Treatment Action Group’s program areas include antiretroviral treatments, basic science, vaccines, prevention, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.
Antiretroviral Treatment
Each day, more than 7,000 people worldwide die of HIV disease. This immense public health failure can be attributed to a dense web of medical, political, and economic problems. The vast majority of the world’s 40 million HIV-positive people live in poor countries where many obstacles prevent the widespread distribution of HIV drugs. But even the most effective existing drugs have major shortcomings, and HIV-positive people everywhere need better treatment strategies. The Treatment Action Group’s Antiretroviral Project works with the HIV community, scientists, government, and the pharmaceutical industry to speed the delivery of safer, more tolerable, and more effective drugs to people with HIV across the globe, and to promote research to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Basic Science and Prevention
A better understanding of how HIV causes disease (HIV pathogenesis) is essential to discover better treatments, including immune-based therapies for people whose immune systems are not fully restored by antiretroviral therapy; preventive technologies such as vaccines, microbicides and preexposure prophylaxis; and a cure for HIV/AIDS. The Treatment Action Group’s Michael Palm Basic Science, Vaccines, and Prevention Project works with HIV community members, scientists, and policy makers to enhance public understanding of the science of HIV infection, address gaps in HIV research, critique the research effort, and foster cross-disciplinary collaborations with the aim of accelerating research into HIV pathogenesis and speeding the development of effective immune-based therapies, preventive technologies, and a cure.
Viral Hepatitis and HIV
Hepatitis C–related liver disease has become a leading cause of death among HIV-positive people in the United States and Europe. Worldwide, more than 130 million people have been infected with the hepatitis C virus, which can cause cirrhosis and liver failure. At least four to five million HIV-positive people have hepatitis C. HIV worsens hepatitis C, making it more aggressive and harder to treat. The Treatment Action Group’s Hepatitis/HIV Project works with the hepatitis C and HIV community, scientists, government, and drug companies to make lifesaving information and safer, more tolerable, and more effective hepatitis C treatment available to all people who need it.
Tuberculosis and HIV
Tuberculosis (TB) kills about two million people each year. Despite being curable, it is the leading cause of death for HIV-positive people globally. HIV increases the risk of developing tuberculosis disease by more than tenfold. People at risk for both diseases require tuberculosis and HIV services that work together to address their needs. The Treatment Action Group’s TB/HIV Project strengthens community-driven advocacy for better TB/HIV research, programs, and policy worldwide.
Community Activism
Treatment Action Group educates communities affected by HIV around the US and throughout the world about the latest developments in research, prevention, and treatment. TAG also trains and mentors leaders of HIV/AIDS organizations and networks to strengthen their advocacy and scientific literacy. TAG staff work with individuals and organizations in the US and around the world to catalyze more effective global interventions against the HIV pandemic and to strengthen treatment education and literacy efforts in developing countries.