FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Joana Casas, Program Communications Manager
(212) 806-1602
joana.casas@amfar.org
amfAR Welcomes Clear Signs of Progress on Domestic HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Applauds announcement of new investments in HIV cure research and
achievement of PEPFAR targets;
Urges establishing new PEPFAR targets and appointing PEPFAR Coordinator
as soon as possible
NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2013—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, on Monday welcomed a new report released by the White House providing an update on National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. The report, unveiled at a White House briefing this afternoon to commemorate World AIDS Day, updates the status of progress towards Strategy goals and provides examples of progress in three U.S. cities deeply impacted by HIV/AIDS – New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
"Communities in the U.S. that are significantly expanding access to evidence-based programming are seeing tangible impact against HIV/AIDS," said Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amfAR. "By following the evidence on what works in both domestic and global settings we can drive down HIV incidence and mortality."
Related to the strategy, today amfAR and Treatment Action Group (TAG) released a report, Filling the Gaps in the U.S. HIV Treatment Cascade: Developing a Community-Driven Research Agenda, which calls for a deliberate and expedited research agenda to end HIV, including stepped up research on how to deliver proven interventions effectively.
amfAR also welcomed the announcement of $100 million in reprioritized funding over the next three years to launch a new HIV Cure Initiative at the National Institutes of Health.
“This year, we saw a series of breakthroughs in HIV cure research that have brought us more clarity than we’ve ever had on the precise steps and tools needed to finally end AIDS,” added Rowena Johnston, amfAR’s vice president and director of research. “We cannot achieve the President’s goal of an AIDS-free generation without continued investment in the research necessary to ultimately help us find a cure for this disease.”
President Obama also announced that major 2011 PEPFAR targets were achieved, including providing lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to 6.7 million people. Additionally, President Obama pledged to match $1 for every $2 from other countries up to $5 billion in the next three years in the support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria replenishment, and challenged other donor countries to step up their commitment to help defeat AIDS.
“PEPFAR continues to demonstrate extraordinary progress in saving lives and beginning the end of the AIDS epidemic,” said Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice president and director of public policy. “Now it is essential to press forward and change the course of the epidemic by increasing investment in PEPFAR and the Global Fund, setting new PEPFAR targets, and appointing a new Coordinator for the program as soon as possible.”
About amfAR
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $366 million in its programs and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. To learn more, visit us at www.amfar.org.
# # #