Ongoing Policy Work

Tracking funding for HIV prevention research
AVAC serves as the secretariat of the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group, which also includes the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, International Partnership for Microbicides and UNAIDS. In this role, AVAC serves as the principal researcher and author of an annual report on investments in HIV prevention research. Originally created to track investment in preventive HIV vaccines and microbicides, the Working Group has expanded to track investment in other prevention options such as adult male circumcision, female condoms, PrEP, prevention of vertical transmission, treatment as prevention, as well as therapeutic vaccines. Information about funding gaps, successes, and areas for future expansion can be brought to the attention of lawmakers and other individuals shaping public-health policy.

The newest report, Capitalizing on Scientific Progress: Investment in HIV Prevention R&D in 2010, was released at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) held in Rome Italy in July 2011.

Increasing funding for HIV Prevention Research
The US government is the primary funder for HIV prevention research. Within the US government, the NIH provides the principal support for basic, preclinical, and clinical research of new HIV prevention options, supporting 65 percent of HIV vaccine R & D and 60 percent of microbicide R & D in 2010. Continuation of this funding is critical for HIV prevention research. Other US government funders, such as the Centers for Disease Control, the US Military HIV Research Program and the US Agency for International Development as the major funders of HIV prevention research worldwide.

Sustaining industry involvement in biomedical prevention research
Private-sector pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have expertise, technology, and resources that are critical to the HIV prevention research effort. Relevant policy-related issues include legislation and regulations supporting intellectual property (IP) protection while permitting IP sharing that can shape industry partners' willingness to collaborate on and/or advance products; expedited regulatory review; incentives such as FDA priority review vouchers, tax incentives to increase private-sector investment, and public-sector funding mechanisms that can be used to incentivize industry involvement at specific stages of product development. AVAC's recent work includes analysis of the PrEP drug pipeline, tracking and analysis of trends in industry investment in AIDS prevention research, and exploration of novel funding mechanisms.

Data sharing
AVAC supports incentives and other mechanisms to increase data sharing between researchers and companies involved in HIV prevention research. AVAC has a long-standing interest in open access, for articles funded through public sector funding such as the NIH, and in the US has been involved in the Alliance for Taxpayer Access
.

Addressing issues related to adolescents and HIV prevention research
Few of the current biomedical HIV prevention trials include adolescent participants as a specific cohort. There are critical issues related to efficacy and acceptability of biomedical prevention strategies that are of relevance to adolescents, many of whom are vulnerable to HIV infection. AVAC is committed to working with partners to identify and overcome regulatory and other obstacles to ethical, scientifically sound trials in adolescents.