HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2025

Dear Advocate,

This May 18, HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD), comes as HIV vaccine science and collaboration have never had more promise — and as AVAC celebrates its 30^th anniversary. When AVAC began in 1995, we were the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, founded to speed research and development, grounded in equity, for an HIV vaccine. As the potential of PrEP and other HIV prevention emerged, we broadened our focus to ensure progress across the pipeline of prevention research, and to advocate for delivery and access to new interventions.

HVAD 2025 comes as the US presidential administration is actively working to dismantle HIV research and demolish the architecture of global health. The entire HIV response — from basic research and clinical development to policy, programs, and global access to life-saving treatment and prevention — is now under attack, and the world runs the risk of reversing the strides made to end HIV.


These threats to the HIV response could not have come at a more critical time for prevention. Regulatory approvals and introduction of injectable lenacapavir for PrEP are imminent; the first ever ARV-based, dual-purpose product to prevent pregnancy and HIV is also poised for rollout; and a range of next-generation products, including new HIV vaccine approaches, to meet diverse user needs was being ushered through upstream development—all work that benefitted from US funding that is now in jeopardy.

To put all of this in perspective, AVAC has put together a report, HIV Research & Development at Risk: Tracking the Impact of US Funding Cuts, highlighting the impact of US cuts on the pipeline of HIV prevention research and development. AVAC will continue to track these cuts and their impact, to amplify the damage they will cause, and to fight for their reversal.

The backbone of all these efforts is science — from basic discovery, to clinical research, to implementation projects — to which US support has been fundamental. A classic example is lenacapvir for PrEP. Without NIH-funded basic science, the capsid inhibitor, which targets the shell of the HIV virus and is the basis of lenacapavir, would not have been discovered. And without long-term investments in research infrastructure in South Africa, the PURPOSE 1 and 2 lenacapavir efficacy trials would not have demonstrated efficacy so quickly and clearly. Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar June 11, The Scientific Journey of Lenacapavir: From basic science to clinical development to impact to learn more about this remarkable story.

For decades, both sides of the aisle of US politics have recognized that this work brings our country and the world prosperity. With the quest for an HIV vaccine now in early upstream R&D, the story of lenacapavir for PrEP shows the essential importance of bipartisan political support for the NIH; the need to invest in long-term global research capacity; the power of public-private partnerships; and the essential role of community engagement and advocacy to accelerate R&D and delivery.

For more testimony about these issues, you can also watch a new video documenting the 25 years of progress and leadership of the NIH-funded HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN).

This HVAD, AVAC invites you to join us in the fight to protect, sustain and rebuild. The webinars and resources provided below frame the issues and include tools and key messages for your advocacy!

Thank you for standing with us to protect science, health, and progress.

Best,

AVAC