Reflections from AIDS 2024: Put People First

It was a privilege to attend the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Germany this past week. As my colleagues and I prepare to depart Munich, we leave enlightened and inspired by the shared urgency of global partners to continue working together to achieve the collective vision of eradicating HIV. This year’s theme is?#PutPeopleFirst! , and it’s never been more important for us to do so.??

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The response to the HIV epidemic is at a crossroads. To help end the HIV epidemic, we must go beyond a biomedical approach and fully integrate social determinants of health into the collective response. There is more work to do to achieve the United Nations’ (U.N.) goals of ending the epidemic by 2030 . To achieve these goals, thereby forging a more equitable and innovative HIV response, we must continue to prioritize person-centered HIV research and development and to partner and collaborate for work that is diverse, inclusive and grounded in the voices of communities most affected by HIV.?

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Putting People at the Center?

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We cannot break the trajectory of this epidemic unless people and communities are at the center of the collective response. Our contributions to AIDS 2024 demonstrate that people are at the center of all we do in HIV at Gilead.?

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Gilead recognizes the need for innovative approaches to address the diverse needs of individuals and communities affected by HIV. Our dedication to transformational innovation extends beyond the laboratory. We believe in collaborating at the global, national, and local levels to bridge gaps in HIV awareness and improve linkage to and retention in care.?

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An embodiment of Gilead's commitment beyond medicine is our support of the Me and My Healthcare Provider (MMHCP) initiative, now in its third year, Makcy Natha from Gilead Global Medical Affairs and International AIDS Society (IAS) President-Elect Beatriz Grinsztejn honored the 18 MMHCP Champions during an awards ceremony held at the congress. The 2024 MMHCP Champions are from Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey, and Brazil. This anti-stigma initiative provides those affected by HIV with the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of frontline healthcare providers who have made a tangible difference in their lives. IAS is a recipient of grant funding from Gilead Sciences.?

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Driving Transformational Innovation in HIV Research?

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Continuous scientific innovation and inclusive approaches are essential in the discovery and development of person-centered options that help address the evolving needs of a broad range of individuals and communities affected by HIV. The Gilead datasets presented at AIDS 2024 reflect the latest progress across our innovative portfolio and research pipeline and underscore our commitment to driving the next wave of transformational innovation in HIV research. Our goal, together with the broader HIV community, is to help end the HIV epidemic worldwide. We are excited about the landmark progress we shared at this meeting and are eager to continue engaging in a dialogue with the scientific community as we work towards our ultimate goal.?

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Our HIV prevention, treatment, cure research programs are informed by standing Global Community Advisory Groups (G-CAGs). Our Phase 3 PURPOSE trials in HIV prevention research have worked in close collaboration with multiple standing G-CAGs since before they were even designed.?The G-CAGs are comprised of a diverse range of community advisors who represent populations that are disproportionately affected by HIV. Some of these leaders are featured in the cover image of this article, from a joint meeting of our treatment and cure advisory groups on our campus in November. It is incredibly inspiring to engage with these experts and friends from around the world. Their dedication and inspiration help to drive our development of treatment, prevention, and cure strategy innovations.?

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Our scientific advancements are grounded in collaboration with community and research partners around the world. I look to a future where every person has options to help obtain their own HIV prevention or treatment success and where we've come together to end the HIV epidemic.?

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Advancing health equity?

The HIV epidemic is fueled by racial, gender, class and sexual discrimination at the community and systemic levels. These inequities must be addressed to end the epidemic. Ensuring that all people affected by the virus have equitable access to the quality care they need and deserve, particularly those disproportionately affected by other health inequities, is at the forefront of the HIV community’s efforts.?

Achieving health equity requires?partnership ?with governments, scientists, clinicians and community. It will continue to take togetherness to reduce disparities, advance education among healthcare professionals and support the local communities in which they operate. We work closely with partners and grassroots organizations to address deep-rooted barriers to?access —like stigma—to reach underrepresented and disproportionately affected communities, including Black, Latine, LGBTQ+ and aging individuals.?

Bringing community voices into the research process is another way to advance health equity. From planning to execution, while looking at real-world and participant-reported outcomes, they have direct line of sight into how treatments work. For example, our team is spearheading additional innovative programs which include communities that have been historically underrepresented in HIV clinical research such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, young people and people of color.?It is paramount that our?research ?is directly informed by the diverse voices of people affected by HIV and the advocates and communities that surround them during every step of our development process.?

Bridging from AIDS 2024 to UNAIDS 2030 goals?

We have been bold in our mission to help support the UNAIDS 2030 goal of ending the epidemic as a global public health threat by 2030. Key health targets have been established to help make this goal a reality—addressing existing health inequities, prioritizing person-centric care and ensuring the financial sustainability and capacity of healthcare systems. While the HIV community has made great strides collectively, tens of millions of people globally are still living with HIV. Simply put, there is so much work yet to be done.?

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We’ve identified three areas for priority interventions that we believe reflect a multifaceted, but achievable, approach:?

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• Sustained funding – We must continue to advocate for increased and sustained funding in HIV prevention and care from the national levels. Gilead engages in a number of private-public partnerships to build on past progress and maintain momentum in the future.?

• Innovation in HIV treatment and prevention – While we forge a path to the ultimate goal of a cure for HIV, advancing therapeutic innovations in HIV that help to drive long-term success will be crucial to meet the diverse range of needs and preferences of all people impacted by HIV.??

• Differentiated service delivery models – We need to evolve the traditional concept of HIV care delivery from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ mindset, to ensure we are taking a person-centered approach that best fits the HIV care needs of every region and community.?

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A new report titled Going the extra mile to end the HIV epidemic provides a comprehensive framework for individual countries. The report illuminates how local decision makers can take actionable steps, informed by progress in other regions, and affect real-life impact to help achieve the UNAIDS 2030 goals.?

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Learn more about Gilead’s efforts to help end the HIV epidemic here .??

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Envisioning a world without HIV?

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The breadth of our data presented at the meeting, coupled with Gilead-led symposia, illustrates our innovative approaches that help to advance transformational HIV research and enable broad, sustainable access to medicines globally. Additionally, in Munich, we spotlighted our commitment to promoting global health equity, and our focus on forming alliances with communities worldwide.?

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2024 marks the 25th convening of the International AIDS conference. Since the prestigious forum began more than two decades ago, tremendous progress has been made toward ending the epidemic, including advances in HIV treatment that help people with HIV live longer and healthier lives. With the levels of collaboration, scientific rigor and focus on inclusivity we see today, I believe our potential to help end the HIV epidemic is greater than it has ever been. I know I speak for all of us at Gilead in reinforcing our commitment to this work, in our bid to make the world a better, healthier place for all.?

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As my colleagues and I reflect on our time in Munich, we are inspired by the shared urgency of global partners to continue working together toward ending the inequalities that drive the HIV epidemic. We must continue to prioritize person-centered HIV research and development and to partner and collaborate to ensure that our work is diverse, inclusive and grounded in the voices of communities most affected by HIV. It’s only through genuine partnership and transformative collaboration that together, we can end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.?

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International AIDS Society , Linda-Gail Bekker , Moupali Das , Devi SenGupta , Christoph Carter , Alex Kintu , Sharon Lewin , Christoph D. Spinner , Yvette Raphael , Macky Natha , Michael Levy, MD , Janet Dorling , David Piontkowsky , James Rooney , Kathryn Kersey , Andrew Hexter , Brian Plummer , Larkin Callaghan , Cub Barrett , Ryan McKeel , Alex Kalomparis , Matthew Harding , Susannah Wade , Jane Stafford , Carmen Villar , Darwin Thompson , Sylvia Alfred , Manika Massey (Lall), Amy O’Brian , Shanell McGoy , Hayley Home , Jenna Scott , Felicity Blackburn , Stephanie Whitman Cox , Christian Callebaut , Renu Singh , Priyanka Arora, PhD , Rameshraja Palaparthy , Lilibeth Velasco-Dofiles , Pam Price , Mae Lai , Suki Bansal , Pamela Wong , Yongwu Shao , Jennifer Tang , Jim X Zheng , Andrew Mulato , Helen Yu , Scott Schroeder , Naveed Shaik , Renu Singh , Scott Wolckenhauer , Anne Chester , Winston Tse , Anna Chiu , Martin Rhee, MD , Tomas Cihlar , William Rowe , Bill Smith , Jason Hindman , Christoph Carter , Peter Sklar , Sean Collins , Christiaan de Vries Elena Vendrame , Eva Mortensen, MD, MS , Lillian Brown , Sarah Puryear , Vinicius Vieira , Hadas Dvory-Sobol , Mauricio Montezuma, MD, MPH , Jenna Yager , J. Carlo Hojilla , Kwad (Kwadwo) Mponponsuo , Sharline Madera Megha Mehrotra, PhD, MPH , Jackie Foust, HMCC Dazon Dixon Diallo , Danielle M. Campbell, MPH Saidy Brown Margaret Happy bridget jjuuko Sarah Mkhabela Nombeko Cynthia Mpongo Sivuyisiwe Sive Mredlane Stephen Mugamba Esther Nakkazi , Ntokozo Zakwe Ntando Yola Blossom Brown Shawn Demmons, MPH Jana Villayzan Aguilar JoAnne Keatley Arianna Lint Dr Thulani Mhlongo Charles Peterson Jenna Rapues Quinton Reynolds senzokuhle shibase Thiago Torres Martez D. R. Smith L. Leigh Ann van der Merwe Steven Wakefield Toi Washington-Reynolds Jeff Berry Erika Castellanos Brent Clifton Gus Cairns Daniel Driffin Bridgette Picou Rena Janamnuaysook Maurine Murenga Trevor Stratton Ace Robinson Valeriia Rachynska H. Rodrigo Moheno M. Micheal Ighodaro Nomfundo Eland Maureen Owino Tinashe G Rufurwadzo R. Barkins Dawn Averitt Abby Charles Rob Newells-Newton Midnight Poonkasetwattana Jared Stern Robinah Babriye, Lillian Mworeko, Teresia Otieno, Nandisile (Luthuli) Sikwana, Luis Guitierrez-Mock, Isa-Lee Jone-Rene, Panyaphon “Ten” Phiphatkhunamon, Chamrong “Tee” Paengnongyang, Patrick Doerner, Yo-yo Wu, Mandisa Dukashe, Marcel Dams, Allen Lu, Carlos Saucedo, Moses “Supercharger” Nsubuga, Siegfried Schwarze, Jeff Taylor??

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