Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS - Groups - Action Tools

Message

From:	Muge Cevik
Subject:	RE: [GYCA] FW: Reuters: U.S. considers new tools in global AIDS fight
Sent:	Dec 24th, 2010 - 06:39:16
Attachments:	Prep.pdf

	Hi Joya, Since you have been asking for others opinion, I have some words to say on this article on Reuters. First of all, the PreP cannot be used immediately before all the regulatory approvals and currently Gilead is having difficulty to get approval and most probably the regulatory bodies will ask for more efficient study that shows higher tighter CIs. So, this approval process and after approval it will take a long time for this jell to be seen in the market. In fact, there are lots of PreP studies currently going on in different countries (that you can see in the attachment) and i think regulatory bodies will wait for these studies to finalize and publish their results. Secondly, there are more than several questions which are not answered yet such as any resistance that PreP might bring or other adverse events. Thus, again I dont think that the roll-out will be done without these answers. However to be honest, I feel the same as you Joya since there are lots of other methods which are not being used, spending lots of money on PreP would be very sad. But I believe that PreP will change the lives of HIV discordant couples as from now on they dont need to use contraception if PreP would be approved. I dont think that it should be used globally by everyone but firstly should start to be used by HIV discordant couples. Merry Christmas and Happy NYE! -- --------- Muge Cevik,MD, MSc STIs and HIV Regional Focal Point for Western Europe Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS e-mail: muge (at) gyca.org TIG: mugecevik GSM: +44 (0) 7780176068 www.tigweb.org \| www.gyca.org Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 369, Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH GYCA is a youth-led global network of more than 4,500 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV and AIDS in 150 countries worldwide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV and AIDS interventions amongst their peers. On 20 December 2010 19:42, joya banerjee wrote: > Here's an update about US Govt AIDS activities in South Africa, > specifically on the new partially effective microbicide and PrEP > (pre-exposure prophylaxis). > > I'd be interested to know GYCA members' opinions on PrEP in > particular. For me it's an exciting discovery, but in my personal > opinion- even now the majority of PLHIV who need meds globally are not > receiving them- I'm not sure it's ethical to begin rollout on a > piecemeal basis for groups at high risk while others are dying for > lack of treatment while other cheaper and more accessible methods such > as condoms, syringe exchange programs and medical male circumcision > exist. > > Joya > > > > > > U.S. considers new tools in global AIDS fight > > By Andrew Quinn > > WASHINGTON \| Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:25pm EST > > > > WASHINGTON(Reuters) - The U.S. global AIDS program may turn to new > tools such as microbicide gels and pre-infection treatment to slow the > epidemic in hard-hit countries, the program's director said on > Tuesday. > > Eric Goosby said the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief > (PEPFAR) was looking closely at both the gels, which can protect women > against infection during sex and "pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)," > which involves giving AIDS drugs to people in high-risk groups before > they are infected. > > "We would support PReP in terms of high risk populations," Goosby, the > U.S. Global AIDS coordinator, told Reuters, adding that various > country approval plans were already under internal consideration. > > Goosby said microbicide gels -- a focus of hope since a South African > clinical trial this year showed at least one version lowered HIV > infection rates -- could also play a part once full regulatory > approval is obtained and more is understood about how they work. > > "We haven't worked out the delivery system or the dosing or interval > of application," Goosby said. "We are absolutely positioned to engage > in it as soon as we know those." > > Goosby spoke as PEPFAR signed a new five-year deal with South Africa > to bolster its AIDS fight, signaling a deepening cooperation between > Washington and a country once depicted as representing the wrong > approach to the AIDS epidemic. > > "We are here at a moment when South Africa is turning the tide against > HIV/AIDS. It is exciting to see," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary > Clinton, who signed the five-year deal with South Africa's visiting > Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. > > Goosby said the agreement would commit the United States to working > with South Africa as it identifies its own AIDS-fighting priorities, > with an emphasis on helping to build up the country's overall medical > infrastructure. > > SOUTH AFRICAN TURNAROUND > > The United States contributes around $560 million a year to South > Africa under PEPFAR, and Goosby said funding levels were expected to > remain roughly constant for the country, where 1,000 people die from > AIDS-related illnesses each day. > > "We have developed a level of trust that is extraordinary," Goosby > said. "They are revealing needs and vulnerabilities, and their ability > to move forward has allowed us to have a heads up on where their areas > are that we can help." > > South Africa was criticized under former President Thabo Mbeki, who > questioned accepted AIDS science and failed to make life-prolonging > AIDS drugs widely available. > > Mbeki's successor, President Jacob Zuma, has taken a different > approach, promising drugs to more people and fighting the deep social > stigma attached to the disease. > > South Africa has been approved for more than $300 million in support > from the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and devotes > more than twice that amount from its own budget to fighting the > disease. > > The addition of PrEP and microbicide gels could represent a > potentially large new budget item for PEPFAR, the $18.8 billion > program launched by former President George W. Bush, but Goosby said > new efficiencies in both care and treatment were already streamlining > the overall bill. > > He said South Africa had proposed using PrEP to treat uninfected > inmates in South Africa's prisons -- a major vector for HIV -- while > pilot projects elsewhere were looking at sex workers and men who have > sex with men. > > Last month researchers showed that Truvada, a once-a-day pill > combining two Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O) (GILD.O) HIV drugs, > markedly reduced the risk of men contracting HIV. Gilead's tenofovir > was also used in the South African study that showed a microbicide gel > lowered the infection rate by 30 percent for women. > > South Africa has sought to expand its purchase of generic drugs, and > Goosby said the United States actively supported efforts by developing > nations to buy cheaper versions of drugs to save money. > > (Editing by Todd Eastham) > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > -www.gyca.org- > > E-Group Webpage (manage your settings, see message archives, etc): > http://groups.takingitglobal.org/gyca > Send a message: gyca (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > Subscribe: gyca-subscribe (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > Unsubscribe: gyca-unsubscribe (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > > > ------------------------------------------- > > * Powered By TIG Groups http://groups.takingitglobal.org/ > * Group Archives: http://groups.takingitglobal.org/GYCA/messages/ > * To unsubscribe, email GYCA-unsubscribe (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > * My subscription settings, GYCA-settings (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > -- --------- Muge Cevik,MD, MSc STIs and HIV Regional Focal Point for Western Europe Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS e-mail: muge (at) gyca.org TIG: mugecevik GSM: +44 (0) 7780176068 www.tigweb.org \| www.gyca.org Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 369, Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH GYCA is a youth-led global network of more than 4,500 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV and AIDS in 150 countries worldwide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV and AIDS interventions amongst their peers.