in its fourth decade, has marked tremendous progress in developing effective treatments and prevention options, but the challenge of developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine persists, raising important questions about where an HIV vaccine should fit in our global efforts to end the epidemic. Co-sponsored by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise at IAS and UNAIDS, this satellite reaffirms the case for an HIV vaccine against a background of effective but not yet broadly accessible or acceptable prevention. The panel discussion, including AVAC’s Daisy Ouya and others, explored critical questions that will come when an HIV vaccine is discovered, such as who should be immunized, what will be the benefits, the costs, and who will pay?

To mark the launch of Essential Principles & Practices for GPP Compliance: Engaging stakeholders in biomedical research during the era of COVID-19, AVAC hosted a webinar on April 1st. Bartholomew Wilson from the Partnership for Research on Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in Liberia discussed his publication in Nature Medicine on GPP in pandemic research. This was followed by a panel discussion with Danielle Campbell (UCLA) and Miliswa Magongo (Wits RHI) highlighting diverse perspectives on the importance of GPP within COVID-research and beyond.

Watch the recording.

The High-Level Meeting on AIDS took place between June 8-10, 2021. The high-level meeting reviewed the progress made in reducing the impact of HIV since the last United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2016 and the General Assembly adopted a new political declaration to guide the future direction of the response.

HIV Prevention at HLM 2021

• Statement on Adoption of the Political Declaration at the 2021 High Level Meeting
  On June 8th, the General Assembly adopted a Political Declaration that sets important targets and goals in many areas for the next five years but still left work to be done. In the strong words of the US mission “[t]he text we are adopting today, lacks the ambition needed to meet the stated goals of this high-level meeting—ending inequalities and ending AIDS.”

  These concerns are also heard from civil society who find it unacceptable that the Political Declaration does not address the harmful and hateful effect of state criminalization of behaviors or practices. The statement signed by 80 organizations and advocates also presses for greater civil society involvement in the implementation and monitoring of HIV services in their communities.

• No Prevention, No End; The importance of HIV prevention – How Leadership can turn an epidemic

  Excerpts from the HIV prevention meeting from the 2021 High Level Meeting on AIDS — including Mitchell Warren, Joyce Ouma, and Dr. Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi. View the full event here.

• UN 5th High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS: Civil society says “Yes — AND” to the 2021 political declaration
  AVAC’s Maureen Luba Milambe writes in Science Speaks about the Political Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly, the issues surrounding it, how a number of organizations and activists have spoken out about it and how their responses represent a community amendment to the declaration.

Side Events of Interest

• Science, HIV and Covid-19 – Where are we headed?
  June 7, 2021 from 8:00-9:30am ET
  In this side-event, Jon Cohen, a leading science journalist, engaged leaders in global science with specific questions and moderate a panel discussion before inviting questions and comments from the audience and other participants.

• No Prevention, No End: The importance of Leadership for HIV prevention – How decisions can turn an epidemic

  June 8, 2021 from 8:00-9:30am ET

  This side event reinforced the urgent need for leadership to foster and drive decisive action to get back on track to achieve the HIV prevention targets by 2030. Examples were given where leadership on prevention has moved the needle in the HIV response and address resilience for HIV prevention programmes alongside the intersecting COVID-19 epidemic responses. Click for the flyer. And the recording is available.

• Facts of Life: Youth, sexuality & HIV

  June 10, 2021 from 8:00-9:30am ET

  This event included a lively debate between young people, government representative and experts on what’s working, what isn’t and why in securing young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Download the flyer. Watch a recording.

Follow Along on Social Media

For AVAC’s take, follow @hivpxresearch. For the larger conversation, follow #HLM2021AIDS.

Jon Cohen is an Emmy Award-winning science journalist and a staff writer with Science. He has authored four non-fiction books and several articles that have appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian and many other publications. He has extensively worked in the areas of bio-medicine, HIV/AIDS, vaccines and global health. On November 22, 2019 he joined other journalists to discuss the challenges and opportunities of being a health and science reporter.

Watch a recording.