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** AIDS 2020: Highlights and what you might have missed
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July 30, 2020
Dear Advocates,
Earlier this month, the first ever virtual International AIDS Conference played out over the course of a week. Out of it came both exciting news (injectable PrEP works really well for MSM and transwomen and so does oral PrEP ([link removed]) ) and disappointing data (we are definitely missing the targets ([link removed]) )—all of which will inform AVAC’s advocacy for the months and years to come. For many of us here at AVAC, the week was a whirlwind of adjusting to the new online space, finding the virtual equivalent of a hallway conversation and tracking the firehose of news and session updates from the conference (not unique to the virtual experience).
In this update, we’ve put together news highlights, and links to some of our work at the conference, including recordings of some fun pop-up chats with researchers that were part of AVAC’s Research Literacy Networking Zone (RLNZ) programming. The conversations were a highlight for us—and we hope you find them useful, too!
And please bookmark our AIDS 2020 page ([link removed]) , which we’ll update with links to the various session recordings as they become available.
Conference highlights
News and session highlights follow—with the news links courtesy of our friends at aidsmap. For their complete coverage of the conference, click here ([link removed]) .
* Greg Millett’s plenary address ([link removed]) on on a host of disparities that affect the HIV epidemic, the drivers and proposed solutions is essential watching for everyone.
* Access to PrEP is a powerful tool to bring down incidence at the population level, new data from the SEARCH study show ([link removed]) .
* Injectable cabotegravir is highly effective in reducing HIV risk in men who have sex with men and transgender women ([link removed]) . Participants in both study arms had low rates of HIV infection, but the difference in infection rates support the conclusion that CAB-LA is “superior” to oral TDF/FTC in terms of HIV risk reduction.
* Need a refresher on HIV prevention research? UCSF’s star researcher Susan Buchbinder ([link removed]) provided a fantastic 20-minute lesson in plenary address on why, despite high efficacy, oral PrEP alone can not meet the world’s prevention needs, Biomedical HIV prevention: Beyond daily oral PrEP ([link removed]) .
* Confirmation of preliminary data from the ADVANCE trial ([link removed]) , which showed significantly higher weight gain ([link removed]) in participants (and especially in women), who were in the treatment arm that included TAF. A separate study showed weight gain before and after a switch from TDF to TAF ([link removed]) for treatment.
* More data on ARV use and effects in pregnant and breastfeeding women ([link removed]) , including a meta analysis of different treatments and additional data from the Tsepamo study on neural tube defects (NTDs) in women using dolutegravir-based (DTG) regimens. Additional data from the Tsepamo study suggest a decreased difference in the number of NTDs between women who do and do not use DTG, compared to earlier study findings. The findings confirm the call for access to DTG-based regimens for all women.
* Study data showed ([link removed]) that gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan African countries where homosexual activity is severely criminalized face nearly five times the risk of HIV acquisition compared to countries that don’t criminalize homosexuality.
* Additional data show that on-demand “2-1-1” PrEP is highly effective ([link removed]) for MSM and transgender women.
* The Treatment Action Group (TAG) ([link removed]) released its annual Pipeline Report ([link removed]) , looking at HIV vaccines, antibodies, PrEP and microbicides.
RLNZ Pop-Up Chats
Click below to view sessions with researchers and advocates who discussed hot topics of the day. Have a topic you’d like to see featured in a future pop-up? Let us know (mailto:
[email protected]) !
* Long-Acting PrEP for Cisgender Women ([link removed]) , featuring Sinead Delany-Moretlwe ([link removed]) , Wits RHI ([link removed]) .
* Long-Acting PrEP for MSM & Transgender Women ([link removed]) , featuring Raphael Landovitz ([link removed]) , UCLA ([link removed])
* A Look at the Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Pipeline: What happens after AMP results? ([link removed]) , featuring Devin Sok ([link removed]) & Olayinka Fagbayi, IAVI ([link removed])
* A Conversation with Advocates on Preparing for AMP Trial Results ([link removed]) , featuring Shelly Karuna ([link removed]) , Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center ([link removed])
* HIV Cure Research ([link removed]) , featuring Thumbi N’dung’u ([link removed]) , Africa Health Research Institute ([link removed])
* Do Africans Need COVID-19 Research? A Conversation with Advocates and Researchers ([link removed]) , featuring Dr. Kathy Mngadi ([link removed]) , Aurum Institute ([link removed]) , Dr. Sherman Padayachee, Setshabsa Research Centre ([link removed]) , Xolani Mndaweni, Klerksdrop CAB, Former Participant
* Advocates Reflect on the Latest UNAIDS Report: What does it mean for research and access? ([link removed])
The satellite recordings aren’t yet up on the AIDS 2020 website, but the conversation at an HIV & SRH integration satellite, co-convened by AVAC and FP2020, was so good that we decided to continue it on a webinar this week. Please watch the recording ([link removed]) of One Year After ECHO: Integration in the Time of COVID. And in the meantime, to hear more from the experts on SRH integration, check out our One Expert/One Question/One Minute Campaign mash-up video ([link removed]) , and additional videos and resources at SRHintegration.org ([link removed]) .
Read about work from AVAC and our partners in various sessions below!
* Ending the HIV epidemic: Optimism, realism and disparities ([link removed]) symposium
* How did they do it? What successful communities can teach all of us about making dramatic progress against HIV epidemics and what this means in the age of COVID ([link removed]) symposium
* How policy affects practice: policy barriers to provision of HIV biomedical prevention services in Sub-Saharan Africa ([link removed])
* Transnational activism for an effective, comprehensive HIV response: Lessons from the coalition to mobilize power activism, strategy, solidarity (COMPASS) Africa ([link removed])
* Advocates' perspectives on next-generation HIV prevention trial design ([link removed])
* Understanding 'silenced health experiences' of young people accessing HIV services through Body-Map Storytelling ([link removed])
We’ll keep adding new resources and links to our AIDS 2020 page ([link removed]) as they become available, and remind you when they’re loaded up! If you have questions, or want to share with us your personal highlights, be in touch—we love hearing from you!
Best,
AVAC
P.S.
Recent webinars you may have missed!
* Understanding the EMA Opinion: Next Steps for Dapivirine Vaginal Ring - A webinar where advocates heard about next steps on the regulatory process and implications for rollout from advocates, IPM and the WHO. Download the slides and recording here ([link removed]) .
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