Will EU Trade Deal Keep Needed Drugs out of Developing Nations?

via Aljazeera, by Andrew Wander

Until recently, Loon Gangte thought the days of watching his friends die of Aids because they couldn't get access to medicine were firmly in the past.

In a decade and a half since being diagnosed with HIV, Gangte, a 43 year-old living in New Delhi, has seen his illness transform from a death sentence into a manageable condition, thanks largely to the availability of cheap medicines produced in India.

"When I was diagnosed in 1997 there was medicine, but I could not afford it," he says. "Only rich people from the West could pay for it, so I had no treatment. All I could do was eat healthily, sleep regularly and hope."

But with no access to essential anti-retroviral treatment, his condition deteriorated. "According to the books, I was in the final stage of HIV - I had Aids," he explains. But as he prepared for the worst, he was given a lifeline: Indian-made generic medicines became available at a fraction of the price charged by Western drug companies.

"My life changed totally. I'd lost 99.9 per cent of my best friends to Aids," he says. "Why did I live and they die? It's simple- I had access to these drugs."

Gangte's story should have ended there, another human life prolonged by the steady march of medical progress. Instead, seven years later, he says he is coming to terms with a new threat to his health: an international trade agreement being brokered between the European Union and India that medical experts warn could leave millions of HIV sufferers in developing world without the drugs they need to stay alive.

Read the rest

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Indian Youth Festival Puts Sexy Back in Dialogue About Safe Sex

by Rama Lakshmi for the Washington Post

"Talking about disease and fear haven't worked very well. People believe they are in a safe relationship and that disease does not apply to them," said Arushi Singh, a resource officer for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which trains health educators in South Asia. "But pleasure," she said, "applies to everybody."

NEW DELHI -- A recent youth festival aimed at raising awareness about health issues and HIV in India did something unique to draw visitors. Amid all the sobering talk of at-risk communities, safe sex and health care, the festival invited bashful attendees to talk about pleasure.

At one booth, visitors were urged to leave tips in a drop box under a sign that asked, "Can safe sex be sexy?" In another booth nearby, the use of the female condom was demonstrated to curious onlookers.

But talking about sex can be an uphill task in India's traditional and patriarchal society. Even though India gave the world the "Kama Sutra," the ancient Sanskrit text about sexual behavior, open conversations about sex remain taboo in the country.

Read the rest.

Ramadoss - "I would like to help gays come overground for an effective fight against AIDS."

India - Wake up to global reality on gays

NEW DELHI: A combative Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who has lost his battle with the government on legalising homosexuality, says India should wake up to the growing global acceptance of gays as this would ensure "an effective fight against AIDS".

"I would like to help gays come overground for an effective fight against AIDS. The world over gays are being accepted. We too need to move on," Ramadoss said in an interview.

During the interview, he also spoke of the launch in two months of a Rs.7.5-billion National Emergency and Trauma Programme that will eventually see 20,000 ambulances across the country immediately responding to highway accidents, and of the National Nutrition Mission that aims to eliminate malnutrition by 2015.

According to the minister, he was aware of the social opposition to his demand to de-criminalize men having sex with men (MSM) but this was "a very serious issue from the AIDS-control point of view.

The National AIDS Control Programme, which is in Phase III (2007-2012), was being "adversely impacted because it is difficult to reach out to the gay population of the country. According to estimates, in India there are 2.46 million men who have sex with men. We know the HIV infection status of only 50 percent of these men. Eighty-six percent of HIV infection is through the sex route, which includes MSM and transgender," the minister pointed out.

He lamented that because of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that bans unnatural sex, a doctor could be arrested for treating a gay and a health worker could also be arrested for advising MSM about HIV infection.

"Imagine the problem this means when it comes to our fight to contain HIV infection. While I fully support protecting children against sexual abuse and treating pedophiles as criminals,I would like to help gays come overground for an effective fight against AIDS."

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Microbicides 2008 Conference: From Discovery to Advocacy

[Quick comment from IRMA - while we are delighted that rectal microbicide research and advocacy are covered quite nicely in this article, we would like to offer one correction. IRMA is referred to as the International Rectal Microbicide Working Group - a former, harder-to-say version of ourselves that we assigned to the dustbin at the end of 2007. We would also like to see, in future articles, the inclusion of men as end-users of microbicides. Both heterosexual and homosexual men will be using microbicides, after all, whether they are having sex with women or with other men.]

AIDS Research and Therapy 2008, 5:19doi:10.1186/1742-6405-5-19
Published: 15 August 2008

ABSTRACT

Recently revised statistics show the number of individuals living with HIV at over 33 million worldwide, with 68% being in sub-Saharan Africa. Current HIV prevention methods, such as condom use, monogamy and abstinence, are not always feasible. The need for improved HIV preventative technologies remains urgent. Of these, microbicides represent promising female-initiated preventative method. Microbicides are designed to be applied vaginally to prevent HIV and STI acquisition. Research is also being undertaken to assess the safety of the product during rectal application. The biannual Microbicides conference took place in New Delhi, India from 24-27 February 2008. The conference was open to delegates from the scientific and medical fields, as well as communities and advocates. In addition to microbicide research and development, the conference afforded the opportunity for the discussion of key issues such as ethics, acceptability, access, and community involvement. In this conference report we provide brief summaries of recent advancements made and challenges experienced in microbicide research and development, including updates on basic and clinical science, social and behavioural science, and community mobilisation and advocacy activities pertaining to clinical trials.

Click here to read the full article, open access.

Delhi's First Time

[IRMA shares this notice from the organizers of the first-ever Queer Pride in New Delhi, India. Our work as rectal microbicide advocates, after all, must be grounded in advancing the human rights we all share... to be who we are, wherever we are. Love to Delhi!]

Delhi Queer Pride '08

This June, for the first time, Queer Pride celebrations will erupt on the streets of Delhi, alongside simultaneous marches in Kolkata and Bangalore!

Queer Pride is a celebration. It is about loving who we are, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, hijra or straight, and affirming everyone's right to be respected for their own sexual choices.This year, queer people, friends, and allies take this message to the streets!

5:30pm Regal Cinema, CP Sunday, June 29th

We'll gather at Regal Cinema on the CP Outer Circle, then parade our pride along the Inner Circle, through Central Park, down Janpath and right to Jantar Mantar, where we will have celebrating, singing, speeches and a candlelight vigil.

**If you want to be out on the street and yet under cover, we will provide masks to cover your face, or bring something along yourself. Nevertheless, please remember this is a public event.**

The Future of Sex from New Delhi to Chicago - NEXT WEEK

Direct from Delhi - Microbicides 2008 Comes to Sweet Home Chicago

RSVP - it's FREE.

NEXT WEEK
Wednesday June 25, 2008
6:00-8:00 p.m.

University Center
525 S. State Street
Chicago

Please join the Chicago Women and Girls HIV Prevention Coalition and the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates for this exclusive update from across the globe on the current developments in microbicide research and advocacy - direct from the Microbicides 2008 conference held in New Delhi, India.

Plus be the first to here about the new International Partnership for Microbicides trial that is going to be taking place in Chicago.

Microbicides are products currently in development that a person could use to reduce her or his risk from infection of HIV and other STDs.

RSVP - it's FREE.

This dynamic event will feature microbicide advocacy leaders:

Latifa Boyce
Alliance for Microbicide Development

Dázon Dixon Diallo
SisterLove, Inc.

Jim Pickett
International Rectal Microbicide Advocates
AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Direct from Delhi - Microbicides 2008 Comes to Sweet Home Chicago

Direct from Delhi - Microbicides 2008 Comes to Sweet Home Chicago

Wednesday June 25, 2008

6:00-8:00 p.m.

University Center

525 S. State Street

Chicago, IL

Please join the Chicago Women and Girls HIV Prevention Coalition and the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates for this exclusive update from across the globe on the current developments in microbicide research and advocacy - direct from the Microbicides 2008 conference held in New Delhi, India. Microbicides are products currently in development that a person could use to reduce her or his risk from infection of HIV and other STDs.

RSVP - it's FREE.

This dynamic event will feature microbicide advocacy leaders:

Latifa Boyce
Alliance for Microbicide Development

Dázon Dixon Diallo
SisterLove, Inc.

Jim Pickett
International Rectal Microbicide Advocates
AIDS Foundation of Chicago

[Delhi Dynamos] Shaleena Theophilus of Ottawa, Canada

Renegade Daughter and Microbicide DIVA
Makes Subcontinental Advocacy Magic

Proves You CAN Go Home
And Walk the Talk

Correspondence from IRMA advocates

by way of India
M2008 memories and the path forward

by Shaleena Theophilus

Thanks to the generous funding by IRMA through the John Shaw Memorial Scholarship, I was able to attend the Microbicides 2008 conference that was held in New Delhi. For me, these conferences are so amazing because you not only get to attend sessions on the latest in the field of microbicides research, you also get to genuinely interact with people from all sectors invested in microbicides advocacy from around the globe. How amazing is that!

I did my usual conference routine of trying to attend at least one session from every track. I had to stretch my mind a bit for the basic and clinical sciences, but overall, the information that I brought back was useful and informative for the work that I will be doing here in Canada.

Now, being an Indo-Canadian, this conference held an added importance to me. I had not been back to India for 13 years (as my family who still live there reminded on every occasion possible) and seeing how it has changed and the impact that this disease has had was something that I find hard to describe. In Canada, there are a handful of us -- South Asians working in this field. I found it inspiring to be surrounded by other Indians who are not only committed to the cause, but who also have an interest in microbicides.

Heading off after the conference, I had wished that more delegates could have seen Delhi beyond the confines of the conference, and experienced India in all of its intensity. I left to visit the plethora of aunties and uncles in the south, and I found that attending Microbicides 2008 afforded me the opportunity to talk with many of my relatives about these issues. I secretly chuckle when I think of my mother finding out that I talked about sex to her childhood classmate. However, I guess it is the smallest things that can have the biggest impact, whether that be giving a renegade daughter a secret pleasure or changing a person’s perception and actions around this disease.

Back in Canada, I have already had the opportunity to share what I had learned with the Canadian Microbicides Action Plan steering committee, as well as the Microbicides Advocacy Network Group. I will also be incorporating this information into upcoming presentations, the next of which will be held for community members in Nova Scotia at their regional skills building conference.

I look forward to the next conference in Pittsburgh. More importantly, I look forward to one day showing community members what a microbicide looks like and how to use it both vaginally and rectally as the newest prevention option available to them!

Read other Delhi Dynamo entries.

Check out IRMA's photo set from the M2008 conference here.

Did you attend M2008 and want to add your photos to our growing collection? Send Jim Pickett of IRMA a note with your photos attached and they will be included.

Moins de silence, Plus de science

IRMA is thrilled to see that the PlusNews article about the launch of Less Silence, More Science: Advocacy to Make Rectal Microbicides a Reality is available en français!

« Moins de silence, plus de science » pour rendre le sexe anal plus sûr

NEW DELHI, 28 février 2008 (PlusNews) - Le silence et les tabous qui entourent les questions liées aux relations sexuelles anales exposent des millions d’hommes et de femmes au risque VIH, ont plaidé cette semaine des intervenants à la quatrième conférence internationale sur les microbicides à New Delhi, en Inde.

Souvent considérées uniquement comme une « chose de gays », les relations sexuelles anales sont aussi pratiquées par des couples hétérosexuels, très souvent sans protection, comme l’ont montré plusieurs études, a noté Jim Pickett, président du Rectal microbicide advocates (IRMA), qui a rendu public un rapport sur ce sujet lors de la conférence.

Le rapport, « Moins de silence, plus de science » (Less silence, more science, en anglais) avertit que les chercheurs ne peuvent pas se permettre d’ignorer plus longtemps la question des relations sexuelles anales, l’un des principaux vecteurs de l’épidémie, et appelle à davantage de recherches dans le développement d’un microbicide rectal...

Pour le reste de l'article, consultez le site Web de IRIN

[Delhi Dynamos] Bill O'Brien of Boston, USA

Bringing it Back to Boston

Baked Beans and the Future of Anal Sex

Correspondence from IRMA advocates

by way of India

M2008 memories and the path forward

by Bill O'Brien
[read Bill's bio]

My trip to New Delhi and the Microbicides 2008 conference was an exciting one for me. It wouldn’t have happened without the generous support of IRMA and the John Shaw Memorial Scholarship and the conference scholarship I received. I definitely need to thank everyone who provided me with financial support to make the trip.

This was my first trip to Asia and New Delhi is a city unlike any that I had ever been to before. The sheer size, both in area and population, I found amazing. I won’t soon forget weaving in and out of traffic in the back of a taxi or all the animals on the street. I was a bit disappointed that I never got to see a monkey.

The conference itself had some organizational issues but overall, looking back, it went well. It was great seeing the entire microbicide field in one place and meeting many IRMA members.

Now back in Boston, I’ve shared my experience at the conference in many ways. I spoke at a department staff meeting and sent out an informational email to staff at Fenway with links to microbicide resources including the IRMA website.

In May, I have been invited to speak at a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) meeting. At the MDPH meeting, I will discuss microbicides and will share my experiences at the conference. I look forward to maintaining my relationship with IRMA and continuing my microbicide advocacy work here in Boston.

Hopefully, I will see everyone again in Pittsburgh.

Read other Delhi Dynamo entries.

Postcard From Delhi: The View From the Microbicide 2008 Conference

by Gus Cairns on AIDSmeds.com, posted March 18, 2008

The scientific troupes were restless at the biannual Microbicides 2008 Conference, held earlier this month in Delhi, India. Prevention experts from around the world had gathered there to discuss the latest developments in this important arena of HIV/AIDS prevention. Despite the international AIDS community’s high hopes for these gels or creams—possibly to be paired with a device such as a diaphragm or vaginal ring—incorporating an HIV-neutralizing substance to block sexual transmission of the virus, the development of a safe and efficacious microbicide continues to elude researchers.

Indeed, just prior to the conference, one massive study conducted among South African women concluded that the microbicide being studied—in that case, Carraguard—made no difference in HIV infection rates. And another recent study indicated that the microbicide in question may have actually increased the participants’ risk of infection rather than protecting them. Still, despite the frustrating news of late, indeed perhaps in response to it, there was little indication of any waning commitment to develop an effective microbicide.

HIV prevention advocates have been urging the development of such compounds since the early 1990s, when they started noting how much more vulnerable young women were to HIV, both for biological reasons and because men are the ones who generally make the ultimate decisions regarding condom use. Giving women, including those in marriages that may not be monogamous, a tool to protect themselves against HIV without having to have complicit agreement from their male partner, could drastically impact the rate of HIV infection around the world. Research has also begun into microbicides that could be used rectally, an option that could benefit both straight and gay people.

Read the rest of the article.