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Press Releases

• Dec 14, 2009 AVAC Says MDP 301 Microbicide Trial Results Disappointing, But Researchers and 9,400 Trial Volunteers Deserve Praise for Successful Trial New York, NY, December 14, 2009 — The Microbicides Development Programme announced earlier today that its MDP 301 effectiveness trial, which was conducted among almost 9,400 women in four African countries, found no evidence that the PRO 2000 microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection.    more...
• Sep 24, 2009 AVAC Praises Thai AIDS Vaccine Trial Collaborators and Volunteers for Historic Study    Category: Publications
  New York, NY, , "Today marks an historic milestone in the search for an AIDS vaccine; we now have evidence that it is possible to reduce the risk HIV infection with a vaccine," said AVAC executive director Mitchell Warren, reacting to the results of the first AIDS vaccine trial to ever show...    more...   
• Jul 20, 2009 Shifting Scientific, Health Priorities and Global Economic Downturn Impact Investment in HIV Prevention R&D Cape Town -- A new report on investment in HIV prevention research in 2008 finds that HIV vaccine research funding levels decreased for the first time since investment trends have been tracked. This may have been influenced by shifts in scientific priorities, the declining economy and competing...    more...
• May 18, 2009 Piecing Together the HIV Prevention Puzzle: AVAC Report Assesses Progress in AIDS Vaccine, Microbicide and PrEP Research and Calls for Urgent Coordination and Leadership in Advance of Upcoming Results New York, NY -- "It's an exciting time in HIV prevention research. We will see results from a number of critically important HIV prevention research trials this year, as well as see the start of new trials around the world that will yield important answers in the years to come," said Mitchell...    more...
• Feb 23, 2009 Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention Web Site Launched The Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention , www.malecircumcision.org , was launched today. The Web site is designed to generate and share authoritative information about the role of male circumcision in HIV prevention.    more...
• Aug 5, 2008 New Report Finds Investment in AIDS Vaccine and Microbicide R&D Continues to Increase Incrementally in 2007: Calls for Sustained Funding to Maintain HIV Prevention Research Efforts Mexico City, August 5, 2008 -- A new report released today shows that funding for biomedical HIV prevention research and development (R&D), including AIDS vaccines and microbicides, increased dramatically between 2000 and 2006 with only a modest increase in 2007. The report warns that the...    more...
• Aug 3, 2008 New AVAC Report on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Calls for Immediate Planning to Anticipate Study Results of Potential New HIV Prevention Option: Mexico City, Mexico, August 3, 2008 -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today released a new report, Anticipating the Results of PrEP Trials, calling for increased action from governments, global health institutions, donors, researchers, and advocates to prepare for initial results --...    more...
• May 15, 2008 Immunizing Against Misinformation and Shortsightedness: AVAC Report Injects a Dose of Reality into the Debate on the State of AIDS Vaccine Research New York, NY , The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today released a new report that provides a comprehensive review of recent developments in AIDS vaccine research. AVAC Report 2008: The Search Must Continue explores the issues that have been raised in the wake of the failure of Merck's...    more...
• Nov 7, 2007 Safety of Trial Volunteers Must Remain Paramount Concern Contact: Mitchell Warren, +1-914-661-1536, mitchell@avac.org Seattle, Washington, November 7, 2007, The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) released the following statement today from Executive Director Mitchell Warren in response to the release of new data from the STEP AIDS vaccine study...    more...
• Oct 26, 2007 AVAC Statement on Phambili and STEP trials: Trial Participant Safety is the Top Priority New York and Johannesburg -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) issued the following statement with regard to recent announcements about the Phambili AIDS vaccine trial in South Africa.    more...
• Sep 21, 2007 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition Voices Disappointment in Trial Result - Applauds Merck's Leadership and Calls for Reinvigorated Effort to Design and Test AIDS Vaccines The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) released the following statement from Executive Director Mitchell Warren about the announcement that vaccinations have been discontinued in the STEP Study, a test-of-concept trial of the MRK-Ad5 AIDS vaccine candidate developed by the Merck Research...    more...
• Aug 21, 2007 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition Receives $14 Million Grant from Gates Foundation to Develop International HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Network New AVAC Report on the State of the AIDS Vaccine Field Calls for Accelerated Action in AIDS Vaccine and HIV Prevention Research Seattle -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) announced today at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference that it has received a five-year, $14 million grant from the...    more...
• May 16, 2007 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition calls for renewed commitment to vaccine research on anniversary of President Clinton's 10-year challenge Call for new urgency, targets and leadership to accelerate research on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day New York, NY -- On May 18, 1997, US President Bill Clinton called for a concerted effort to develop an AIDS vaccine within a decade. This year we mark the 10th anniversary of that call for action...    more...
• Mar 28, 2007 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition Calls for Strategic Leadership and Urgency in the Implementation of Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention New York, NY -- Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today issued the following statement regarding the new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS on male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy.   "AVAC...    more...
• Feb 8, 2007 AVAC Applauds Commencement of First HIV Vaccine Efficacy Trial in Africa New York, New York -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) heralds today's launchof the first African efficacy trial of an experimental HIV vaccine as a critical, strategic and historically-significant step in the search for an AIDS vaccine.    more...
• Jan 31, 2007 Leading advocates express support for microbicide research, despite disappointing clinical trial results. HIV prevention advocates from three major civil society organizations today emphasized the importance of continued research into new HIV prevention options, despite the recent discontinuation of the Phase III effectiveness trials of the microbicide candidate, cellulose sulfate (CS).    more...
• Dec 13, 2006 AVAC Calls for Strategic Leadership in the Implementation of Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention link doesnt work    more...
• Jun 1, 2006 HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group Releases Preliminary Data and Launches New Website The HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group was established in 2004 to generate and disseminate high-quality, detailed and comparable data on annual investments in preventive HIV vaccine and microbicide research and development (R&D), and policy and advocacy activities....    more...
• May 17, 2006 Launch of AIDS Vaccine Clearinghouse The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is delighted to announce the launch of its new AIDS Vaccine Clearinghouse, a comprehensive and interactive source of AIDS vaccine information on the Internet. The website, www.aidsvaccineclearinghouse.org, provides a gateway to information and a link to...    more...
• Mar 24, 2005 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition Issues Report on Tenofovir Prevention Trials: Calls for coordinated response to ensure trials continue NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today released a report on issues surrounding clinical testing of the antiretroviral drug tenofovir as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) - a possible once-a-day pill for prevention of HIV.    more...
• Feb 18, 2005 A public statement from the Global Campaign for Microbicides and the AIDS Vaccines Advocacy Coalition on the impact of stopping Tenofovir trials in Cambodia and Cameroon Recently clinical trials have been launched in Africa, Asia and the United States to explore the potential use of oral Tenofovir as a "once a day" pill to prevent HIV in uninfected individuals - an intervention known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP). Yet concerns from a few activists opposed to...    more...
• Feb 7, 2005 AIDS Advocates Partner to Involve African Americans in search for an AIDS vaccine LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, February 7, 2005 -- In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) and the Black AIDS Institute (the Institute) are pleased to announce the release of Myths About HIV Vaccines and Vaccine Research, a fact sheet that...    more...
• Aug 12, 2004 AIDS Vaccine Advocates Hail South African Focus on Youth NEW YORK -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) praised a new partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), which was announced today in Johannesburg.    more...
• Jul 22, 2004 Government Incentives Should Extend to AIDS Vaccine Development NEW YORK -- The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today hailed new federal legislation that provides financial incentives for private industry to develop vaccines and other antidotes to protect people in the event of biological or chemical weapon attacks.    more...
• Nov 12, 2003 Advocacy Group Voices Disappointment: Calls for Reinvigorated Effort to Design and Test AIDS Vaccines NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today expressed disappointment that the second Phase III trial of an AIDS vaccine did not show efficacy of the candidate vaccine, AIDSVAX. The trial tested AIDSVAX among 2,546 injection drug users in Thailand. "We are disappointed that...    more...
• Oct 23, 2003 Advocacy Group Issues Guide to Forthcoming AIDS Vaccine Trial Results NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today released a guide for the public on the forthcoming results of the world's first AIDS vaccine efficacy trial. Results of the clinical trial of AIDSVAX, made by the biopharmaceutical company VaxGen, are expected to be released early in 2003.    more...
• Jun 19, 2003 Medicines Control Council Begins Phase I Clinical Trial of South Africa's First AIDS Vaccine NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) yesterday applauded South Africa's Medicines Control Council for giving the go-ahead to a long-awaited Phase I clinical trial of the countrys first AIDS vaccine.    more...
• May 15, 2003 New Industry Survey Finds Need for Increased Government Role in Search for AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Group Calls on Congress to Apply Bioterror Incentives in Battle Against Global Infectious Disease NEW YORK - Private industry is stepping up its quest for an AIDS vaccine, but it needs increased government support to maintain the momentum, according to findings of a new survey released...    more...
• Mar 27, 2003 Advocacy Group Praises Merck-Aventis Pasteur Vaccine Collaboration NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today said it is encouraged by the announcement that Merck & Co. would team up with Aventis Pasteur to work on a potential AIDS vaccine.    more...
• Feb 24, 2003 Vaccine Fails to Show Efficacy: Data from subgroup analysis is intriguing But drawing conclusions would raise false hopes NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today expressed disappointment that the first efficacy trial of an AIDS vaccine failed to show protection in the study population. The trial was of the vaccine candidate AIDSVAX that is made by VaxGen.    more...
• Jan 30, 2003 AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) Announces Appointment of Director of Science Communication and Advocacy NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today announced the appointment of Huntly Collins as its first Director of Science Communication and Advocacy. Ms. Collins was a respected staff writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1983 to 2001, where she covered public health and AIDS...    more...
• Jun 25, 2002 FORD FOUNDATION MAKES TWO YEAR AWARD TO AIDS VACCINE ADVOCACY COALITION FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND MOBILIZATION AVAC Announces Appointment of New Director of Education and Outreach NEW YORK - The Ford Foundation today announced a $250,000 grant over two years to the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). Founded in 1995, AVAC is a community and consumer-based advocacy organization working to accelerate...    more...
• May 17, 2002 AIDS Vaccine Challenge at Half-Way Mark -- Advocacy Coalition Sounds Alarm -- NEW YORK - Today, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) issued its fifth independent assessment of AIDS vaccine development from a community perspective. Entitled "Five Years & Counting; Science, Urgency and Courage," the report finds that the campaign to identify an effective AIDS vaccine...    more...
• Feb 25, 2002 AIDS VACCINE ADVOCATES CALL FOR EXPANDED EFFORTS IN THE WAKE OF NIH ANNOUNCEMENT ON HIV VACCINE EFFORT NEW YORK - The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) today responded to an announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it would not be able to run a clinical trial of immune responses with the canarypox HIV vaccine candidate. "We are very disappointed that immunology results do...    more...
• Jan 23, 2002 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards Three-Year Grant to AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), AVAC Announces Appointment of New Executive Director Washington, D.C. - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a grant of $600,000 over three years to the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). Founded in 1995, AVAC is a consumer-based advocacy organization working to speed development and delivery of AIDS vaccines to populations...    more...
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