FALL 2011 INNThe Newsletter of amfAR,OV The FoundationAT for AIDS ResearchIONS New Momentum for AIDS Research AN INTERVIEW WITH ANTHONY FAUCI, M.D. Since 1984 Anthony Fauci, M.D., has served as we were dealing with a sexually transmitted disease, director of the National Institute of Allergy and even long before we identied the virus. We knew Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes that safe sex practices and behavior modication of Health, where he oversees an extensive research were at the core of prevention, but getting people to portfolio aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and change their behavior is very difcult to do. treating infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS. Dr. Over the last several years, we have begun to Fauci is also a key advisor to the White House and look at prevention not as a one-dimensional issue but U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on rather as a combination of modalities. We had the global AIDS issues. In 2008 he was honored with 076 study of mother-to-child transmission prevention the Presidential Medal of Freedom. followed by the short version of that study with single dose nevirapine. Over the last few years, we have amfAR: There have been major developments in discovered that male circumcision is extraordinarily HIV prevention research in recent months. What do effective in preventing acquisition of HIV infection you think it is going to take to realize the potential among heterosexual men. And then we had the of this research and what are the major challenges topical microbicide breakthrough. We now have the that stand in our way? PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] study for gay men and the PrEP study for heterosexual couples. And Dr. Anthony Fauci: I think we have to look at prevention as an issue that has evolved over we have the game-changing HPTN 052 study, which several years. From the rst day, we suspected CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 “Making AIDS History” on Capitol Hill amfAR brought together many of the be a disease found only in the history biggest names in HIV research, policy, books.” and advocacy for a half-day conference, House Democratic Leader Nancy July 26, that lled the Senate Kennedy Pelosi (D-CA), along with Reps Barbara Caucus Room to capacity. The Lee (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Nita Cokie Roberts, Phill Wilson of the conference, titled “Making AIDS History: Lowey (D-NY), and Jim Himes (D-CT), Black AIDS Institute, and amfAR Ending the Epidemic,” was spearheaded as well as Senators Kirsten Gillibrand House Democratic board member Regan Hofmann by Dr. Susan Blumenthal, amfAR’s senior (D-NY) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) all made Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) policy and medical advisor. Describing appearances to strongly voice their its purpose, Dr. Blumenthal said: “We are continued support for amfAR here today to explore with our nation’s and the ght against AIDS. leading scientists, advocates, and Rep. Pelosi suggested policymakers how to translate rapidly that we have a moral obligation amfAR VP Chris Collins, NIAID Director accelerating scientic advances into to apply and adequately support Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chris Matthews, and programs and policies so that AIDS can the new knowledge and tools amfAR Senior Medical and Policy Advisor Dr. Susan Blumenthal CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Whoopi Goldberg and amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole amfAR,www.amfar.org The Foundation amfAR, for The AIDS Foundation Research for AIDS www.amfAR.org Research INNOVATIONS, FALL 2011 INNOVATIONS FROM THE CEO The Newsletter of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research Fall 2011 Opportunities and Threats 120 Wall Street, 13th Floor New York, NY 10005-3908 tel: (212) 806-1600 The SWOT analysis scale them up appropriately, we could make fax: (212) 806-1601 is a favorite tool quick, substantial, and worldwide reductions in 1150 17th Street, NW, Suite 406 of management HIV infection rates. Smart investments in HIV Washington, DC 20036-4622 tel: (202) 331-8600 consultants. It prevention will pay off handsomely not only in fax: (202) 331-8606 assesses Strengths, lives saved, but also in treatment costs averted. Weaknesses, Yet we are in real danger not just of TREAT Asia Exchange Tower Opportunities and passing up this opportunity, but of reversing the 388 Sukhumvit Road, Suite 2104 Threats. At this gains of the past decade. Even though funding Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Thailand for global health programs accounts for less juncture in the AIDS tel: (+66) 2 663-7561 epidemic, it seems than one half of one percent of our national fax: (+66) 2 663-7562 to me that we face budget, these programs are under threat and www.amfar.org opportunities and are considered by some to be completely threats in equal expendable. Proposed budget cuts could slash Newsletter Staff Shaun Raviv measure and on an unprecedented scale. the number of people on treatment and severely Editor AIDS research ndings over the past curtail HIV prevention and education efforts Andrew McInnes two years have handed us a golden opportunity. worldwide. Director, Public Information Cassandra Gallese Studies have shown that: a vaginal microbicide gel Let us hope that wisdom, compassion, Staff Writer can sharply reduce women’s risk of contracting and strategic thinking prevail so that we Raoul Norman-Tenazas Creative Director HIV; antiretroviral drugs can substantially reduce preserve these programs that not only save Yolande Hunter the risk of infection for HIV–negative gay men and millions of lives, but also serve our nation’s Creative Coordinator other men who have sex with men; and a healthy diplomatic and security interests while HIV-positive person on ARVs is much less likely to enhancing our standing as a moral, pass on the virus to his or her partner. humanitarian leader in the world. None of these interventions alone will end the epidemic. But if we add them to those amfAR meets the BBB that are already at our disposal—condoms, Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards harm reduction programs, prevention of mother- for Charity Accountability to-child transmission, male circumcision —and Kevin Robert Frost Chief Executive Ofcer HP is the ofcal technology Rethinking HIV Prevention for Gay supplier of amfAR. Delta Air Lines is the Men in the U.S. ofcial airline of amfAR. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and found that while gay men represent only men, including the broader social and structural Prevention (CDC) announced in August that two percent of the U.S. population, they factors that contribute to their disproportionate MSM were the only population to see an accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections infection rates. Rather than focusing solely increase in HIV infections between 2006 in 2009. on safer sexual behavior, this report calls for and 2009, according to the rst multi-year “We have known for a long time that expanded access to HIV/AIDS treatment as estimates of domestic HIV infections. While gay men—especially gay men of color—are well as policy changes to reduce stigma and the overall annual number of new HIV particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, discrimination and forge healthy social norms at infections in the U.S. was stable at about but this report conrms that the epidemic the community level. 50,000 per year, young, black gay men is becoming even more severe in these “Unless we nd ways to make experienced a sustained increase, with about groups,” said Kevin Frost, CEO of amfAR. comprehensive health services work for young, 10,800 new infections each year. White and In a report co-authored with Trust black gay men, America’s epidemic is only going Hispanic gay men were heavily affected as for America’s Health earlier this year, amfAR to get worse,” said Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice well, with 11,400 and 6,000 new infections called for a new paradigm for HIV prevention president and director of public policy. n each year, respectively. The report also that addresses the context of risk for gay 2 INNOVATIONS, FALL 2011 amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research www.amfar.org POLICY Deaths due to FY 2013 sequestration of Global Health Investments: federal global health funding 16,000 A Payoff for the U.S. 14,000 By Khai Hoan Tram and Chris Collins 12,000 10,000 On October 26, Republican presidential Indeed, according to new analysis by 8,000 candidates convened in Las Vegas for a debate amfAR, U.S. global health programs improve, hosted by CNN and the Western Republican extend, and save the lives of millions of 6,000 Leadership Conference. On the topic of foreign people worldwide. 4,000 aid, several of the presidential hopefuls were If foreign aid is cut, as many of these 2,000 extremely skeptical. For example, Mitt Romney candidates insisted it should be, millions of argued that “We’re spending more on foreign people will lose life-saving treatment and 0 aid than we ought to be spending.” Ron Paul services. The amfAR analysis examines the Infant deaths Deaths due to due to said, “To me, foreign aid is taking money from human impact of an across-the-board, 11.07 HIV-related causes lack of vaccines poor people in this country and giving it to percent cut that could occur under what rich people in poor countries, and it becomes is called “sequestration” if the Joint Select weapons of war.” Committee on Decit Reduction fails to come President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS What’s missing from this discussion is to agreement on a plan. Relief (PEPFAR); the fact that foreign aid—which accounts for The amfAR analysis found that • Funding to treat 403,000 people with HIV/ approximately 1 percent of our national budget sequestration could have the following AIDS would not be available; —is actually used to aid those in need while impacts in scal year 2013 alone: • 1.9 million fewer insecticide-treated bed advancing our country’s humanitarian and nets to prevent malaria would be delivered; diplomatic goals.