Webinar & Meeting Reports

The 20th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA 2019) was December 2-7 in Kigali, Rwanda. Find details below on select events of interest. AVAC was there along with many of our partners and participated in sessions both before and during the conference.

The FDA’s October approval excluded F/TAF as PrEP “for those who have receptive vaginal sex.” Many voices have expressed outrage that Gilead’s strategy for F/TAF regulatory approval left women by the wayside. Gilead had previously claimed finding a relevant cohort of women would not be feasible. Gilead is designing a novel trial, planned to begin in Africa in 2020, to gather missing data about the safety and efficacy of F/TAF among cisgender women. What are the implications of this trial?

Two things need to happen to achieve greater success in the global fight against HIV: dramatically reduce new infections and achieve viral suppression in those already living with the virus. In order to meet these goals, new infections must come down from an annual rate of 1.7-2 million that has been stagnant for a decade, viral suppression must be sustained and ensured for the more than 23 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) on anti-retroviral treatment (ART), and treatment must be provided to the more than 14 million PLHIV not on ART.

The 2019 United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) is returning to Washington, DC on September 5-8 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. This year the focus will be on the plan to end the HIV epidemic in America. The conference will be an opportunity for health departments, community-based organizations, People Living with HIV, People on PrEP, national organizations, health centers, health care providers, donors, activists, and federal leaders to come together to discuss implementation.