Press Release: More than 500 Endorsers Demand Answers on Lubricant Safety

 

Global coalition of organizations and individuals calls for research agenda to determine safety of sexual lubricants

For Immediate Release

June 12, 2013 – Over 500 organizations and individuals from nearly 60 countries have endorsed a Global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety. They all demand answers on whether sexual lubricants are safe for vaginal and anal intercourse. As the Call to Action points out, there are more questions than answers about the safety of sexual lubricants, and there are concerns that some of the products available on store shelves and at community-based organizations worldwide may actually cause harm.

International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) launched the call to action, which prominent organizations across the globe subsequently endorsed, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the Global Network of Sex Work Projects, the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights in the U.S., the Microbicide Trials Network, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition, Chicago Women’s AIDS Project, Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights, Terrence Higgins Trust, the Canadian AIDS Society, Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, and numerous other organizations devoted to sexual health and HIV prevention.

Several lubricant manufacturers—such as Trigg Laboratories (makers of WET), Davryan Laboratories (PROBE), Gel Works Pty (Wet Stuff), The Yes Yes Company (Yes), and Abra Advanced Research International Pte (SuperSlyde)—also joined this overwhelming global demand for answers on lubricant safety.

“After more than thirty years of the HIV pandemic, we still have no clear answers on whether sexual lubricants increase, decrease, or have no impact on the risk of acquiring HIV and other STIs,” said Marc-André LeBlanc, coordinator of IRMA’s International Lubricant Safety Working Group. “This is unacceptable. We urgently need a Lubricant Safety Research Agenda that will provide answers on lubricant safety.”

“Many men, women and transgender individuals all across the globe use sexual lubricants for both vaginal and anal intercourse," said Jim Pickett, IRMA chair. “Public health has long promoted the use of condoms with condom-compatible water-based or silicone-based lubricants to prevent HIV and other STIs. Lubricants help ensure condoms don’t break, and that condoms stay on during sex. So, it’s pretty critical we understand if any of these condom-compatible lubricants could actually be putting people in harm’s way.”

There are hundreds of different sexual lubricants on the market; however, researchers have only tested a few for tissue damage and to preliminarily assess potential impact on HIV and STIs. Because of this and relatively inconclusive results, it is nearly impossible to recommend or argue against specific brands of water-based or silicone-based lubricants.

While releasing this list of endorsers, IRMA continues to promote the development of a lubricant safety research agenda in partnership with advocates, researchers, and manufacturers across the globe. IRMA is working closely with key partners, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is conducting lube safety research, and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is developing a Lube Safety Research Agenda with its Scientific Advisory Board.

IRMA eagerly awaits the release of data from the CDC’s latest study and PEPFAR’s Lube Safety Research Agenda. The new data and a PEPFAR -endorsed research agenda will move the lube safety issue forward.

“As a lubricant manufacturer, we are committed to working with advocates, funders, researchers and regulators to develop the safest possible products,” stated Sarah Brooks, CEO of Yes Yes Company Ltd. “That is why we enthusiastically endorse the Global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety. We want to be active partners by lending our expertise as a lubricant manufacturer.”

# # # #

Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is a catalyst for local, national, and international action against HIV/AIDS.

International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) is a global network, housed at AFC, comprised of more than 1,200 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders focused on rectal microbicide research and advocacy and related issues such as the safety of sexual lubricants.

See the Global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety and the complete list of endorsers here.

Learn more about lubricant safety here.

 

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

 

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro. *Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.

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Challenges for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States

via PLoS Medicine, by Gordon Mansergh, Beryl A. Koblin, Patrick S. Sullivan

Summary Points:

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with anti-retroviral (ARV) medications is partially efficacious for preventing HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals.

As PrEP becomes available and prescribed for use among MSM a better understanding of willingness to use PrEP and avoidance of condom use are needed so that behavioral programs and counseling may be enhanced for maximum benefit.

Targeted messaging will be needed about ARV prophylaxis for various at risk populations, but the general message should be that condoms continue to be the most effective way to prevent HIV transmission through sex and that PrEP is an additional biomedical intervention.

As new effective biomedical intervention methods, such as PrEP, become available language about “protected” and “unprotected” sex, which used to exclusively mean condom use, will need to adapt.

Read the full article here.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Sustainable HIV prevention possibilities present choices, challenges

via Science Speaks, by Antigone Barton

When he looks at what biomedical science can do in the next decade to prevent HIV transmission, Jim Turpin of the National Institutes of Health said, he thinks of the lyrics of a Timbuk3 song: “The future’s so bright I gotta wear shades.”

By, which, actually, he means — don’t get blinded by the light; the search for answers will require focus.
“The challenge is not the lack of options,” he said, “but prioritizing the best options.”

Turpin, program officer and branch chief in the Prevention Sciences Program in the Division of AIDS at NIH”s  National Institute of Allergy and Infection Disease spoke this morning in webinar titled “The HIV Prevention Pipeline: A Future of Possibilities.” The webinar was sponsored by the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) and AVAC Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention.

After a series of disappointments in the quest for a vaccine or microbicide to prevent HIV transmission, the last two years offered hope, in strategies using antiretroviral medicine to prevent acquiring HIV, organizers point out. But, with a diversity of prevention needs and challenges among women and men worldwide still demanding answers, is that all there is?

Or, as Turpin put it, “Do we currently have what it takes to create a sustainable prevention pipeline?”

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Policy Implications of The Lancet MSM & HIV Series

via Center for Strategic & International Studies

In light of the need to address key populations in the HIV epidemic, the Center for Strategic and International Studies is convening several authors to discuss a special issue of The Lancet focused on the global HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Thursday, September 6th
3:00pm—5:00pm (EST)
B1 Conference Room
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1800 K Street NW, Washington, D.C.

CSIS will host a dialogue focusing on the domestic and global policy implications of the new research and modeling presented in this special issue. Articles examine the subject from a variety of perspectives, including epidemiology, biological and behavioral factors in HIV transmission, the success of various interventions, costing a comprehensive response, and HIV among black MSM in the United States and elsewhere. Authors will discuss why current programs are failing and HIV epidemics among MSM are still increasing. Sharon Stash, CSIS Global Health Policy Center Senior Advisor, will moderate the discussion with authors Chris Beyrer, Kenneth H. Mayer, Greg A. Millett, and Patrick S. Sullivan, and discussant Chris Collins. The session will open with concise presentations of the key findings and policy recommendations, with the majority of the time reserved for questions and discussion.

Please RSVP at: http://SmartGlobalHealth.org/Lancet

Thank you,

J. Stephen Morrison
Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Access the webcast here.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Translating clinical efficacy into public health effectiveness

via Citizen News Service, by Bobby Ramakant

At the recently concluded XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), not only the decibels went up on ending AIDS but also sane voices were heard demanding a well-costed and thought-through strategy on how to end AIDS. One of the strategies that will complement a comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support plan to end AIDS is preventing HIV transmission. In this context, we need to look beyond the Phase III trials in HIV prevention research so that if the product being tested is proved to be effective, we have the means and well-thought plan to make it available for those people in need, without delay.

The HIV prevention research is certainly going ahead with rectal microbicides phase II efficacy clinical trials (MTN017) about to begin in four countries (US, Thailand, South Africa and Peru), US FDA's approval to use 'Truvada' as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, vaginal microbicides research and HIV vaccine science progressing ahead, treatment as prevention (TasP) getting a buy-in as never before, among other positive developments that give us hope.

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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What kind of prevention do gay men need?

 via aidsmap, by Gus Cairns

How do we stop the hyperepidemic in gay men?

A number of presentations at the 19th International AIDS Conference explored the 'hyperepidemic' of HIV amongst men who have sex with men, and especially black MSM.

A paper presented by Gregorio Millet (pictured above at a White House reception honoring people working in AIDS) showed that, at least in the USA, the extremely high incidence and prevalence of HIV in this group is not driven by higher levels of unsafe sex. Instead, very high prevalence, the ease with which HIV is transmitted during anal sex, and the fact that black men (and some other subpopulations of gay men) have sex within small and multiply-connected networks have created a situation in which HIV is hard to avoid.

Given this, what prevention methods would work in gay men? The one that has been talked about most keenly and which continued to generate a great deal of data and debate at Washington was pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - taking antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent, rather than treat, HIV.

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Most young Thai MSM define as heterosexual, even if they mainly have sex with men

via aidsmap, by Gus Cairns

A large, randomised sample of 21-year-old Thai men, presented at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington recently, has found that by far the largest risk factor for HIV infection is gay identity. Contrary to the oft-quoted saying “it’s not who you are, but what you do,” actual male/male sexual behaviour, while still an important risk factor, was not as strongly associated with being HIV positive as gay identity.

The survey was conducted among over 35,000 army conscripts from all parts of Thailand. All 21-year old Thai men enter a lottery at the age of 21 for conscription into the Thai army and of these half a million young men, 60,00 to 100,000, in any year, are conscripted, twice a year in May and October.

This survey thus constituted a truly randomised, cross-sectional survey of the 21-year-old men who were inducted into the Thai army in May 2011. It was conducted no more than two weeks after induction and therefore serving in the army had no influence on the results. Men from all provinces in Thailand were included and from both urban and rural areas.

The survey found that 7% of respondents had had sex with another man (MSM) but that only 1.1% only had sex with men.

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Interim Guidance for Clinicians Considering the Use of Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Heterosexually Active Adults

via Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

In the United States, an estimated 48,100 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections occurred in 2009 (1). Of these, 27% were in heterosexual men and women who did not inject drugs, and 64% were in men who have sex with men (MSM), including 3% in MSM who inject drugs. In January 2011, following publication of evidence of safety and efficacy of daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg (TDF)/emtricitabine 200 mg (FTC) (Truvada, Gilead Sciences) as antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk for HIV acquisition among MSM in the iPrEx trial, CDC issued interim guidance to make available information and important initial cautions on the use of PrEP in this population.

Those recommendations remain valid for MSM, including MSM who also have sex with women (2). Since January 2011, data from studies of PrEP among heterosexual men and women have become available, and on July 16, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label indication for reduction of risk for sexual acquisition of HIV infection among adults, including both heterosexuals and MSM.* This interim guidance includes consideration of the new information and addresses pregnancy and safety issues for heterosexually active adults at very high risk for sexual HIV acquisition that were not discussed in the previous interim guidance for the use of PrEP in MSM.

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Legal barriers and stereotypes block care services for same sex couples

[Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012, and after.]

via Citizen News Service, by Jittima Jantanamalaka

Despite alarming HIV rates amongst the men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, many countries, community leaders, media and society at large continue to hold discriminating stereotypes against them. "Punitive laws will drive MSM and transgender populations underground" rightly said Aradhana Johri of Department of AIDS Control, Government of India. In US alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, although Black American MSM people represent only 13 percent of the US population but they account for about 44 percent of the new HIV infections particularly among those aged 13 -19.

Unless we protect the rights of same sex couples to live a life of dignity, and discourage those who are judgemental about their same sex behaviour, not only we will fail to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and same sex behaviour, but also fuel homophobia and negative perceptions about HIV testing. People will continue to choose to hide their high-risk behaviour and not seek counseling and testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Uganda AIDS Activist Sees Hope in Rectal Microbicides

[Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012.]

via Citizen News Service, by Chief K Masimba Biriwasha

UGANDAN AIDS activist and medical doctor, Paul Semugoma, 42, said that rectal microbicides have a potential to save the unnecessary loss of lives among men who have sex with men in Uganda and across Africa. According to a study titled, "HIV Infection among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Kampala, Uganda – A Respondent Driven Sampling Survey," it is estimated that the adult male HIV prevalence in Kampala is 4.5 per cent but the prevalence estimates among men who
have sex with men (MSM) is 13.7 per cent. Most MSM still have sex with women, many are married, co-habit with women, and have biological children. MSM in Kampala appear firmly embedded in the general population.

Semugoma, who recently opened up about his sexual orientation after living in a closet for the best part of his life said that rectal microbicides are intuitive and therefore conducive to anal sex.

“The best part is that lubrication is required anyway for anal sex, and having a lube which also serves as a microbicide will help to save the lives of men who have sex with men. A lube will be fantastic because lube is always associated with penile anal sex,” said Semugoma, who is also a medical doctor.

Semugoma said that putting a rectal microbicides on the market in Uganda will be an uphill task due to the hostility against gay men in the country.

Read the rest.


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 *Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

 *Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

 *Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Rectal Microbicides Open New Frontier in HIV Fight

 [Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012.]

via Citizen New Service, by  Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha

 Microbicide research has gained momentum in recent years with focus largely on products to prevent HIV during vaginal sex. However, there is a growing momentum to develop rectal microbicides for women, men, and transgender individuals around the world who engage in anal intercourse. Microbicides are products (currently under research) designed to prevent or reduce the sexual transmission of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections when applied inside the vagina or rectum. Most vaginal microbicides are being tested as gels or rings, while rectal microbicides are primarily being tested as gels.

According to the International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA), rectal microbicides are products – that could take the form of gels or lubricants – being developed and tested to reduce a person’s risk of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections from anal sex. In spite of the public health need for rectal microbicide research, there is serious institutional, socio-cultural and political stigma around the issue.

Click here to read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Rectal Microbicides Seen As Key in Preventing New HIV transmissions

[Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012.]

via Citizen News Service, by Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha

Unprotected anal sex has long been regarded as a key driver of HIV transmission in many parts of the world, especially among men who have sex with men. In many contexts, the practice is surrounded with stigma and discrimination which is a key barrier to developing protective measures, and largely pushes affected populations to go underground far from the reach of public health services as well as HIV prevention tools.

There is a growing recognition that to turn the AIDS tide and avoid uneccessary deaths, there is a need to develop new HIV prevention tools such as rectal microbicides for women, men, and transgender individuals around the world who engage in anal intercourse.

Read the rest.

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Meet Amber - A Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate

Check out this interesting mini-bio of Amber Rucker, the latest in IRMA's "Meet a Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate" series on the IRMA website here.  Amber is one of six new bios just posted the other day, including individuals from Thailand, Kenya and the US.  Each will be featured on the blog, and you can read all of them here right now.


Amber Rucker
Boston, Massachusetts

"I truly respect an organization like IRMA that does not shy away from talking about sex and pushing for more research in the rectal microbicide field. This is really important work."

Amber is the Senior Research Associate at Fenway Health. Outside of work, she loves cooking and baking new and exciting recipes.

Amber became involved in IRMA through her current position and was intrigued by IRMA's ability to talk about sex and push for more research into the rectal microbicide field. She also believes that rectal microbicides are important because "receptive anal intercourse carries the highest risk of sexual HIV transmission. Providing individuals with other methods of protection against HIV and other STIs is vital for community safety."

She hopes that in time, the stigma associated with receptive anal intercourse will diminish, and men and women will feel more comfortable this very common behavior with health care providers.

Currently, Amber is working on a vaginal ring study called MTN-013/IPM 026. She is very excited about her studies, and is eager to see her research and work evolve.

With the upcoming MTN-017 trial, Amber will be involved in site activation activities, and will be conducting study visits. MTN-017 is the very first Phase II rectal microbicide expanded safety and acceptability study in the field and will recruit gay men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender women who are HIV negative. U.S. sites will launch later in 2012, and international sites are expected to begin enrolling in early 2013. The study will be investigating a reduced-glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel applied rectally compared with oral Truvada.

Amber's mother has been her greatest influence. Her mother has demonstrated leadership, strength, and compassion, and encourages Amber to pursue all her passions and goals fearlessly.

Thank you, Amber, for all that you do!


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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HIV and the Law

via the Commission on HIV and the Law

The end of the global AIDS epidemic is within our reach. This will only be possible if science and action are accompanied by a tangible commitment to respecting human dignity and ending injustice.

Law prohibits or permits specific behaviours, and in so doing, it shapes politics, economics and society. The law can be a human good that makes a material diff erence in people’s lives. It is therefore not surprising that law has the power to bridge the gap between vulnerability and resilience to HIV.

We came together as a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and continents to examine the role of the law in effective HIV responses. What we share is our abiding commitment to public health and social justice. We have listened with humility to hundreds of accounts describing the eff ects of law on HIV. In many instances, we have been overwhelmed by how archaic, insensitive laws are violating human rights, challenging rational public health responses and eroding social fabric. At other times, we have been moved by those who demonstrate courage and conviction to protect those most vulnerable in
our societies.

Many would say that the law can be complex and challenging and is best left alone. Our experience during this Commission has shown us a very diff erent perspective. We have been encouraged by how frank and constructive dialogue on controversial issues can sometimes quickly lead to progressive law reform, the eff ective defence of legislation or better enforcement of existing laws. Even in environments where formal legal change is a slow and arduous process, we have witnessed countries taking action to strengthen access to justice and challenge stigma and discrimination.

Click here for the full report.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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HIV home tests – how will they be used?

[This article was inspired by the lively discussion and debate on IRMA's highly active moderated listserv for its members. Interested in signing up? Send IRMA a note at rectalmicro@gmail.com.]

Attempts to overly mediate how I receive information about my body amount to little more than a paternalistic view of what I can handle.

via aidsmap, by Roger Pebody

This week the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, which will be sold over the counter and used without medical supervision, received its final approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning that it can be legally sold in the United States. Similar approvals may follow for other countries. But who is likely to use it and in what circumstances? And will the increased accessibility of HIV testing make any difference to the epidemic?

Whereas French research suggests that men who are secretive about their homosexual behaviour will have a particular interest in home testing, a study from New York indicated that some gay men will use it to test sexual partners, sometimes as a prerequisite for unprotected sex. And a rich discussion between HIV prevention advocates and researchers, which recently took place on the email forum of International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), highlighted the key issue of whether people who test positive at home will subsequently connect with health services. While some participants had concerns about the potential for coercion and abuse, others felt that home testing could increase choice and autonomy.

Read the rest.

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro. *Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.

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Kenya's HIV Challenge: Easing Stigma For Gay Men

via NPR, by Jason Beaubien

Health officials in Kenya say reducing the transmission of HIV among gay men is a central part of their national AIDS strategy. But they face serious challenges, including the fact that homosexuality is still a crime in the East African nation.

HIV rates among gay and bisexual men in Kenya are far higher than the national average.

Mutisiya Leonard, who runs an HIV prevention, treatment and support program for men who have sex with men in northwestern Kenya, says homosexuality is so stigmatized in Africa that many men don't want to refer to themselves as gay. This makes reaching them with safe-sex messages and HIV-prevention campaigns difficult. These men are reluctant to seek medical care for sexually transmitted diseases, he says, and they don't want to get tested for HIV.

Nationwide, roughly 6 percent of adults in Kenya are infected with HIV. But the rate among men who have gay sex is more than three times the national average. Among male prostitutes in the capital, Nairobi, 41 percent are infected.

In order to address HIV in any community, health workers need to be able to get people to talk frankly and honestly about their sex lives. But Leonard says gay men in Kenya face stigma, discrimination, violence and even jail if they come out of the closet. "The fear of the law, the fear of arrest makes it difficult for people to be open about it," he says.

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Rectal microbicide research gives hope for HIV protection

via Citizens News Service, by Somya Arora

According to the Microbicides Trials Network (MTN), HIV continues to disproportionately affect racial minorities and men who have sex with men (MSM). MTN estimates that 5 to 10 percent of the world’s population engages in anal sex and globally, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population. Unprotected anal sex is the primary driver of the HIV epidemic among this population. The risk of becoming infected with HIV during unprotected anal sex is 10 to 20 times greater than unprotected vaginal sex, because the rectal lining being only one-cell thick, it allows the virus to easily reach immune cells to infect. 

“Rectal microbicides are critical to turn the tide of the AIDS pandemic as we know that unprotected anal intercourse is the riskiest of HIV related behaviours. Human beings, all over the world, regardless of gender and sexuality, have anal intercourse and a lot of this is unprotected because they do not have access to condoms and/or because of the mistaken notion that anal intercourse is safer than vaginal intercourse with regards to contracting HIV. Having more tools for protection, in addition to what we already have, I think would be absolutely critical,” says Jim Pickett, Director (Advocacy), Chicago AIDS Foundation and founder-chair of International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA).

In an update on the CHARM (Combination HIV Antiretroviral Rectal Microbicide) Program, Dr Ian McGowan, Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, and Co-principal Investigator MTN, informs that, “Microbicides are products that can be applied to the vaginal or rectal mucosa with the intent of preventing or significantly reducing the risk of acquiring Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV. Combination antiretrovirals are more potent and more useful as rectal microbicides. The rationale behind the CHARM programme is that we need a rectal specific combination antiretroviral microbicide.”

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.

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France's The Warning on Biomedical Prevention

via The Warning (France)

In France, the controversy between HIV organizations about PrEP appear in the media and social networks, from moral considerations disguised in ethical objections to classic behavioral speculations (as there was on the TasP or PEP) [4].

So, to clarify and defuse the situation, it should be noted some points :

The biomedical prevention is a revolution in terms of sexual and mental health for serodifferent couples (especially those who want to have children) and poz sex workers (under pressure from their customers to have condomless sex), removing the risk and visceral fear of contamination. It is essential for fighting the demonization of people living with HIV/Aids (PLWHA) in our poz-phobic society : they are no longer considered as « viral bombs ».

 The biomedical prevention is a need expressed by all PLWHAs and peoples concerned by HIV [5].

 The biomedical prevention is an additional argument for the battle for universal access to treatment in poor countries and in prisons.

 The biomedical prevention is an important argument against the criminalization of HIV transmission, which beyond our respective countries, is increasing in Africa (since women are the first victims).

 The biomedical prevention must be done within the strict framework of informed consent and needs (therapeutic, psychological, sexual and social) of the concerned person(s). In no circumstances it may force the initiation of treatment to anyone, even if early treatment appears to have benefits, and although some mathematical models abound for the establishment of a general strategy of Test&Treat. Warning has long been positioned on the subject [6].

These reasons alone are sufficient to promote biomedical prevention [7] in a responsible manner and combined [8] to other tools in the fight against AIDS : condoms, HIV testing [9], Counseling, and struggles against serophobia and criminalization of sexual transmission of HIV

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Appropriate Health Services Needed for Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Africa

via sahivsoc.org, by Rebe K, De Swardt G, Struthers H, McIntyre JA

Until fairly recently, the healthcare needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) have been under-researched and under-resourced in South Africa.1 This has occurred despite emerging local evidence confirming high rates of HIV among this most at risk or key population (MARP). Notwithstanding inclusion in the country’s previous National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB (2007 – 2011), services for MSM were not scaled up nationally although impressive strides have been made in some provinces such as the Western Cape and Gauteng. Evidence shows that in settings where concentrated HIV epidemics exist among MARPS in countries with generalised heterosexual epidemics, failure to provide targeted and tailored HIV prevention and treatment programs to MARPS negatively impacts on that country’s HIV rates among the general population. 

MSM in South Africa comprise a diverse group of men who share only one behavioural commonality: they have sex with other men. 3 Many South African MSM do not identify with gay culture which may be viewed as a Eurocentric cultural construct which is often considered foreign and un-African.4 The behaviour of men having sex with men has however occurred across all cultures and all times, including South Africa, and is therefore well described in African oral histories. Colonial oppressors were largely responsible for the criminalisation of sodomy on the continent.5 Homosexual activity in South Africa therefore often remains clandestine with MSM identifying as heterosexual and dismissive of Westernised gay culture.3 This has implications for health messaging as non-gay-identifying MSM are not targeted in either mainstream heterosexual or gay media platforms and remain invisible in health settings.

MSM are at particular risk for HIV acquisition and transmission for multi-factorial reasons.6 Biologically, unprotected receptive anal sex is about sixteen times more likely to transmit HIV than unprotected vaginal sex.7 This is due to the friable nature of the rectal mucosa which does not contain mucous-producing cells as compared to the thicker, self-lubricating lining of the vagina.

The vulnerability of MSM is further increased by structural factors such as a lack of funding for MSM-appropriate services, lack of specific skills training of health providers and institutionalised stigma within the public health sector. MSM patients generally avoid being identified as MSM, culminating in their elevated risk of HIV acquisition or transmission being overlooked and no counselling about the risks associated with unprotected anal sex.

Organisations such as the Anova Health Institute, through it's innovative Health4Men project, and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation have been active in addressing these concerns in South Africa. In 2009 the Anova Health Institute, with support from PEPFAR/USAID, launched the first state sector clinic dedicated to MSM in the country. A further six sites have subsequently become operational across multiple provinces. Invaluable lessons have been learned through this process which will undoubtedly serve as a template for ongoing expansion of such services
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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Age at First Anal Sex and HIV/STI Vulnerability among Gay Men in Australia

via bmj.com, by Anthony Lyons

ABSTRACT

Objectives To determine whether there is a link between age at first anal intercourse (AFAI) and gay men's HIV/sexually transmissible infection (STI) vulnerability, including tendencies to engage in higher risk sexual behaviour.

Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted online involving 845 Australian gay men born between 1944 and 1993.

Results Median AFAI fell from 35 years for men born between 1944 and 1953 to 18 years for men born between 1984 and 1993. Of those who reported having had anal intercourse (N=822), HIV-positive men were found to be significantly younger on average when they first had anal intercourse compared with HIV-negative men (18.5 vs 21.3 years, p<0.001). Men with a history of other STIs were also significantly younger. Engaging in higher risk sexual behaviour is a likely factor, with AFAI generally younger among men who reported >10 sexual partners in the past year (p<0.001) and who engaged in group sex (p<0.001), receptive anal intercourse (p=0.008) or were drug or alcohol affected (p=0.06) during their most recent sexual encounter.

Conclusions There appears to be a strong link between AFAI and infection with HIV/STIs, as well as tendencies to engage in higher risk sexual behaviour. While further research is needed to understand this link, these findings highlight a need for sexuality education aimed at gay-identified youth to ensure their sexual debut does not lead to poorer sexual health outcomes.

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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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