April 4, 2022
Dear Advocate,
Three important conversations are happening this week: in HIV cure research, in COVID vaccines and in Good Participatory Practice (GPP). These discussions help set agendas and direct resources, so please consider joining one or all of them. We’ve also included links to important news and publications.
Breaking Down the Latest in HIV Cure Research
Tuesday, 5 April at 11am ET/5pm SAST
At
CROI 2022, a number of exciting updates on HIV cure research were announced, including the most recent case of HIV remission after a stem cell transplant. Join a conversation with researchers as they break down the science and implications from the recent case of HIV cure, which is the first such cure in a woman. Speakers will also provide updates from an ongoing trial studying pediatric remission. Join to learn what these advances mean for science and for people living with HIV.
Register here.
COVID-19 GPP Resources
Wednesday, 6 April at 9am ET/3pm SAST
While some resources address stakeholder
engagement in COVID-19 research, they may not adequately reflect the needs of advocates. Join AVAC and partners for a conversation to discuss the development of future resources.
Register here.
New COVID-19 Vaccines Trials in Sub-Saharan Africa
Wednesday, 6 April at 10am ET/4pm SAST
Join us for a special
webinar on the
Ubuntu trial, hosted by the
COVID Advocates Advisory Board (CAAB) and our
Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR). Led by the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), Ubuntu is a new, landmark COVID-19 vaccine trial in sub-Saharan Africa investigating the efficacy of mRNA vaccines in people living with HIV against the omicron variant.
Register here.
Must Reads
Now Open Access: Stakeholder Engagement Must Overcome Tokenism and More
The ethics review process is a crucial opportunity for stakeholder engagement. A new article
by AVACer
Jessica Salzwedel,
CASPR partner
Cathy Slack and other co-authors appears in the
Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics and explores three themes that can make or break effective engagement:
"It’s Almost as if Stakeholder Engagement is the Annoying ‘Have-to-do'…": Can Ethics Review Help Address the "3 Ts" of Tokenism, Toxicity, and Tailoring in Stakeholder Engagement?
Possibility of Voluntary Licensing for Injectable Cabotegravir for PrEP
Over the past month AVAC has worked with a wide range of advocates calling for faster and more
strategic introduction of injectable PrEP, and several public statements were released. Read statements from
a leading group of Southern African Women Advocates and two from AfroCAB:
Communities demand ViiV/GSK accelerate access to CAB-LA in LMICs and
ViiV continues to not meet our demands to ensure CAB-LA is accessible for our communities. Then today, Viiv Healthcare, the maker of injectable cabotegravir,
announced that it is working with the
Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to outline a path forward for voluntary licensing of their product. ViiV said this path will include “an assessment of future demand and necessary manufacturing capacity and capability as well as upstream requirements for potential generic manufacturing partners.” Stay tuned for our updated call to action and roadmap to ensure injectable PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring get introduced faster and more strategically.
Thanks,
AVAC
