Avac Event

Improving Access to Innovative HIV Technology

Two things need to happen to achieve greater success in the global fight against HIV: dramatically reduce new infections and achieve viral suppression in those already living with the virus. In order to meet these goals, new infections must come down from an annual rate of 1.7-2 million that has been stagnant for a decade, viral suppression must be sustained and ensured for the more than 23 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) on anti-retroviral treatment (ART), and treatment must be provided to the more than 14 million PLHIV not on ART.

New technology offers the potential to facilitate these efforts if they can be utilized effectively. The July 2019 International AIDS Society science conference in Mexico City highlighted several important technological innovations either already on the market or that will be available in the coming years including long-acting injectable treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), implants, and broadly neutralizing antibodies as a vaccine. However, the ongoing experience of starting oral PrEP programs has demonstrated that taking new products to scale for impact is complex and that there are significant obstacles to ensuring access to those in need.

On Tuesday, October 22nd, 2:30-5:00 pm, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted a public event to explore recent developments in HIV prevention and treatment technology, examine successes and challenges in integrating those products into existing service delivery, and discuss how global programs, such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund, need to adapt to ensure access and uptake.

Fireside Chat

Moderated by:
J. Stephen Morrison – Senior Vice President and Director, CSIS Global Health Policy Center

Panel Discussion

  • Ambassador Deborah L. Birx – Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, PEPFAR
  • Charles Lyons – President and CEO, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
  • Mitchell Warren – Executive Director, AVAC

Moderated by:
Sara M. Allinder – Executive Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Global Health Policy Center

Watch a recording of the event here.

Avac Event

It’s Complicated: Implementation questions regarding price, programming and policies for Descovy as PrEP

Advocates, policy makers, funders and other stakeholders have surfaced a number of questions regarding Descovy (F/TAF) for PrEP – recently approved by the FDA to prevent HIV during anal sex. With Truvada (TDF/FTC) set to go off patent next year, several generic options waiting in the wings, and our community’s reliance on the 340B program for funding PrEP-related services, many have raised concerns about price, policy and programming related to Descovy. Added to the complicated mix of issues are the presence of numerous lawsuits calling into question the safety of Truvada for both treatment and prevention and different PrEP indications for Descovy and Truvada, including different safety profiles. On Monday, November 11, an array of experts helped us sift through the questions – none of which have easy answers, all of which have significant implications for PrEP implementation in the United States.

Moderator:

Speakers:

  • Amy Killelea, Senior Director, Health Systems & Policy – National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)
  • Tim Horn, Director, Medication Access and Pricing – NASTAD
  • David Hardy, Immediate-Past Chair, HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • Craig Hendrix, Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, and Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Recording and Slides: YouTube / David Hardy and Craig Hendrix’s Slides / Amy Killelea and Tim Horn’s Slides

Avac Event

Trial Design Takes a Step in the Post PrEP Era: What will Gilead’s study of F/TAF among cisgender women tell us about next gen PrEP and next gen trial design

The FDA’s October approval excluded F/TAF as PrEP “for those who have receptive vaginal sex.” Many voices have expressed outrage that Gilead’s strategy for F/TAF regulatory approval left women by the wayside. Gilead had previously claimed finding a relevant cohort of women would not be feasible. Gilead is designing a novel trial, planned to begin in Africa in 2020, to gather missing data about the safety and efficacy of F/TAF among cisgender women. What are the implications of this trial? On Wednesday, November 13, the FDA’s Jeff Murray presented how an innovative design will enable a relatively smaller trial, and the questions it raises.

Recording and Slides: YouTube / Jeff Murray’s Slides

Avac Event

PK, PD and F/TAF: What does an advocate need to know about the pharmacology of safety and efficacy and today’s PrEP drugs

On Friday, November 15, from 1-2pm ET, leading pharmacologists including Angela Kashuba (UNC), Craig Hendrix (Johns Hopkins) and Pete Anderson (University of Colorado) will join in a discussion on the important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic questions related to F/TAF and TDF/FTC. We’ll explore questions about what drug levels matter, and where in the body drug needs to be to protect against HIV.

Register here.

Avac Event

Webinar: Are we there yet? The long and winding rectal road…

IRMA’s Marc-Andre LeBlanc and Craig Hendrix of Johns Hopkins and the Microbicide Trials Network provide a rollicking rectal recap. From the rectal dawn of research and advocacy til today, scientists and advocates have worked together tirelessly (and fiercely) to advance safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for the men, women, and transgender individuals who want and need them.

With threats to the microbicide field at large coming from multiple angles, this webinar takes stock of where we have been and where we are now in terms of rectal microbicide research and advocacy to help us chart our collective course forward. We seek to ensure adequate, sustainted resources for the development of user-desired, user-initiated, short-term, non-systemic, pleasure-enancing HIV prevention options – including rectal microbicides.

Recording: Youtube / Audio / Slides

Avac Event

Webinar: Informing the Research Enterprise

On September 5, there was a conversation with Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, the Director of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the future of investments in the US National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) HIV clinical trial research networks in the US and internationally.

Every seven years, the NIH reviews the structure and funding of its HIV clinical research networks. This “network recompetition” process involves decisions will help determine the focus and priorities of its HIV clinical trial networks through 2027, as well as the number and structures of the various networks that undertake this research. These are critical questions for advocates to weigh in on—whether you are in the US or not. Learn more with our factsheet.

The webinar included a brief introductory presentation from Dr. Carl Dieffenbach followed by a Q&A session. NIAID is also currently accepting public comments and questions online, so now is your chance!

Recording: YouTube / Audio / Slides

Avac Event

Webinar: HIV Research in the Era of PrEP: The implications of TDF/FTC for biomedical prevention trials

On Thursday, October 26, colleagues from the Treatment Action Group (TAG), along with advocates, researchers and GPP practitioners, discussed the recommendations from TAG’s recently released white paper, HIV Research in the Era of PrEP: The Implications of TDF/FTC for Biomedical Prevention Trials.

The effectiveness and increasing availability of oral PrEP raises questions about how it should be incorporated into clinical trial designs for next-generation HIV prevention options. This paper explores ethics, the scientific literature to date, and advocates’ views on the issue.

Recording: YouTube / Audio / Slides

Avac Event

Webinar: Informing the Research Enterprise: Dr. Carl Dieffenbach on future priorities for HIV research networks

On Friday, October 27, there was the second webinar in a series with Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, the Director of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the future of investments in the US National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) HIV clinical trial research networks in the US and internationally. A recording of the first webinar is available here.

As background, every seven years, the NIH reviews the structure and funding of its HIV clinical research networks. This “network recompetition” process involves decisions that will help determine the focus and priorities of its HIV clinical trial networks through 2027, as well as the number and structures of the various networks that undertake this research. These are critical questions for advocates to weigh in on—whether you are in the US or not. Learn more with our factsheet.

The webinar included a brief introductory presentation from Dr. Carl Dieffenbach followed by a Q&A session. NIAID is also accepting public comments and questions online until November 30, 2017, so now is your chance!

Recording: YouTube / Audio / Slides

Avac Event

AIDS 2018

The International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018), a biennial gathering for those working in the field of HIV, including policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the epidemic, was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Dispatches from Amsterdam

AVAC posted live updates from Amsterdam on Twitter and Facebook. We also offered more in-depth updates via our Advocates’ Network. Take a look:

Insight to Impact: Driving Demand Creation for HIV Prevention

This day-long pre-conference session at AIDS 2018 showcased world-class solutions to increase demand for HIV prevention options. Public health and communication experts led interactive talks and explored case studies of communication strategies.

Selected Posters and Presentations from AIDS 2018

Presentations

Posters

Global Village Zones

Research Literacy Networking Zone and HIV Prevention Marketplace
AVAC, in partnership with AfNHi, EATG, NHVMAS, TAG, and Wits RHI, hosted the Research Literacy Networking Zone at AIDS 2018. The RLNZ brought together advocates, researchers, community educators and local community members to network and discuss ongoing and planned HIV prevention, cure, treatment and implementation research.

See the schedule of events!

At AIDS 2018, the RLNZ also partnered with the HIV Prevention Marketplace Zone, hosted by a number seasoned HIV prevention advocates from east and Southern Africa who are Alumni of or currently participants in AVAC’s HIV Prevention Advocacy Fellows program. This Marketplace Zone was a space where HIV prevention advocates, delegates and community members came together to network, strategize and have informal discussions on current and future HIV prevention strategies as well as rollout of new interventions.

HIV Prevention Roadmap

The International AIDS Conference included hundreds of sessions, side events, marches and meetings—many focused on HIV prevention research and implementation. We had an Excel version, sortable by focus, and a PDF version.

Pre-Conferences and Satellite Sessions

Below are details on select pre-conferences and satellites that AVAC and partners are participated in!

Avac Event

CROI 2018

[UPDATED: Slides and audio from the webinars are now available.]

The annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections featured over 4,000 researchers, advocates, implementers—and a couple big snowstorms—along with a range of scientific findings of great interest to prevention advocates.

Join us to dig into the data with researchers and discuss with fellow advocates how these findings can inform our advocacy work moving forward.

Webinar Series

We will be adding additional webinars over the next couple of weeks, so please do stay tuned for additions to the schedule!

Conference Coverage

We’ve rounded up a selection of conference highlights, which are posted on our P-Values blog—check out it here!

For comprehensive coverage of the conference check out the excellent work from aidsmap. Resources from the UNAIDS and WHO co-organized update to staff and beyond on the Latest HIV science from CROI 2018 are now accessible.

CROI Program and Webcast

CROI provides a number of ways to review what happened in Boston: check out the full program; abstracts and e-posters; and webcasts of all sessions.