AVAC

Getting LEN Rollout Right In June 2025, the US Food & Drug Administration’s approval of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) provided a much-needed boost for HIV prevention, particularly given the strength of the science and the…

Injectable #lenacapavir for #PrEP (LEN) moved faster than any prevention product before it, because lessons from past rollouts were applied early and equity stayed front and center.

Read AVAC’s Review to see how:

The Fight to Save HIV Research A new US Administration took office in January 2025 and immediately moved to dismantle public health infrastructure in the US and around the world, including massive cuts to foreign assistance cuts…

When funding cuts threatened #HIV, AVAC helped lead the response using litigation, policy advocacy & coordinated action to protect hundreds of millions of dollars and defend scientific integrity.

See how in our 2025 Year in Review,

More details on #SouthAfrica production of #lenacapavir for #PrEP.

A 7th generic license for a SA–based manufacturer could help accelerate the path from licensing to large-scale supply for regions most affected, but, how long & at what price are the questions. Read more, avac.org/blog/global-...

The State Department Is Asking the World for New Global Health Ideas Breakdown of the State Department’s New “Advancing Global Health” APS Funding Opportunity

Great piece by @jirairratevosian.bsky.social on the US' push for bilateral health MOUs & what they signal for the future of #globalhealth cooperation & accountability, ratevosian.substack.com/p/the-state-...

STAT: How Stand Up For Science is trying to ‘pull every lever’ to win over the public

By Anil Oza @aniloza.bsky.social @statnews.com @standupforscience.bsky.social

bit.ly/4rSCgi0

How ‘America First’ aid deals are playing out in Africa The United States has signed 19 one-on-one health agreements directly with African governments since dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development last year. Here's how it's going.

Healthbeat:‘Maximum disruption, minimal clarity’: How ‘America First’ aid deals are playing out in Africa

Really good reporting/writing by William Herkewitz @healthbeat.org

bit.ly/4sD4kGl

New HIV cure approach forces hidden virus into tripping immune sensor Strategy gains momentum after promising results in cell studies and infected people

An obstacle to an HIV cure is that the viral protease enzyme is like a jewel thief that dodges laser sensors, which, when tripped, cause death of infected cells. Drugs can force protease to stand up, potentially reducing reservoirs of latently infected cells. www.science.org/content/arti...

States Move to Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment

What a shame!

By killing USAID and cutting aid, they have already compromised HIV care in the Global South

Now they reducing HIV treatment access to Americans???

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/h...

US #science funding remains frozen despite congressional approval, #lenacapavir for #PrEP rollout accelerates across Africa, and South Africa explores local production. Plus: AVAC launches #AccessBridge to speed equitable access to #HIV prevention & #SRH tools.

🔗 avac.org/blog/global-...

Foreign aid is back from the dead — but it’s in the hands of the people who tried to kill it Both parties just approved billions for lifesaving aid abroad. Will Trump actually spend it?

ICYMI, www.vox.com/future-perfe...

"What this law mostly says is that Congress is back"...[but] “I’ll declare victory when every dollar Congress appropriated is spent by the administration.” - AVAC's Mitchell Warren

#HIV #PEPFAR #foreignaidfreeze

ICYMI yesterday, AVAC introduced #AccessBridge, a Kenya-based NGO advancing timely, sustainable & equitable introduction of & access to #HIVprevention and #SRH products—purpose-built for this moment of global uncertainty.

Read more:
🔗 healthaccessbridge.org

Progress in #STI science is real, but systems & investment aren’t keeping up. Our new #STIWatch update covers #CROI2026, #HPV prevention gaps, new STI advocacy agendas in Kenya, South Africa & Zimbabwe & a new partnership model for HIV/syphilis test w/big potential, tinyurl.com/stiwatchq1

AVAC is excited to introduce Access Bridge, an independent, Kenya-based NGO, incubated over the past decade within AVAC as part of our Product Introduction & Access team. It advances timely, sustainable & equitable introduction of & access to HIV prevention + SRH products.

avac.org/blog/introdu...

That’s why AVAC is proud to introduce #AccessBridge, a Kenya-based NGO advancing timely, sustainable & equitable introduction of & access to #HIVprevention and #SRH products—purpose-built for this moment of global uncertainty.

🔗 healthaccessbridge.org

🧵 Kenya is the 4th country in SSA to begin administering #lenacapavir for #HIV #PrEP (#LEN)! As LEN rolls out at record speed, equity & scale are the next test.

"Plotkin remembers the bad times, before most vaccines were developed & put into broad use. He knows the pathogens that have been largely controlled by these vaccines aren’t gone from the globe & will again sicken American children in ever increasing numbers if vaccination levels continue to fall."

Join #thechoiceagenda @popcouncil.bsky.social @aphaza.bsky.social and partners tomorrow, Tuesday, as we discuss the #Dapivirine Ring: Giving Women Hope and Choice in #HIV Prevention

8:30am ET / 15:30 SAST

🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/dvrhope

Kenya rolls out breakthrough HIV drug. Now the real test begins. Kenya has begun to rollout a breakthrough drug for HIV prevention.

defrontera.org/features/ken...

"What this law mostly says is that Congress is back"...[but] “I’ll declare victory when every dollar Congress appropriated is spent by the administration.” - AVAC's Mitchell Warren

For more on AVAC's case: avac.org/avac-vs-dept...

#HIV #PEPFAR #foreignaidfreeze

This week's cover @thelancet.com

What happened the last two days of #CROI2026?

Find out in our summary covering meaningful progress: from #HIV #PrEP & #cure advances to long-acting treatment, paired with a stark reminder that breakthroughs mean little without systems to deliver them equitably.

🔗 avac.org/blog/croi202...

#idsky

Global Fund pledges Sh256 million for Kenya’s Lenacapavir rollout The money will fund roll out activities, including service delivery support, training, community engagement and systems to ensure eligible beneficiaries can access the drug.

www.the-star.co.ke/health/2026-...

#lenacapavir #PrEP

Big news for #PrEP this week!

🇰🇪 Kenya is hosting launch events to introduce #lenacapavir for PrEP, with the 1st recipient receiving the 1st dose today.
🇺🇬 Uganda just received its LEN shipment so access is coming.

See AVAC's regulatory tracker, avac.org/resource/inf... for the latest.
#HIV #idsky

CROI 2026 Community Breakfast Meetings The Community Breakfast Club is a joint initiative made possible through collaboration among AVAC, the European AIDS Treatment Group, the Treatment Action Group, Fiocruz, and other partners. They feat...

#CROI2026 Community Breakfast Club recordings are now available!

For 3 days, researchers & community members dug into what it will take to move #HIV prevention science, cure & implementation research from innovation to real-world impact.

🎥 avac.org/event/croi20...

@eatgroup.bsky.social #IDsky

At today’s #CROI2026 community webinar @francoisventer.bsky.social warned that the field risks celebrating breakthroughs that never reach communities. Without action, “we might be sitting here again in 10 years’ time” with innovation benefiting only a few.

#IDSky

At the final #CROI2026 community bkfast club webinar, Ruanne Barnabas highlighted that studies are now enrolling people w/detectable viral load. One published in NEJM last wk showed long-acting injectable ART is highly effective at low-level viremia, “opening the door for real choice.”

Starting Now! The last #CROI2026 Community Breakfast Club session: Advances in Long-Acting HIV Treatment: Science, Delivery + Equity

We'll discuss the latest science behind long-acting HIV treatment + critical questions of delivery, access & equity.

🔗 Register:
avac-org.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Very early ART may help children control HIV without treatment DENVER — One-third of children with HIV who received very early ART had no detectable virus in their body for at least 12 weeks after stopping treatment, according to study findings.It was another sign that children initiating HIV treatment at a very early age may later be able to control the virus without it, researchers said.

At #CROI2026, Dr. Gabriela Cromhout shared the cases of 6 children with HIV whose viral loads remained undetectable for at least 12 weeks after ART interruption.

“This reinforces the idea that children are at a higher potential to be cured of HIV than adults,” she said.

vist.ly/4srn9

#CROI2026: Science, Solidarity & High Stakes for the #HIV Response

#CROI2026 opened with a clear message: the #science is advancing, but the systems needed to deliver it are under attack. Read our summary of Days 1–2 tracking the science & what’s at stake.

🔗 avac.org/blog/croi202...

The war on science: resisting and rebuilding at a crucial juncture Peter Staley’s talk at the opening session of the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2026) in Denver was a grim post-mortem of one of the most challenging years in recent HIV history – an ‘annus horribilis’ – a phrase Queen Elizabeth II used to describe 1992 and The Lancet applied to 2025.

News from CROI 2026: The war on science: resisting and rebuilding at a crucial juncture #CROI2026