Forum 2012: Research for Health | Tracking Investment in Research ...

By Kevin Fisher*, Policy Director, AVAC**: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention
How much money will it take to end AIDS?

In a new investment framework, UNAIDS and partners look at interventions such as prevention of parent-to-child transmission, condom promotion and distribution, male circumcision, and behavior change programs ? proven techniques on the path towards eradicating AIDS ? and recommend that interventions should be strategically implemented based on local epidemic contexts. Implementation of the new investment framework would, UNAIDS estimated, avert 12.2 million new HIV infections and 7.4 million deaths from AIDS between 2011 and 2020 compared with continuation of present approaches.

While new developments, such as treatment for prevention, are addressed, the investment framework does not analyze the costs or benefits of research and development currently underway. To end the epidemic we also need to continue to invest in new prevention technologies currently in the pipeline (such as vaccines) or recently validated (such as male circumcision, microbicides and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that will enable us to have the tools we need for each epidemic context. How much is currently being invested in developing an HIV vaccine, one of the most powerful tools for tackling infectious diseases on a population level, and how much more investment is needed? Or, how much is being invested in operations research to improve male circumcision delivery?

Since 2004, the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group has followed investments in HIV prevention research. The information collected is used by advocates, researchers, funders, and policy makers to assess how much is spent on HIV prevention R&D and what areas need increased resources. The Working Group is a collaboration of AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
In 2010, the Working Group found that $859 million was invested in preventive HIV vaccines. However, even the $859 million invested in 2010 is $100 million short of investment in 2007 (and the decrease is even more pronounced when inflation is taken into account), and funding cuts are on the horizon for vaccine research programs that have produced groundbreaking findings.

Tracking investments towards HIV prevention R&D is particularly important as we face donor fatigue and a widening global HIV funding gap. Tracking resources allows us ?

? To put into perspective funding numbers. While vaccine funding may have decreased, overall investment in HIV prevention R&D overall increased by 1.3% in 2010 with increases for microbicides, PrEP and male circumcision;

? To hold accountable public, private and philanthropic donors to sustain and increase funding for areas where research has progressed; and,

? To ensure efficient and effective investments in the whole HIV prevention toolbox ? including microbicides, PrEP, treatment as prevention, male circumcision, treatment for prevention and female condoms.
In other words, it allows us to find out if we have been investing in our priorities. As the Working Group collects 2011 funding data, conclusions to guide a strategic investment in HIV prevention R&D will emerge ? conclusions mindful of our limited resources and hopeful that donors don?t lose sight of the progress being made on the path toward ending the epidemic.

*Kevin Fisher, JD, MSc ? Policy Director, AVAC

Kevin is the Policy Director of AVAC and focuses on new regulatory, legislative, financial and scientific approaches to accelerating the development new HIV prevention options. He also serves as the principal researcher and author of the annual resource tracking reports from the HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Resource Tracking Working Group. He serves as a member of the AIDS Vaccine Research Subcommittee, and as co-chair of the Research subcommittee of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership

Prior to joining AVAC, Kevin worked for over 20 years as a regulatory and transactional counsel, most recently as Senior Counsel with Covington & Burling. Previously he worked in a pro-bono capacity on drug and vaccine development and delivery issues for groups such as the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Global Development and the World Parkinson Congress. Kevin has a BA from Brown University in Urban Studies, a JD from New York University School of Law and an MSc in Epidemiology from Columbia University?s Mailman School of Public Health.

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**AVAC | Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention

Founded in 1995, AVAC is a non-profit organization that uses education, policy analysis, advocacy and a network of global collaborations to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines, male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP and other emerging HIV prevention options as part of a comprehensive response to the pandemic.

Source: http://www.forum2012.org/2011/12/tracking-investment-in-research-investing-in-ending-the-aids-epidemic/

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