Contact: [email protected]

August 6, 2026 — AVAC vehemently opposes the decision by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt for his refusal to answer questions during last week’s hearing on the COVID-19 response. Certain members of the committee have made clear their intentions to pin the shortcomings of the U.S. response to COVID-19 on others by blaming and dragging renowned government scientists and public health practitioners such as Dr. Fauci through politicized proceedings without any evidence and using conspiratorial conjecture.

“Dr. Fauci is a public health pioneer, who has saved more lives than anyone sitting in the Senate today. He has dedicated his life to public service. Because of Tony Fauci, science has moved faster, lives have been saved and communities are more engaged in every phase of infectious disease research,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC’s Executive Director. “He is a leader, partner, ally, advocate, and friend to those who care about advancing science and ending infectious diseases in the US and around the world. The Senate must end this clear waste, fraud, and abuse of government oversight powers and taxpayer money being used to advance baseless conspiracies and politically target career public servants.”

In a letter submitted to the committee in support of Dr. Fauci, AVAC urged the committee to recognize the deep history of partnership that Dr. Fauci has forged with the HIV/AIDS community; one that has resulted in numerous biomedical innovations, domestic and international programs that have ultimately saved millions of lives – guided by the steady hand of Dr. Fauci, through numerous Presidential administrations and Congresses, regardless of political make up.

“Dr. Fauci dedicated his career to investigating and finding solutions to novel viruses and got involved with HIV at a time when AIDS was taking the lives of some of the most vulnerable, marginalized communities across our nation,” added Warren. “Throughout his career, Dr. Fauci has blazed a trail of trust-building and honest dialogue – especially with those who disagree with him.”

The latest attempt by the Senate committee to weaponize governmental oversight powers further obfuscates the shortcomings of the nation’s pandemic preparedness, especially in light of the current administration’s dismantling and defunding of the very public health and research infrastructure Dr. Fauci helped construct in his years of service with bipartisan support. Distrust in public health and issues of vaccine scepticism continue to rise as the government attempts to relitigate Dr. Fauci’s role in the COVID-19 response, instead of tackling urgent needs of healthcare access and global health security. The decision to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt places him in the hands of a Department of Justice that has been charged with pursuing perceived enemies and critics of this administration – threatening public servants like Dr. Fauci further exacerbates the brain drain of apolitical scientific experts choosing to leave or completely forgo public service careers in fear of simply following the evidence, just as Dr. Fauci has in his nearly 40-year career.

AVAC calls on Congress to halt this harassment of Dr. Fauci, whose career, track-record, and devotion to public health research and development has changed the very course of the public health at home and abroad.

“These specious attempts to relitigate Dr. Fauci’s role in the national response to COVID-19 are nothing more than the latest example of waste, fraud, and abuse of power in Washington, which is harming Americans by continuing to obscure flaws and gaps in our country’s medical countermeasure and pandemic response capabilities,” added Warren. “If the Senate cares about making this country safer they will end the targeting of scientists and public servants, reverse the cuts to publicly funded science, stand up against unlawful disruption of long-standing international research partnerships and the wanton destruction of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and erosion of PEPFAR programs. AVAC calls on the Senate to stop the distractions and get back to the work of protecting public health.”

Call on Donors and Governments to Accelerate Access to Deliver Actual Impact

Contact: [email protected]

Mpumalanga, South Africa, 5 June 2026 — In a landmark moment, South Africa today became the 9th African country to introduce lencapavir (LEN) for HIV prevention. South Africa’s introduction of LEN is especially significant given the country’s central role in shaping the regional HIV response and the global PrEP market. As the largest PrEP market in the world, South Africa’s leadership can help drive the demand, volume, market confidence and lower prices needed to accelerate equitable access across the continent and the world. HIV prevention partners AVAC, Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa (APHA), and Access Bridge welcomed today’s news of increased commitments and support from the Global Fund, while calling for further ensure access is realized and impact achieved.

“Today is a breakthrough. Not only for our country and the African continent, which continues to carry some of the world’s largest HIV burdens, but for the global HIV response. Access to LEN allows us to reimagine prevention, especially for young people and adolescent girls and young women who need more choices that fit their lives. It is important to centre our efforts around girls and young women who need to be the focus of our efforts. We must move with urgency to ensure that everyone who could benefit from lenacapavir can do so,” said Yvette Raphael, Executive Director of Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa (APHA) and co-chair of the African Women’s Prevention Community Accountability Board (AWPCAB).

“Today is a sign of what is possible when communities, governments, and partners work together. LEN will offer my generation the chance to protect their health with greater freedom and confidence. We must now make sure this innovation reaches the people who need it most—quickly, equitably, and without barriers. Today is exciting, but it is also a call to action for all of us,” said Lerato Morulane, APHA Ground Force coordinator.

During the launch event, the Global Fund announced that with additional backing from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), it will scale-up support for South Africa’s LEN roll-out, increasing funding from $29M to nearly $70M to support this more ambitious effort. This contribution to the Global Fund goes toward their joint commitment with PEPFAR to ensure access to LEN for at least three million people over three years—a more solid start than with previous PrEP introductions, but still below the levels needed to deliver impact.

In July 2025, AVAC published a market assessment that the world could go much faster than existing commitments allow and reach at least 1.5 million people with LEN in just one year in low- and middle-income countries if resources were made available, and reach over seven million in three years, if resources were available.

“Lenacapavir has transformational potential for HIV prevention, and today’s launch is another step in the right direction,” said Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC. “But additional donor investments are urgently needed as the field is still nowhere near what the market can bear and what is needed for impact. A meaningful volume commitment of at least four million LEN users in two years is both possible and has the potential to unlock faster access, strengthen market confidence, and accelerate access to prevention for communities that need it most. Ultimately, LEN must reach more than five million people per year to have real impact, build a sustainable market, and drive prices down even further. Today’s announcement is progress, but we still need to go farther faster.”

LEN has been widely recognized as a transformative HIV prevention option, with the every-six-month injection providing highly effective protection. However, translating the scientific breakthrough of LEN into population-level access and impact requires coordinated action across many sectors, including financing, manufacturing, pricing, regulatory, and delivery.

“Today represents another important milestone, but now we need to roll up our collective sleeves and get to work,” said Wawira Nyagah, Executive Director of Access Bridge. “South Africa has an essential role to play in building the global market for LEN and driving the volumes needed to lower prices, strengthen supply, and accelerate access worldwide. To realize the full potential of this innovation, all stakeholders must work together with even greater urgency, ambition, and a commitment to speed, scale, and equity. The opportunity is in front of us; now we must seize it. To see LEN truly succeed, programs must be designed with communities at the centre and that commitments translate into real access for the people who need it. Access Bridge is working across countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to ensure countries are equipped to meet this moment.”

AVAC and Access Bridge have called on stakeholders to meet the current moment of scientific opportunity and public health need with bolder ambition. The past decade of PrEP programs have highlighted numerous lessons on how to get LEN rollout right as part of comprehensive HIV prevention programs so that today’s announcement translates into real-world impact. Key considerations include:

• Regulatory approval and normative guidance: Stringent regulatory reviewers have approved LEN and high-quality studies have been completed—this should speed the process for countries to introduce LEN at scale.
• Planning and budgeting: Pricing must be clear and transparent, and budgets must encompass the full range of activities needed to make PrEP successful.
• Stakeholder engagement & demand generation: Communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders must be engaged early and effectively to build trust and demand.
• Supply chain management: If there’s no product, there’s no program. Commitments need to be translated into orders, and orders need to be delivered consistently and without delay.
• Health service delivery: Providers who deliver PrEP services need guidelines, training and tools to enhance differentiated service delivery.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning: To track project targets and provides insights for program improvement, and lessons for scaling future prevention products in the pipeline.

Today’s announcement builds on prior commitments from the Global Fund and PEPFAR, as well as investments from the Gates Foundation and Unitaid to accelerate development and access to generic LEN at lower prices. With generic LEN likely entering the market in the first half of 2027, now is the time to strengthen and grow the market with Gilead’s supply: the faster the market grows, the more infections that can be averted at lower cost.

“Commitments are important, but orders are essential. In Gilead’s own words, they can produce far more if orders are made,” said Warren. “Especially for 2027, clear timelines and ambitious orders for both originator and generic supply will be critical to avoid gaps in care of current LEN users and to expand the reach of this innovation.”

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About AVAC 

AVAC is an international non-profit organization that leverages its independent voice and global partnerships to accelerate ethical development and equitable delivery of effective HIV prevention options, as part of a comprehensive and integrated pathway to global health equity. avac.org and prepwatch.org. 

About Access Bridge 

Access Bridge is an independent, Africa-anchored organization advancing timely, sustainable, and equitable introduction of and access to HIV prevention and related health products. Incubated at AVAC and rooted in African leadership and global collaboration, Access Bridge leads a globally recognized portfolio of product introduction and access projects. healthaccessbridge.org. 

Contact: [email protected]

New York, NY, April 14, 2026 — In response to today’s announcement of the increased volume commitments for lenacapavir (LEN) for HIV prevention, AVAC and Access Bridge call for global leaders to do even more to ensure meaningful, expanded access. Unveiled at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. Department of State, the Global Fund and Gilead announced a catalytic increase in their commitment to reach people with LEN for PrEP: from 2 million to 3 million people over the next three years, signaling some progress in efforts to scale access to LEN for PrEP.
 
“This is an overdue step forward, but it is just that — a step in the right direction,” said Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC. “It is good to go from 2 million to 3 million over three years, but this is not yet in line with what the market can bear and what is needed for impact. A meaningful volume commitment of at least four million LEN users in two years is both possible and has the potential to unlock faster access, strengthen market confidence, and accelerate access to prevention for communities that need it most. Volume guarantees must be seen as a floor, not a ceiling. Ultimately, LEN must reach more than five million people per year to have real impact, build a sustainable market, and drive prices down even further. Today’s announcement is progress, but it does not go far enough or fast enough, and the entire field must act faster and think bigger to achieve meaningful progress.”
 
In July 2025, AVAC published a market assessment that the world could go much faster than the original Global Fund/PEPFAR/Gilead partnership announced in December 2024 and reach at least 1.5 million people with LEN in just one year in low- and middle-income countries if resources were made available. Today’s announcement still falls short of that target.
 
LEN has been widely recognized as a transformative HIV prevention option, with the every-six-month injection providing highly effective protection. However, translating the scientific breakthrough of LEN into population-level access and impact requires coordinated action across many sectors, including financing, manufacturing, pricing, regulatory, and delivery.
 
“This could be a pivotal moment, but we cannot bend the epidemic curve with only 3 million doses”, said Wawira Nyagah, Executive Director of Access Bridge. “LEN for PrEP has achieved critical milestones in record time compared to oral PrEP, DVR, and CAB, but speed, scale and equity are still needed to deliver impact. It’s great to see global support lining up behind the science, but much stronger commitments from global actors and national governments are needed. To see LEN truly succeed, we must ensure that programs are designed with communities at the center and that commitments translate into real access for the people who need it. Access Bridge is working across countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to ensure countries are equipped to meet this moment.”
 
AVAC and Access Bridge call on stakeholders to meet the current moment of scientific opportunity and public health need with bolder ambition. The past decade of PrEP programs have highlighted numerous lessons on how to get LEN rollout right as part of comprehensive HIV prevention programs so that today’s announcement translates into real-world impact. Key considerations include:

• Regulatory approval and normative guidance: Stringent regulatory reviewers have approved LEN and high-quality studies have been completed — this should speed the process for countries to introduce LEN at scale.
• Planning and budgeting: Pricing must be clear and transparent, and budgets must encompass the full range of activities needed to make PrEP successful.
• Stakeholder engagement & demand generation: Communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders must be engaged early and effectively to build trust and demand.
• Supply chain management: If there’s no product, there’s no program. Commitments need to be translated into orders, and orders need to be delivered consistently and without delay.
• Health service delivery: Providers who deliver PrEP services need guidelines, training and tools to enhance differentiated service delivery.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning: To track project targets and provides insights for program improvement, and lessons for scaling future prevention products in the pipeline.

Today’s announcement builds on prior commitments from the Global Fund and PEPFAR to reach two million people with LEN over three years, as well as investments from the Gates Foundation and Unitaid to accelerate development and access to generic LEN at lower prices. With generic LEN likely entering the market in the first half of 2027, now is the time to strengthen and grow the market with Gilead’s supply: the faster the market grows, the more infections that can be averted at lower cost.
 
“Commitments are important, but orders are essential. In Gilead’s own words, they can produce far more if orders are made,” said Warren. “Especially for 2027, clear timelines and ambitious orders for both originator and generic supply will be critical to avoid gaps in care of current LEN users and to expand the reach of this innovation.”

### 

About AVAC 

AVAC is an international non-profit organization that leverages its independent voice and global partnerships to accelerate ethical development and equitable delivery of effective HIV prevention options, as part of a comprehensive and integrated pathway to global health equity. avac.org and prepwatch.org. 

About Access Bridge 

Access Bridge is an independent, Africa-anchored organization advancing timely, sustainable, and equitable introduction of and access to HIV prevention and related health products. Incubated at AVAC and rooted in African leadership and global collaboration, Access Bridge leads a globally recognized portfolio of product introduction and access projects. healthaccessbridge.org. 

Contact: [email protected]

New York, NY, January 23, 2026 — Since first established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, the Global Gag Rule has harmed global health and disrupted sexual and reproductive health and HIV programs. Reports on the dangerously expanded rules likely to be issued today would move beyond the assault on women’s health and bodily autonomy and lay bare the US administration’s broader war on gender, diversity, equity and inclusion, underscoring their relentless agenda of control over people and programs. 

The expanded Gag Rule restricts the ability of organizations to engage in advocacy and education programs, discrimination protections, and legal reform, anywhere in the world, in any program, with anyone’s funding. This will silence healthcare providers, undermine civil society, and deny people access to essential information and services. The expansion of this policy threatens the very integrity of evidence-based care and foreign assistance. 

“This cruel Gag Rule is bad politics and bad policy,” said AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren. “Expanding it represents further weaponization of US funding to impose ideology at the expense of lives and livelihoods. Restricting information and activities that providers deem necessary puts individuals, communities and especially women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and others at higher risk of poor sexual health outcomes including HIV and other infections. It also weakens the very systems required to respond to global health emergencies and prepare for future pandemics.” 

People’s needs—not politics—must be at the heart of what drives US investments, programs, and global engagement. The Global Gag Rule plays politics with people’s health and lives. AVAC calls for the immediate rejection of the Global Gag Rule and any expansion of it and urges US lawmakers to uphold science, human rights, and public health.

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About AVAC
AVAC is an international non-profit organization that provides an independent voice and leverages global partnerships to accelerate ethical development and equitable delivery of effective HIV prevention options, as part of a comprehensive and integrated pathway to global health equity. Follow AVAC on Bluesky and Instagram. Find more at www.avac.org and www.prepwatch.org. 

Contact: [email protected]

New York, NY, November 24, 2025 — Global public and private sector donors pledged over $11 billion at last week’s 8th Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the current political and economic context, these pledges represent a recognition of the pivotal role of the Global Fund in saving lives and building health systems. But they fall well-short of the $18 billion goal.

At a time when HIV, TB and malaria science is delivering as never before, with long-acting injectable HIV prevention options, new malaria drugs and vaccines and improved TB treatments entering the market — and a potential TB vaccine in late-stage trials — funding must meet the moment to deliver life-saving new technology with speed, scale and equity. Ensuring highly effective innovations reach those who need them most requires resources. Universal access to effective health technologies is an achievable goal, with robust investment in expert institutions, national public health systems, and aligned private enterprise.

“This moment is a historic opportunity to save lives and meet major milestones against all three epidemics. With political will and commitment, proper investment in the Global Fund will be instrumental in maintaining progress and building on success,” said AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren.  

The US pledge of $4.6 billion over three years is a decrease from the $6 billion commitment in the previous replenishment cycle. But the US did reaffirm its 1:2 match, with the US continuing to contribute 1/3 of the total to the Global Fund, hopefully motivating other funders to step-up. Now, the US Congress must appropriate funding to fully meet the new US pledge, with language codifying the 1:2 match. Congress must also ensure funds appropriated for the previous replenishment, including $1.47 billion in matched funds, are distributed. 

Communities with the greatest burden of disease, which have already suffered program cuts, service disruptions and the loss of many trusted local partner organizations, and include marginalized key populations, are at even greater risk now. AVAC joins affected communities and civil society to call on all stakeholders to recommit to solidarity, transparency and global health security. Achieving this requires national governments, foundations, the private sector and civil society to develop new financial tools for sustainable, country-owned and community-led public health systems. One critical step is closing the remaining gap to reach the Global Fund goal and ensure that donors who have yet to step forward to do so with ambitious, robust pledges.

“The impact of this current shortfall will be needless death and disease. Modeling suggests up to 22 million preventable deaths by 2030 if global health funding from all sources continues to decline. Millions of lives have been saved thanks to the Global Fund, and shrinking resources threaten these achievements and risk squandering the opportunities of recent scientific advances,” said AVAC Director of Policy Advocacy Suraj Madoori.

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About AVAC 

AVAC is an international non-profit organization that provides an independent voice and leverages global partnerships to accelerate ethical development and equitable delivery of effective HIV prevention options, as part of a comprehensive and integrated pathway to global health equity. Follow AVAC on Bluesky and Instagram. Find more at www.avac.org and www.prepwatch.org. 

Contact: [email protected]

A grassroots group of organizers is announcing “24 Hours to Save AIDS Research,” a non-partisan event taking place from Tuesday, September 16, 2025, starting at 11:00 am ET that will promote the successes of HIV research and demand continued federal investments. The interactive event will feature presentations, panels, and dialogue with scientists, researchers, and advocates from around the world.

“Over the past four decades, HIV research has changed the pandemic from a nearly always terminal diagnosis to a chronic condition that can be well managed with treatment,” said organizer Gregg Gonsalves, PhD, Yale School of Public Health.* “That extraordinary success is now being jeopardized by devastating federal funding cuts to HIV research. ‘24 Hours to Save AIDS Research’ will make clear to the public what we stand to lose if these funding cuts continue.”

“24 Hours to Save AIDS Research” is an all-day, online marathon that will include more than 70 speakers from around the world sharing their work and experiences with HIV research. Registration is now open and the interactive event will stream on YouTube. Speakers represent the broad range of HIV research areas, including prevention, cure, co-morbidities, basic science, behavioral and social science, and treatment advances. The event will feature presenters from across the globe, enabling people from all time zones to access the programming in real time.

“This marathon event has been organized to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of HIV research,” said Judith D. Auerbach, PhD, University of California San Francisco. “HIV researchers and advocates have been uniquely successful because we have tackled the complex nature of HIV from a variety of expertise, worked collaboratively across disciplines and sectors, and grounded our work in the needs of the community. ‘24 Hours to Save AIDS Research’ will highlight how effective that work has been in advancing the health and well-being of people everywhere.”

These hard-earned successes are now being threatened. Since January, the federal government has waged an unparalleled assault on science and research and has systematically dismantled federal institutions that have long been at the forefront of advancing global health. While science and health have been attacked broadly, the impact on HIV has been particularly acute, as pioneering research and implementation programs in the United States and around the world have been terminated.

“It’s impossible to overstate the foundational role of US federal funding in discovering and ultimately making available the HIV prevention and treatment options that have saved tens of millions of lives,” said organizer Mitchell Warren, AVAC. “The federal government’s unprecedented cuts to research programs and institutions are senseless and will set back the HIV response by years, it not decades. And more importantly, they could result in millions of preventable deaths around the world.”

As HIV research has transformed the pandemic, it has receded from the public’s attention. “24 Hours to Save AIDS Research” aims to help the public understand what has been achieved through decades of wise investments by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal funders and partners. Through presentations, discourse, and question and answer sessions, the event will demonstrate the extraordinary value of HIV science and what is at risk if funding cuts continue.

“This event, much like the HIV response, is grassroots and community-driven,” said organizer Jeff Wickersham, PhD, Yale School of Medicine. “Individuals who have been involved in HIV research and advocacy, some from its earliest days, recognized this as pivotal moment in the trajectory of HIV research and came together to produce an event that tells the story of HIV research. Over the course of 24 hours, we will demonstrate to the public that HIV research is a great success story and we must do everything we can to ensure it continues.”

Organizations from around the world are supporting “24 Hours to Save AIDS Research,” including research institutions, advocacy groups, and public health organizations. A full list of supporters can be found on the website.

Participants can register in advance for “24 Hours to Save AIDS Research” or join on YouTube on September 16, 2025 starting at 11:00 am ET. For more information, please visit saveaidsresearch.org and follow updates on the programming on Instagram and Bluesky.

*Note: Organizers are participating in their personal capacity only and not on behalf of their institutions.