AVAC in the News

Melb Simiyu, an HIV prevention officer at a support organization for sex workers here, says most of her clients have asked when a drug called CAB-LA will become available. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021, the HIV prevention drug could drastically reduce infections among marginalized groups like the one she works with. But even though a trial in Uganda and six other sub-Saharan African countries provided data key for FDA’s approval, Africa, still the part of the world hardest hit by HIV, may face a long wait to get the drug at an affordable price.

For over 2 years, the world has been riveted by progress and pitfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine development and rollout. However, alongside scientific milestones of COVID-19 vaccines, there have been significant results from HIV vaccine and antibody-mediated prevention trials. These include the first proof of concept of HIV prevention from passive antibodies and recent insights on the possibility of germline targeting and the mRNA platform towards an effective HIV vaccine.

The US Senate has confirmed Dr. John Nkengasong as the US global AIDS coordinator, which will include leadership of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — the US global HIV initiative. The Cameroonian virologist is the first person born on the African continent to take on the role. He currently serves as the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

One remarkable thing about the COVID-19 pandemic was how quickly a vaccine was developed to combat the virus. A process that normally spans a decade or more — dozens of clinical trials, terse patent negotiations, complex roll-out strategies — was condensed into less than one year. mRNA, messenger ribonucleic acids that elicit an immune response from cells before degrading, provided a quick and safe solution to a global health threat.