The Latest Resources from AVAC: Advancing Science, Expanding Access 

AVAC’s Mitchell Warren recently spent a week in Zambia with AVAC partner Ascend Futures Foundation, which is playing a leading role in the introduction of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) for PrEP.  Mitchell was joined by Science’s Jon Cohen, who was reporting on the rollout of LEN and the real-world challenges being faced on the ground, including lack of supply. While LEN has met critical milestones with record speed, AVAC, Access Bridge and partners continue to advocate to ensure the science is matched with political will, financing and community leadership to get LEN to the people who need it most. “Science alone doesn’t change the world – people do,” said Mitchell in the article. 

On July 24, Merck announced that it granted seven direct licenses to generic manufacturers – including three in Africa – to produce and market their investigational monthly pill for HIV prevention, known as alimatravir (MK-8527, or AMI), in 129 countries while Phase 3 clinical trials are still enrolling. Since 2012, each successive PrEP introduction has gone faster than the previous one, yet the time to market and to public health impact remains too slow. AVAC is committed to changing that, and has worked to influence trial design and implementation, and to ensure strong engagement with community representatives in the research program. These efforts coincide with broader AVAC efforts to engage stakeholders in preparation for results from the trials, and, in the case of efficacy, building the foundation for a swift path to wide-scale uptake and access.

AVAC partner Kenneth Mwehonge of HEPS Uganda told the New York Times: “Our engagement with pharma has always been fights, but it is amazing to sit with them and have them say, ‘We are learning from the other products’. It all sounds good for now, but we will wait to see how it’s put to action.”  

Learn how AVAC and partners have shaped alimatravir trials.

The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), a combination of daily oral PrEP and combined oral contraception, offers a novel, female-controlled option for HIV and unintended pregnancy prevention. However, promising technologies like the DPP often face delays in regulatory approval and uptake due to limited stakeholder involvement early in the introduction process. This new article in AIDS Care, authored by AVAC Fellow alum Rhoda Msiska, AVAC Senior Program Managers Kate Segal and Cindra Feuer, and Dr. Newton Donkola of Copper Rose Zambia, illustrates how early, multisectoral stakeholder engagement could accelerate DPP approval and adoption in Zambia. 

In this commentary for Think Global Health, AVAC’s Stacey Hannah and Mitchell Warren argue that ending the HIV epidemic will require sustained investment in the basic science that makes future breakthroughs possible. They warn that attacks on science and growing anti-vaccine sentiment threaten progress toward an HIV vaccine and could undermine advances across global health. “At a moment when scientific progress is advancing,” they write, “advocates, researchers, policymakers and communities should push back against politically motivated, fringe, anti-vaccine sentiments that threaten decades of investment to develop the tool that would finally break the back of the epidemic.” 

 

Former NIAID Director and longtime champion for HIV and AIDS research Dr. Anthony Fauci is facing renewed attacks from Congress, after a Senate committee voted to hold him in contempt following a hearing about the COVID-19 response. The attacks on Dr. Fauci raise alarm bells about the current state of congressional oversight, constitutional protections and attacks on science and scientists. In a letter of support for 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 and programs that have ultimately saved millions of lives.  

In this new podcast, Mitchell Warren joined Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) to talk about the future of HIV prevention and what it takes to turn scientific innovation into impact. As Mitchell puts it, "the future of HIV prevention isn't just about groundbreaking science; it's about making sure that science reaches the communities who need it most.” 

Mitchell also joined ITPC’s Make Medicines Affordable podcast to discuss the future of PrEP. While LEN is a transformative option for HIV prevention that is being rolled out with unprecedented speed, Warren discusses why scientific progress means nothing without fierce political will, stronger, resilient health systems and true equity for low- and middle-income countries.