2016 TAG Update
TAG's annual review of progress we've made on the the fight to end HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and Tuberculosis.
HIV Activists Seek to Accelerate Development of Immune Enhancing Therapies for Immunologic Non-Responders
A coalition of HIV/AIDS activists are calling for renewed attention to HIV-positive people termed immunologic non-responders (INRs), who experience suboptimal immune system reconstitution despite years of viral load suppression by antiretroviral therapy. Studies have shown that INR patients remain at increased risk of illness and death compared to HIV-positive people who have better restoration of immune function on current drug therapies.
Story: Israeli Scientists See Breakthrough in AIDS Cure
November 2016 Examples of media coverage: Israeli scientists see breakthrough in AIDS cure – The Times of Israel, November 1, 2016 Israeli researchers offer some hope for HIV carriers – Arutz Sheva 7, November 1, 2016 Israeli research successful in…
Reconsideration of support for impending 21st Century Cures Act
Dear Minority Leader Pelosi: On behalf of Treatment Action Group (TAG), I write to you strongly urging for the reconsideration of your support for the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act. Even as an impending and new version of the bill is set to be introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairman, Rep. Fred Upton – we are concerned that several provisions carried from the prior iteration of the bill (H.R. 6) may continue to undermine public health and jeopardize patient safety. These concerns include lowering standards for the FDA in determining approval for prospective drugs and devices, increasing the likelihood of antimicrobial resistance, to granting extended market exclusivity for new drugs.
TAGline Fall 2016
Health, Human Rights, and Social Justice: maximizing HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and viral hepatitis outcomes depends on the availability of state-of-the-art diagnostic and prognostic tools, engagement in expert and supportive care, and access to safe and effective drugs.
Toward Health Equity
We will not end HIV as an epidemic without the expertise and leadership of Black and Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender people of color. By Jeremiah Johnson In February 2016, the CDC issued a new report with a…
Countering the Contagion of Racism Through Resistance
Upholding narratives of Black science and treatment activism, and community mobilization in HIV/AIDS and TB By Suraj Madoori In February 2016, startling data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic…
Story: British Scientists on Brink of HIV Cure
October 2016 Examples of media coverage: British scientists on brink of HIV cure (headline now corrected to “British scientists hopeful for HIV cure”) – The Sunday Times, October 2, 2016 (registration required) HIV cure close after disease ‘vanishes’ from blood of British man (now…
The Stigma of HIV Prevention
July 13, 2016 The consequences of stigma among people living with and vulnerable to HIV infection are significant and far-reaching. Stigma is frequently cited as a significant barrier to successful pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness, access and utilization. Despite having been…
Improving Health Outcomes in HIV Immunologic Non-Responders
A conference call meeting initiated by HIV community advocates was held with FDA members on June 10, 2016 to discuss ways to advance the evaluation and development of products (drugs or biologics) that demonstrate promise in improving health outcomes in HIV-positive patients with inadequate immune response after long term successful HIV treatment.