Sept 10 at #USCA2013 - Everything You Need to Know About #Anal Health

This Tuesday, September 10 at the United States Conference on AIDS in New Orleans join IRMA and friends from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. for this fun workshop on anal health and rectal microbicide research and advocacy.

Session 5: Imperial 9, Level 4. See ya there - show your rectal pride!

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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 1,200 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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Adherence to rectal microbicide use among mainly ethnic minority young MSM: lessons from a 3-month placebo gel trial at three US sites [IAS 2013]

Oral paper presented by Alex Carballo-Diéguez at IAS 2013.

 

Click for slides.

Abstract:

Background: Adherence to product use is the cornerstone of microbicide studies. This is the first study to assess how frequently mainly ethnic minority MSM, ages 18-30, with a history of unprotected receptive anal intercourse (RAI) in the prior year, would self-administer gel using a rectal-specific applicator prior to RAI in their everyday lives.

Methods: Recruitment took place in Boston, MA; Pittsburgh, PA, and San Juan, PR. Participants received 40 applicators prefilled with 4mL of hydroxyethylcellulose placebo gel that they could use over 12 weeks. They were asked to self-administer a dose within 90 minutes prior to RAI and report RAI and gel use at least weekly through an interactive voice response system (IVRS). At week 12, they responded to a Computer Assisted Self Interview (CASI) and underwent an in-depth interview. Participants were repeatedly counseled that the study focused on product adherence and that the gel would not protect against HIV.

Results: 124 MSM were enrolled (Mean age 23.1; 41% White, 40% Latino, 8% African American, 11% mixed/other). 95 participants completed the trial (18 were lost to follow up and 11 withdrew). Based on the IVRS, (n=94, 1 missing data), 88 participants had RAI (Median 10 occasions) using gel on 81.1% of occasions (SD 23.3, range 0-100). Based on CASI, (n=86, 9 refused to answer RAI question) 83 participants had RAI (Median 12 occasions) using gel on 81.7% of occasions (SD 26.7; 0-100). Based on CASI, 69% of men typically applied gel immediately before RAI; 40 inconsistent users gave as reasons not having gel with them (85%), forgetting to use it (48%), not wanting to use it (13%), partner refusal (10%) and gel messiness (10%).

Conclusions: Ethnically diverse young MSM with a history of unprotected RAI showed high adherence to gel use. Adherence to product use could potentially be enhanced by improving portability, facilitating the development of routines to counteract forgetfulness, and improving motivation and partner negotiation skills. Participant retention was challenging and needs further study. Two different self-report methods provided convergent results. Limitation: A product of known efficacy could have different uptake than the placebo used in this study.


Click for slides.

 
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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 1,200 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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Soooooooo..... Are Lubes Safe?

via Positive Lite, by Marc-André LeBlanc

"This situation is unacceptable. We’re in 2013, for the love of all that is wet and wild! How can we not know the answer to such a fundamental question—are lubes safe?" 

 Here I am again, standing in front of a giant wall of lube options at a local store.

• Water-based, silicone-based, oil-based, hybrid.
• Bottles, tubs, tubes, vats, vials, sachets, packets, pouches, pillows, mix-it-at-home kits.
• Pumpable, flippable, squeezable, scoopable, squirtable, spritzable, speadable.
• Regular, warming, cooling, tingling, numbing.
• Thick, thin, goopy, watery, greasy, sticky, slippery, silky, slick.
• Long lists of unpronounceable chemicals, claims of being organic or all-natural.
• Scents. Flavours. Colours.
• Formulated to look like cum!
• And of course, wildly varying prices.

I’m glad I’m not meeting that guy for another three hours. 

So which lube should I get? Which ones are safe? Which ones should I avoid? 

Who knows!

No, seriously. Who knows? If I don’t, I can only assume nobody else does. After all, I coordinate the global Lube Safety Working Group for IRMA—International Rectal microbicide Advocates. 

This is the shocking reality: more than 30 years into the HIV pandemic, we still have no clear answers on whether sexual lubricants (lubes) increase, decrease, or have no impact on the risk of acquiring HIV and other STIs sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 

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

One thing is clear: we will not get an answer to the lube safety question without advocacy.

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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Give Some LOVE to IRMA for Give OUT Day

Condoms are getting some help! 

Dear IRMA members and readers of this blog -

Give OUT Day shines a spotlight on organizations that empower LGBTQ communities across the country, and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is among these charities.

We’re using this campaign to highlight the next generation of HIV prevention: rectal microbicides. Though they’re still in development, these agents can be added to things like lubricants that will prevent the transmission of HIV, revolutionizing the way we protect ourselves and others. Condoms are getting some help!

This will greatly benefit gay and bisexual men, transgender individuals, and women because rectal microbicides are developed specifically for anal intercourse—a common human behavior. We need to expand the ways we protect ourselves against HIV, and rectal microbicides are quite promising. With the support of AFC’s global advocacy initiative—International Rectal Microbicide Advocates—scientists have achieved an enormous amount of progress, and we’re tremendously excited about the future.

You have an opportunity to support advocacy efforts that will be instrumental in making rectal microbicides a reality for all who need them.

Learn more by downloading this podcast on rectal microbicides, and visit our Give OUT page to make a contribution today.

Thanks,
Jim Pickett
Chair, International Rectal Microbicide Advocates


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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 1,200 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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TIME SENSITIVE: Have You (or Your Organization) Endorsed Our Global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety Yet?

Have you and/or your organization endorsed the Global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety yet? (lists or endorsers in formation below.)

We are going to be closing the call soon, so please make your move on lube safety NOW.

Click here to read the Call and to endorse.

We must KNOW whether water-based and silicone-based lubricants used during sex are safe or not, whether they cause harm, or not. Right now we don’t know – but we DO have some data that has raised some concerns. These concerns must be addressed through research, the questions we have must be answered.

Make your voice heard – endorse the Call.

ORGANIZATIONS who have endorsed the Call = 159 to date

1.  Abra Advanced Research International Pte Ltd, Singapore
2.  ACON, Australia
3.  Act for Change, Ghana
4.  Act Up/East Bay, USA
5.  ActionAIDS, USA
6.  Adam's Love, Thailand
7.  ADEFHO, Cameroon
8.  Adhikaar, India
9.  Affirmative Action, Cameroon
10. African Alliance for HIV Prevention, South Africa
11. African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR), South Africa
12. Afrique Arc En Ciel, Togo
13. AIDES, France
14. AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, USA
15. AIDS Foundation of Chicago, USA
16. AIDS Project Los Angeles, USA
17. AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region, USA
18. AIDS United, USA
19. AKPAKA Axel, Benin
20. ALPHA Pittsburgh, Inc., USAALPHA Pittsburgh, Inc.
21. ALTERNATIVE CÔTE D'IVOIRE, Cote D’Ivoire
22. Anova Health Institute, South Africa
23. Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, Thailand
24. Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers, Thailand
25. Astitva - An Organisation for the Support and Development of Sexual Minorities, India
26. Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, Australia
27. AVAC, USA
28. Blue Diamond Society, Nepal
29. Canadian AIDS Society, Canada
30. Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE), Canada
31. Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Canada
32. Caribbean Association of Midwest America, USA
33. Case/UH Microbicide Clinical Trials Community Advisory Committee, USA
34. Center for Applied Research on Men and Health (CARMAH), Vietnam
35. Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Malawi
36. Centre for the Development of People, Malawi
37. Chengdu Tongle, China
38. Chicago Female Condom Campaign, USA
39. Chicago Women's AIDS Project, USA
40. Citizen News Service – CNS, India
41. Club des 7jours, Togo
42. C-NET+, Belize
43. Coalition Internationale Sida PLUS, France
44. COCQ-SIDA, Canada
45. COMMUNITY AND FAMILY AID FOUNDATION-GHANA, Ghana
46. Community Information Center, USA
47. CONCEPTO VIH-SIDA E ITS, Mexico
48. Davryan Laboratories, Inc (Probe lubricants), USA
49. Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, South Africa
50. Diversity And Solidairty Trust, Sri Lanka
51. DUH Demonstration for Universal Healthcare, USA
52. Epicentro, Peru
53. Equal Opportunities, Tajikistan
54. Evolve, Cameroon
55. Family Planning Council, USA
56. Fenway Institute at Fenway Health, USA
57. Freedom and Roam Uganda, Uganda
58. Fundacion Manodiversa Bolivia, Bolivia
59. Gala Initiative Uganda, Uganda
60. GALAEI, USA
61. Gay City Health Project, USA
62. Gay Men’s Health Crisis, USA
63. Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance, Canada
64. Gel Works Pty Ltd, Australia
65. Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), USA
66. Global Network of People Living with HIV, North American (GNP+NA), USA
67. Global Network of Sex Work Projects, UK
68. Global Research and Advocacy Group (GRAG), Senegal
69. GlobalGayz.com, USA
70. GrenCHAP Inc., Grenada
71. GWLmuda, Indonesia
72. Health Digest Foundation, Ghana
73. HealthHIV, USA
74. Heroes Project, India
75. HIV Prevention Justice Alliance, USA
76. House of Joe, USA
77. Housing Works, Inc., USA
78. Humanity First Cameroon, Cameroon
79. Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, USA
80. India HIV/AIDS Alliance, India
81. Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development, Canada
82. International Center for Advocacy on Right to Health, Nigeria
83. International Planned Parenthood Federation, UK
84. International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), USA
85. International Youth Council-Nigeria, Nigeria
86. IRMA ALC - América Latina y el Caribe, Peru
87. IRMA Nigeria, Nigeria
88. ISHTAR-MSM, Kenya
89. Iskorak, Croatia
90. Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Jamaica
91. Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights, USA
92. Joint Adherent Brothers and Sisters Against Aids, Uganda
93. Los Angeles County HIV Drug & Alcohol Task Force, USA
94. Louisiana Latino Health Coalition for HIV/AIDS Awareness, USA
95. MAACA, INC, USA
96. Maritime Life Precious Foundation, Ghana
97. Men Against AIDS Youth Group, Kenya
98. Men For Health and Gender Justice Organisation, Botswana
99. Microbicide Trials Network, USA
100.  Minnesota AIDS Project, USA
101.  MUSC/Lowcountry AIDS Services Consumer Advisory Board, USA
102.  NAM Publications (Aidsmap), UK
103.  National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition, USA
104.  National Minority AIDS Council, USA
105.  Naz Male Health Alliance, Pakistan
106.  New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society, Nigeria
107.  Okaloosa AIDS support & Informational Services, Inc. (OASIS), USA
108.  PEMA Kenya, Kenya
109.  Penitentiary Initiative, Ukraine
110.  People Like Us (PLUS) Kolkata, India
111.  PeterCares House, USA
112.  POCAAN (People of Color Against AIDS Network), USA
113.  Positive Mind & Body Support Group Network, USA
114.  Positive Women's Network USA, USA
115.  Presbyterian AIDS Network, USA
116.  Pride Equality, Sierra Leone
117.  Pro Health Initiative, Nigeria
118.  Professionals in Pride Kenya (PPK), Kenya
119.  Project Inform, USA
120.  PT Foundation, Malaysia
121.  Puerto Rico Community Network for Clinical Research on AIDS, Puerto Rico
122.  Queer Alliance Nigeria, Nigeria
123.  QUEEROCRACY, USA
124.  Rainbow Community Kampuceah, Cambodia
125.  Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko, DR Congo
126.  Rainbow-Ethiopia in Exile (REE), USA
127.  Real Opportunities Network, Ghana
128.  San Antonio AIDS Foundation, USA
129.  San Francisco AIDS Foundation, USA
130.  SEA-AIDS (Asia Pacific eForum on HIV), India
131.  SIBALT, Russia
132.  SID'ADO, Cameroon
133.  Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), Guyana
134.  SOMOSGAY, Paraguay
135.  START at Westminster, USA
136.  Stichting AidsCare, The Netherlands
137.  Tamba Pwani, Kenya
138.  Tanzania Sisi Kwa Sisi Foundation, Tanzania
139.  Terrence Higgins Trust, UK
140.  Test Positive Aware Network, USA
141.  The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, USA
142.  The Initiative for Equal Rights, Nigeria
143.  The Mpowerment Project, USA
144.  The Yes Yes Company Ltd, UK
145.  Total Health Empowerment and Development (THEDI), Nigeria
146.  Treatment Action Group, USA
147.  Trigg Laboratories, Inc., USA
148.  Uganda Health and Science Press Association, Uganda
149.  UNITED AND STRONG INC, Saint Lucia
150.  Vivir. Participacion, Incidencia y Transparencia, A.C., Mexico
151.  Vote For Health Campaign, India
152.  We For Civil Equality NGO, Armenia
153.  William Way LGBT Community Center, USA
154.  Women`s Health, HIV and AIDS Southern Africa, Zimbabwe
155.  Womenplus Against TB and HIV in Kenya, Kenya
156.  Women's Health and Equal Rights Initiative, Nigeria
157.  Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, USA
158.  World AIDS Forum, Australia
159.  Youth Voices Count, Thailand

Endorse.

INDIVIDUALS who have endorsed the Call = 310 to date

1.  Adam Fairris, UK
2.  Ako Cyriaque Yapo, Senegal
3.  Alan Johnson, USA
4.  Alapini Max, Benin
5.  Alberto Abello, USA
6.  Alex Carballo-Dieguez, USA
7.  Alicia Gauvin, USA
8.  Allison Boyd, USA          
9.  Amoussou Damien, Togo
10.  Andrew Reynolds, USA
11.  Angel Luis Hernández, Puerto Rico
12.  Ann Jones, USA              
13.  Ann Joseph, USA
14.  Anna Forbes, USA         
15.  Anna Saeger, USA
16.  Anne Lehocky, USA      
17.  Antonio Gonzalez, USA
18.  Arick Buckles, United States
19.  Ben Bavinton, Australia
20.  Ben Clapham, USA
21.  Ben Wilcock, Australia
22.  Bertram Johnson, United States
23.  Beth Galaska Burzuk, USA          
24.  Bi Petex, Uganda
25.  Bisi Alimi, United Kingdom
26.  Blake Smith, UK
27.  Bobby Ramakant, India
28.  Brian Kanyemba, South Africa
29.  Brian M. Green, USA
30.  Brian White, South Africa
31.  Briana Morgan, United States
32.  Brooke Willis, USA         
33.  Butch McKay, USA                         
34.  Cameron Wolf, USA
35.  Caren Kirkland, USA      
36.  Carlos Vela, Peru            
37.  Carrie E .Foote, USA
38.  Cassandra Warren, USA              
39.  Cassie Bayside, Australia
40.  Celina Londono, USA
41.  Champion Phiri, South Africa
42.  Chanthorn Phorng, Cambodia
43.  Charlene Dezzutti, USA
44.  Charles, Uganda             
45.  Chheav Aphyra, Cambodia
46.  Chiranjivi Amgai, Nepal
47.  Chris Bartlett, USA
48.  Christian Rumu, United States
49.  Christopher B. Duerkes, USA
50.  Chull Sesugh Stanley, Nigeria
51.  Clare Collins, USA
52.  Clayton Ruley, USA
53.  Collins Seymah Smith, Ghana
54.  Cory Silverberg, Canada              
55.  Courtney McCrellias, USA
56.  Dahlia Ferlito, USA
57.  Dan Kilbane, USA
58.  Dana Loxley, Australia  
59.  Dana Nelson, USA
60.  Daniel MacDonald, USA
61.  Daramola Christianah, Nigeria
62.  Darrel Johnson, United States
63.  David Acosta, USA
64.  David G Ostrow, USA
65.  David Kuria, Kenya
66.  David Phillips, USA         
67.  Deb Tolenaar, USA
68.  Deirdre Grant, USA       
69.  Denis Efremov, Russia
70.  Derrick Mapp, USA
71.  Don Pults, USA
72.  Donald MacIver, USA
73.  Donn Colby, Vietnam   
74.  Doug Brown, UK
75.  Doug McColeman, Canada
76.  Douglas Masinde, Kenya
77.  Douglas Warzyn, USA   
78.  Douomong Yotta Serge, Cameroon
79.  Dr Stuart Koe, Singapore
80.  Dr. Michael W. Plankey, USA
81.  Dredge Kang, USA
82.  Drew  Nannini, United States
83.  Duncan Japhta Khothatso Moeketse, South Africa
84.  Durueke Florita, Nigeria
85.  Dustin Kight, USA
86.  Ed Wolf, USA
87.  Edie O'Connor, United States
88.  Edward Fuchs, USA
89.  Edward Iwanicki, USA
90.  Eniko Akom, USA
91.  Eric Arnold Fopossi, Cameroon
92.  Eric Evans, USA
93.  Eric M Glare, Australia  
94.  Erich Schneider Ormeño, Peru
95.  Erik Libey, USA
96.  Erik Streeter, USA
97.  Ernest MOSEKI, Botswana
98.  Essiomle Ethie, Togo
99.  Eva Westley, United States
100.  Fiona Hale, UK
101.  Gabriel Boichat, Spain
102.  Gail Broder, USA
103.  Garland Wood, USA      
104.  Garry Brough, UK
105.  Gary Paul Wright, USA
106.  Gbekou, Togo
107.  Gennady Roshchupkin, Russia
108.  George Kerr, USA          
109.  George Miller-Zauner, USA
110.  George Pappas, USA
111.  George Reginald Freeman, Sierra Leone
112.  George Victor O, Kenya
113.  Georges S., Togo
114.  Georges Sideris, France
115.  Gerard Nkundimana, Rwanda  
116.  Gina Brown, USA
117.  Glenn Kornblum, USA  
118.  Gregg Kimball, USA
119.  Hanna Hjord, USA          
120.  Hannah Graves, Canada
121.  Heidi Nass, USA
122.  Heidi Wesbrock, USA   
123.  Helen, USA
124.  Henrieese Roberts, USA
125.  Hugo Dann, Canada
126.  Ian Lemieux, US             
127.  Ivan Cruickshank, Jamaica          
128.  J. Jeff McConnell, USA 
129.  Jace Dyckman, USA
130.  Jack Cox, USA
131.  Jade Patten, USA
132.  James Carrington, United States
133.  James Komar, United States
134.  Jamie Roberts, USA
135.  Jamie Sims, USA
136.  Jason Jacobs, USA
137.  Jason King , USA             
138.  Jean-Michel Brevelle, USA
139.  Jeff Berry, USA
140.  Jeffrey Pope, USA         
141.  Jennifer A. Hawley, USA
142.  Jeremy Kwan, Malaysia
143.  Jerome Galea, USA       
144.  Jeton Ademaj, USA
145.  Jim Cosenza, USA
146.  Jim Eigo, USA
147.  Jim Merrell, USA            
148.  Jim Pickett, USA
149.  Joan Tallada, Spain
150.  John Andrews, USA
151.  John Hamiga, USA         
152.  John Kashiha, Tanzania
153.  John McAllister, Botswana
154.  John Peller, USA             
155.  Jorge Gutierrez, USA
156.  Jorge Yon, Peru
157.  Joseph Alfano, USA
158.  Joseph Walker, USA
159.  Joyce Hunter, USA
160.  Jules Eloundou Atamba, Cameroon
161.  Julian Sanjivan, USA      
162.  Julie Davids, United States
163.  Kadiri Audu, Nigeria
164.  Karen Creary, USA         
165.  Karon Stephen, France
166.  Kasha Jacqueline, Uganda
167.  Kate Alexander, USA
168.  Kate Morrow, USA
169.  Kay Marshall, USA
170.  Kees Rümke, The Netherlands
171.  Keith Gereffi, USA
172.  Kelly Curran, USA
173.  Kennedy Otieno Olango, Kenya              
174.  Kenny, USA
175.  Kent Klindera, United States
176.  Kevin DeLuca, USA
177.  Kevin McKenzie, USA
178.  Kieta D. Mutepfa, USA
179.  Krishna Stone, USA
180.  Kyon Saucier, USA
181.  Larry Baxter, Canada    
182.  Laurel Sprague, United States
183.  Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, India
184.  Leo Schenk, The Netherlands
185.  Lillibeth Gonzalez, USA
186.  Linda Watson, Canada
187.  Loren Jones, United States
188.  Luis Galarza, Ecuador    
189.  Mac-Darling Cobbinah, Ghana  
190.  Maheswar Satpathy, Australia 
191.  Marc-André LeBlanc, Canada    
192.  Marcelo Maia, USA       
193.  Margaret Onah, Nigeria
194.  Marie Camacho, USA   
195.  Marie Omorodion, USA
196.  Mark Hubbard, USA      
197.  Mark Ing, USA 
198.  Mark S. King, USA          
199.  Marlon Woodward, USA
200.  Martha Tholanah, Zimbabwe
201.  Mary Brewster, United States
202.  Mathew Rodriguez, USA
203.  Matt Bray, USA
204.  Matthew Franck, USA
205.  Matthew Rose, USA
206.  Matthew Vaughan, Thailand
207.  Melanie A Reese, USA
208.  Michael Louella , USA   
209.  Michael Luciano, USA
210.  Michael Moore, USA    
211.  Michael Trigg, USA
212.  Mike Kennedy, Australia            
213.  Mike Peters, USA
214.  Mombunza Azuba, DR CONGO
215.  Monique Newell, USA 
216.  Morenike Ukpong, Nigeria        
217.  Muriel Visser, France   
218.  Mykaila Ostrom, USA
219.  Mykal Welch, Belize
220.  N. Nash, USA
221.  Naigaga Lillian Mutengu, Uganda
222.  Nathan Solomon, USA 
223.  Nicholas Bates, Australia
224.  Nnamani Ikechukwu Sammy, Nigeria
225.  Olumide Makanjuola, Nigeria
226.  Omullo Paul, Kenya
227.  Orbit Clanton, USA
228.  Otis Richardson, USA
229.  Patricia Segura, Peru
230.  Patrick French, USA
231.  Paul Causey, Thailand
232.  Pedro Goicochea, USA
233.  Penny DeNoble, USA
234.  Pham Thi Hanh Van, Vietnam
235.  Phillis Washington, USA
236.  Pilot Mathambo, Botswana
237.  Prince N. Bahati, Kenya
238.  Ramon Nunez III, USA
239.  Rebecca Giguere, USA 
240.  Remigus Emodi, Nigeria
241.  Rev. Charles Straight, USA
242.  Ricardo Jimenez, USA
243.  Richard Coover, USA
244.  Rita Lisa Labbett, US     
245.  Rob Camp, Spain
246.  Robert Aponte, USA
247.  Robert Birch, Canada
248.  Roger Cunha, USA
249.  Roger Pebody, UK         
250.  Roger Prasad, Canada
251.  Roger Tatoud, UK          
252.  Roy Wadia, India            
253.  Rukia Ahmed, Kenya
254.  S. Wakefield, USA
255.  Santiago Palomino, Peru
256.  Sasha Gear, South Africa
257.  Scot More, USA
258.  Scott Robertson, Zambia             
259.  Sedar, Benin
260.  Sergio Farfan, USA
261.  Shawn Decker, United States
262.  Shayna Buhler, Canada
263.  Shivani Thaker, USA
264.  Shreena, India 
265.  Sibusiso, South Africa
266.  Simon Odiwuor, Kenya
267.  Siobhan Fee, UK
268.  Solomon, Kenya
269.  Srun Srorn, Cambodia
270.  Steave Nemande, Cameroon
271.  Stephen Karpiak PhD, United States
272.  Stephen McGill, Liberia
273.  Stephen Miller-Zauner, USA
274.  Steve Miralles, Peru     
275.  Steven S. Muchnick, PhD
276.  Stuart Koe, Singapore
277.  Sue Saltmarsh, USA      
278.  Suman Nepal, Nepal
279.  Suraj Madoori, USA
280.  Susan Forrest, USA       
281.  Susan Lloyd Yolen, USA
282.  Susie Hoffman, USA
283.  Sylvie Rouby, France  
284.  Tendai F Mbengeranwa Mhaka, Zimbabwe
285.  Terence Roethlein, United States
286.  Teresa Springer, USA
287.  TG Green, USA
288.  Thandi Maluka, South Africa
289.  Theresa Rubin, USA      
290.  Thomas Haig, Canada
291.  Tiedjou Joseph Achille, Cameroon
292.  Timothy Frasca, USA     
293.  Timothy Kee, United States
294.  Titcha Ho, USA
295.  Trenado, France
296.  Trevor Pearson, USA
297.  Troy, USA
298.  Tung Duy Bui, Thailand
299.  Udom Likhitwonnawut, Thailand
300.  Vanessa Smith, USA
301.  Victor Rollins, Bahamas
302.  Vikram, USA
303.  Wanda Brendle-Moss, USA
304.  Wanda Commander, USA
305.  Will Wilson, USA
306.  William Booth, Canada
307.  Wolf Graf, Australia
308.  Yolanda, USA   
309.  Zoe Duby, South Africa
310.  Zoran Dominkovic, Croatia

Endorse. 

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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 1,200 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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Global Call to Action: Demand Answers on Lubricant Safety (Have You Endorsed Yet?)

Have you or your organization endorsed the Global Call to Action Demanding Answers on Lubricant Safety?

Since Valentine's Day, 140 organizations and 293 individuals in nearly fifty countries have endorsed the call to action - and numbers continue to grow! Please add your name if you haven’t already. Full lists of endorsers is below.

Background:

Recent studies have raised questions about the impact of sexual lubricants on the risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

It is outrageous that more than 30 years into the HIV pandemic, we don’t know whether sexual lubricants increase, decrease or have no impact on the risk of acquiring HIV and other STIs. In fact, it is only recently that most advocates, HIV prevention workers, researchers and regulators have even realised that we don’t yet know the answers to these fundamental questions.

Today, there are only a few disparate studies related to lube safety underway. These studies do not form part of an overarching plan to answer questions about lubricant safety because there isn’t one.

This is unacceptable. We demand answers on lubricant safety.

Click here to endorse the call: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CalltoActionLubeSafety

We demand a Lubricant Safety Research Agenda and insist upon its quick implementation. We must know whether or not various types of sexual lubricants are safe for vaginal and rectal use. We must understand fully what impact they have on the risk of acquiring HIV and STIs.

•As advocates, funders, researchers, lubricant manufacturers and regulators, we are committed to come together to develop and implement a Lubricant Safety Research Agenda.

•As advocates, we support more research, funding, and collaboration to determine whether lubricants are safe.

•As funders, we will support the research and collaborative work required to determine whether lubricants are safe. Funding for lubricant safety research will not come out of budgets for microbicide research or other new prevention technologies.

•As researchers, we will conduct the appropriate studies required to determine whether lubricants are safe.

•As lubricant manufacturers, we will list the ingredients used to manufacture lubricants and work with researchers and regulators to ensure that our products are safe.

•As regulators, we will provide guidance into the research data required to ensure that lubricants available on the market are safe.

Endorse the Call to Action on Lubricant Safety

Men, women and transgender people from around the globe who engage in vaginal or anal intercourse deserve access to safe, condom-compatible sexual lubricants.

Please endorse this global Call to Action on Lubricant Safety. You may endorse the Call to Action as an individual or as an organization.

Click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CalltoActionLubeSafety


Endorsements –  both lists in formation, next page

IRIN PlusNews: Lack of lube hurts HIV prevention

via IRIN PlusNews

“Key populations - such as MSM and sex workers - who need the lubricant the most, often get their health-related services from local NGOs, which are not often included in [HIV/AIDS] policies or broader [health] programmes,” explained Bidia Deperthes, a senior HIV adviser with UNFPA’s Comprehensive Condom Programming division in New York.

KATHMANDU, 21 February 2013 (PlusNews) - Safer-sex messaging on condoms is universal but the generally poor availability of lubricants, and awareness of them, is hindering HIV prevention, health activists warn.

Some personal lubricant - or “lube”- has been shown to lower the risk of HIV transmission by decreasing the risk of condoms breaking.

Despite preliminary proof of lube’s efficacy, far less of the product is procured and distributed than condoms, leading people to use alternative, sometimes harmful, substances during intercourse such as butter or petroleum jelly; oil-based lubricants weaken latex, making the condom more likely to break.

Activists say, however, that a blind spot in research on lubricants as a part of HIV prevention programmes means not enough is known about their impact on HIV risk.

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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Anal Sex at Christmas Eve Dinner

by Mike Peters
IRMA intern

Another Christmas season has come and gone and like most Americans, the season ended for me with a gym membership (that I will admittedly abandon before the end of January) and reflection on the often-awkward gathering of family members that Christmas-time usually drops at our feet.

Christmas-time was a busy season for us this year. Early in December I accepted an internship with IRMA and spent most of the month learning about rectal microbicides in preparation for my January start date. On December 10th, my boyfriend and I announced our engagement to family, friends, and facebook. This also meant that it was time for me to meet his family. Early in the morning on December 22nd, we began the long car trip from Chicago to rural Pennsylvania. As stressful as it was, first impressions went well and my fiancé and I began to prepare for the long string of rather conservative family members that slowly made their way towards his parents’ home. There is a rather significant age gap in between generations in his family so most of our time was spent in the basement with his brothers and sister-in-law.

However, Christmas Eve dinner required our presence upstairs. Family members began to fill in seats, someone said grace, and soon food was being passed around the table. People were beginning to be comfortable enough with me that they started making jokes about what this “skinny vegetarian” was actually going to be able to eat and I started to feel at ease. My fiancé was right, his family liked me and I could stop worrying. Conversation continued to flow in between mouthfuls of stuffing and eventually one of his uncles turned to me and asked, “So Mike, what is it that you do?”

“Oh, I’m a grad student,” I replied.

“And you also started an internship” My fiancé’s mother excitedly added.

I smiled, “yeah, I’m an intern with IRMA at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago”. My fiancé smiled, reminding me that this was going well and that he was happy my confidence was starting to show again.

“So what’s IRMA? What are you going to be doing?” his uncle asked.

“Well, I don’t know all the details yet, but I know that primarily we are advocating for proper lubricants and the development of rectal microbicides that help prevent HIV infections for men and women who receive anal sex. I also know that we’re focusing on international contexts as well.” They remained quiet, so I kept talking, “you know, especially in countries where anal sex is so taboo that people can’t even talk about it. We want to let people know that plenty of women and men, gay, straight, or anything in between have anal sex and it’s completely normal and natural. You know, we want to deconstruct that silence,” I paused to take a drink as my mouth was starting to feel dry “because silence, well you know, sucks. The HIV/AIDS infection rate is rising in so many groups all over the world and if we can’t even talk about anal sex, how can we even stop that trend?”

Then I realized that everyone was staring directly at me. Under the table, I could feel that my nervous fiancé was now gripping my leg. I looked around, smiled awkwardly, and took a drink.

Suddenly I was saved by my fiancé’s mother, “well… that’s… interesting,” she quickly turned to her niece, “so did your son enjoy his Christmas presents?” Conversation began to flow naturally again, my fiancé released his grip on my leg, and my awkward smile became more natural.

I sat back in my chair and observed the conversation. I just openly talked about anal sex to a group of strangers that are soon to be my family. Did I really just do that? As I looked down at the mashed potatoes on my plate I began to worry that I had blown my first (possibly only) chance to get to know these people before the wedding.

As I sat there, slowly eating my remaining food I began to think about why the conversation was so awkward. I mean, I mentioned anal sex to a group of strangers… at the damn Christmas dinner table. But then I began to think more about when it would be appropriate to talk about anal sex to strangers, or family, or friends, or all of the above. And then, some part of me felt like it was not at all appropriate to talk about anal sex. The sex that I have is deeply personal and private, why should I talk about it?

Then I remembered a particular quote that I have always held dear:

“In the cause of silence, each of us draws the face of her own fear – fear of contempt, of censure, or some judgment, or recognition, of challenge, of annihilation. But most of all, I think, we fear the visibility without which we cannot truly live… The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.” (Taken from Audre Lorde’s Transformation of Silence into Language and Action)

Was Lorde likely talking directly about anal sex? Well, no. I’m willing to bet that that was not the case. Yet Lorde’s discussion of silence is a necessary part of the dialog for advocacy on anal health. If people are unwilling to speak openly about anal sex for any of the fears that Lorde mentions, then as activists we neglect to confront the struggle that we seek to deconstruct. If we stay silent, then we are passively accepting the status quo; a hegemonic status quo, rigidly entrenched in patriarchy and heterosexism that ignores the gaps in research and advocacy for proper anal health for men and women who engage in anal sex.

For us, silence is dangerous. Silence relegates us to the status of “outsider”, to “unnatural”, and to “immoral” – and most importantly, silence robs us of the ability to live our lives as whole human beings. Silence is a luxury, that as activists, we are not yet able to have. We should continue speaking in an attempt to bridge those differences and deconstruct that status quo. Yeah, it is frightening, but if activism has taught me anything, it is that a fear that petrifies us into silence serves to perpetuate oppression.

So as I sat there, slowly eating my remaining meal, I felt a sense of triumph within myself. I broke a silence, even if it was for a moment. And you know what? It was not that bad. My fiancé’s family apparently finds me fascinating, if not spirited, and his mother appreciates my “spunk”, whatever that means. Oh, and the wedding is still on.

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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 microbicide research takes giant leap forward with groundbreaking educational video

HIV prevention organizations debut The Rectal Revolution Is Here: An Introduction to Rectal Microbicide Clinical Trials in advance of first-ever Phase II rectal microbicide trial

 

[Press Release]

International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), the Population Council, and the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) today released a collaborative video project called The Rectal Revolution Is Here: An Introduction to Rectal Microbicide Clinical Trials. The jointly produced video, the first of its kind, is designed to educate communities affected by HIV about rectal microbicide development and the importance of participating in clinical trials to help speed the search for new HIV prevention options.

"The Rectal Revolution will be an excellent tool for education and recruitment for MTN-017, the first-ever Phase II safety trial of a rectal microbicide planned to launch soon. The video will be particularly useful because it's not protocol-specific and can be used in future rectal microbicide trials as well," said Clare Collins, MTN associate director of communications and external relations and video co-producer.

"There is an engaging mixture of animation and live action with beautiful footage from Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and the United States," Collins continued, "and we showcase interviews with scientists, advocates, and an exceptional rectal microbicide trial participant, Rig Rush, who is both eloquent and entertaining as he shares his personal experience as a study volunteer."

Produced by Paw Print Productions of Cape Town, South Africa, the video is available for viewing now on YouTube in English, Spanish, and Thai.

"This educational video is a groundbreaking tool to recruit volunteers and educate public health leaders for what may be one of the most promising new methods to fight HIV," said co-producer Barbara Friedland, associate in the HIV and AIDS program at the Population Council. "It was developed through an intense consultative process to ensure accuracy and relevance to the communities where this video will be shown," she said.

"We wanted the video to be educational and engaging, and to encourage audiences to get involved in efforts to prevent HIV," Friedland continued."So we worked with an advisory committee comprising staff at rectal microbicide trial sites, scientists, advocates, and other community experts to develop the script. We screened 'rough cuts' of the video with 80 professionals in the field and pre-tested it in 13 focus group discussions with over 100 gay men and transgender women in Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and the United States," she said.

"The insights and wisdom these individuals shared with us were absolutely critical to shaping the final version of the video," said Friedland.

Major funding and support for the project was generously provided by the MAC AIDS Fund, the MTN, and the Population Council, through a grant from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The video debut precedes the soon-to-be launched landmark study being conducted by MTN to test a reduced-glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel among gay men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender women for safety and acceptability. MTN-017 is not only the first-ever Phase II study of a rectal microbicide, it is also the first time rectal microbicide research is expanding outside the United States and going global, with sites in Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and Puerto Rico.

"IRMA and the Population Council enthusiastically support the start of MTN-017," said Jim Pickett, IRMA chair. "The 186 individuals who will volunteer for the trial will more than double the total number of people who have participated in rectal microbicide clinical trials to date. The study will mark a giant leap forward for the field of rectal microbicides and will set the stage for future large-scale efficacy trials," he said.

Pickett continued, "the day we have a safe, effective, and acceptable rectal microbicide as a much-needed HIV prevention option for people who engage in anal intercourse is within our sights—these are truly revolutionary times and we couldn't be more energized."

Learn more about the MTN-017 trial here.

###


IRMA, the Population Council, and MTN encourage HIV prevention advocates and community educators to screen The Rectal Revolution Is Here in their own workshops and sensitization sessions and to share it widely. To receive a copy of the video in English, Spanish, or Thai, please contact IRMA at rectalmicro@gmail.com.

Editorial notes:

Currently in development, microbicides are products (gels, lubricants, films) that could be applied in the rectum or the vagina to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Unprotected anal intercourse is 10 to 20 times more likely to result in HIV infection compared to unprotected vaginal intercourse. Unprotected anal intercourse—a common human behavior—is a significant driver in the global HIV epidemic among gay men and transgender women as well as among heterosexuals.

IRMA, based at AIDS Foundation of Chicago, is a global network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers, and funders from six continents working together to advance a robust rectal microbicide research and development agenda. The "bottom line in HIV prevention," IRMA addresses the institutional, socio-cultural, and political stigma around the public health need for rectal microbicide research, and advocates to increase funding and commitment within this field of inquiry.

The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.

 

The Microbicide Trials Network is a U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded worldwide collaborative clinical trials network focused on preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. Recognizing the importance of microbicides research to HIV/AIDS prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), established the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) in 2006, with co-funding from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The MTN brings together international investigators and community and industry partners devoted to reducing the sexual transmission of HIV through the development and evaluation of products used orally or applied topically.

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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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Chemical & Engineering News: Studies Raise Questions About Safety Of Personal Lubricants

via Chemical & Engineering News, by Lauren K. Wolf

Although most people will list only K-Y Jelly when asked to recall the names of personal lubricants, hundreds of the products are being used for sex across the globe. These sex aids are designed to make things easier. So it’s a little unsettling that experiments carried out in recent years have indicated that some of the products might be smoothing the way for disease transmission.
 

Used to reduce friction and increase pleasure during intercourse, lubricants are about a $219 million market in the U.S. alone, according to the Chicago-based market research firm SymphonyIRI Group.

But a handful of studies have called into question the safety of these sex aids, although none have shown cut-and-dried proof of risk. Some of the experiments have shown that personal lubricants can damage cells lining both the vagina and rectum, potentially making the body more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). And one epidemiological investigation, published early this year, reported that participants who consistently used personal lubricants for rectal intercourse had a higher prevalence of STIs, such as chlamydia, than inconsistent users (Sex. Transm. Dis., DOI: 10.1097/olq.0b013e318235502b).

Complicating matters is that these same lubricants are being eyed as components of low-cost microbicide gels that could protect people from HIV. The thinking is that because so many people already use the sex aids, they will go right on using them for pleasure as well as protection once a virus-killing drug is added. But the new safety concerns about lubricants have made researchers consider reformulating the gels.

Still, most of the recent lab-based safety studies conducted on personal lubricants fall short of indicting the products. “We have signals that are concerning,” says Jim Pickett, chair of the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) group, a global network pushing for safe and effective STI-preventing products. “But we don’t know what they mean yet. Just because a lubricant causes cell damage in the lab, we don’t know whether that has anything to do with disease transmission in humans in the real world.”

In response, Johnson & Johnson, which dominates the personal lubricant market with its K-Y brand products, says, “We continually review new research as it evolves. K-Y brand products have provided effective lubrication and moisturization for millions of couples and are safe when used as directed.”

Right now, the Food & Drug Administration doesn’t typically require testing of personal lubricants in humans. The agency classifies them as medical devices, so the sex aids have to be tested on animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Rectal use of lubricants is viewed by the agency as an “off-label” application—use at your own risk.

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 Annette Larkin, A Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate

Check out this interesting mini-bio of  Annette Larkin, the latest in IRMA's "Meet a Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate" series on the IRMA website here.  Annette is one of five new bios posted last week.



Annette Larkin
Alexandria, Virginia, USA

"It's possible that microcides will really find a home in the rectum, so to speak."

Annette is an IRMA advocate, a communications consultant and a guest lecturer at Georgetown University's grad school for communications. She is also the assistant editor of North Wind Magazine. Annette has additionally been working with CAMI - Coalition Advancing Multipurpose Innovations.

Besides being a fabulous IRMA advocate, Annette enjoys travelling, watching HBO's 'Girls', and hanging out with her gorgeous daughter Bella and boyfriend.

Annette first started engaging with IRMA because she found the group very dynamic and engaging and wanted to join in. Additionaly, she has workd with CONRAD, the developer of tenofovir gel for vaginal as well as rectal use.

Annette believes that rectal microbicides are important as a new HIV prevention technology because there seems to be an increase in the amount of people having anal sex, and lube is needed to maximize pleasure anyway. Her advice to IRMA is to keep believing in rectal microbicides!

Thank you, Annette, 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.

  -------------------

The Bronze Eye Is Open: A Philosophy of Anal Sex

via Huffington Post, by Marten Weber

As anyone who has ever been skillfully buggered knows, anal sex -- at least for the prostate-endowed -- is the best invention since sliced bread. Straight men have recently discovered "prostate massage" and "prostate stimulation." According to a manufacturer of sex toys I interviewed for this piece, strap-ons have been their fastest-growing item for five years now. For every guy who has the guts (pun intended) to give it a try, way to go, bro! It is truly awesome if done right.

I realize that the politics and philosophy of female anal penetration are a lot more complicated, and I will leave them aside for now. It is the receptive male I am concerned with here, and the sexual revolution "from the bottom up."

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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Anal health is not just a gay issue: Women need rectal microbicides too

via Citizen News Service, by Bobby Ramakant

"It is high time that anal health and hygiene comes out of the closet" said Dr Ross Cranston from University of Pittsburgh, USA. Dr Cranston was referring to the multitude of anal health complications people practicing receptive anal sex are likely to be dealing with in their lives and very little quality care and products that exist to relieve them. The awareness level in people (women, men, transgender women) who reported to practice receptive anal sex was abysmally low.

Zero per cent of such respondents had knowledge related to their anal cancer risk, and just half of them knew about Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV - the virus that causes genital herpes). Awareness certainly needs to be upped in people practicing receptive anal sex.

 

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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Preaching to the choir? Advocating condoms and lubes at AIDS 2012

[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 Bobby Ramakant

At the recently concluded XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), the 'And Lubes' campaign that brought attention to the fact that condoms should be distributed along with lubricants (or lubes) to meet the needs of those practicing anal sex, was certainly not 'preaching to the choir.' Reality was grimmer with AIDS 2012 rightly promoting 'condomize' campaign but without lubes! The way condoms were in the spotlight when AIDS 2012 began lubes weren't. Only until mid-way into the conference when And Lubes campaign repeatedly raised the issue of non-availability of lubes on-site, we could then find more lubes being distributed along with male and female condoms. Even condoms along with lubes in the same sachet were made available!

According to the United Nations joint programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), anal sex considerably increases risk of HIV acquisition. People practicing anal sex are also at a high risk of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and condoms alone are not enough to protect them from HIV or other STIs. People practicing anal sex, for example, need condoms with safer, affordable, accessible lubes to protect them from HIV and STIs.

“Lubes are not really accessible or affordable to most people in Africa who practice anal sex. Lubes if available are very expensive. Most people might be using water, oil, etc” said Abimbola Williams from Nigeria. Abimbola is an advocate with International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA).

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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AIDS 2012 And Lube

via Windy City Times, by Jim Pickett


For seven, long, long days I dove into the deep end of the madness that was the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) and various ancillary meetings held in Washington, D.C., last week. It was a mad, mad world of 20,000 plus people from every corner of the planet running to and from non-stop sessions, talks, organizing, networking, marches, protests and talking, talking, talking and noise, noise, noise.

Complete saturation of information, sensory, and emotional overload—by the end my brain felt like a wet sponge that couldn't take on one more drop. And that says nothing about the DC heat and humidity that made the rest of you soggy as well.

I contributed to that all that talking and organizing and noise, taking advantage of the world's largest AIDS gathering to help launch a new effort from the global network of more than 1,200 members I chair called IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates.) We've identified the critical need for advocacy around access to safe, condom-compatible lube in Africa as part of our new Project ARM—Africa for Rectal Microbicides initiative. Most Africans don't have access to safe, condom-compatible lube.

Condoms and no lube is a terrible great combination when it comes to anal sex. Vaginas have the ability to self-lubricate—our anuses and rectums need a little help from a friend to help ease entry and keep the condom intact. Because there is a paucity of appropriate lubricants in Africa, many people who have anal sex are using things like avocado oil, yogurt, Vaseline, even motor oil—or no lube at all.

The Project ARM effort seeks to ensure that Africa is fully engaged in rectal microbicide research and advocacy so that Africans who have anal sex are central to the development of safe, effective, and acceptable rectal microbicides (which may be produced as lubes with anti-HIV qualities.) Late last year, a group of African advocates and allies met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and strategized a set of priority actions to help pave the way for Africa to be on the rectal microbicide map. The highest priority action the group identified was far and away the issue of lube access. Rectal microbicides are about a decade away from being available—lube access needs to happen now … since it's already too late for yesterday.

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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Lubes a Key Priority in Africa

[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

Condom-compatible lubes are a rarity in Africa forcing transgender women, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual populations that engage in anal sex to utilize alternative methods that potentially exposes them to a range of sexually transmitted infections including HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. Following a meeting of Africa for Rectal Microbicides (Project ARM) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in December 2011, participants decided to create the Global Lube Access Mobilization (GLAM) initiative to support increased access and availability of condom-compatible lubes throughout the world, beginning with a focus on Africa, employing the tagline "And Lube!"

This tag-line "And Lube!" reminds people to distribute condoms 'and [condom compatible] lube' to make anal sex safer and more comfortable. At the two-day meet, held at the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), initiated by the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) in partnership with AVAC - Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, participants acknowledge lubricants, or "lube" that can be used with condoms are a key priority for safer anal sex.

"There is a need for lube which is condom safe in many parts of Africa - when you're talking about HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM), it's about condoms and lube," said Kent Klindera, Director, MSM Initiative at amfAR, in an exclusive interview with Citizen News Service.

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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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Anti-HIV rectal microbicide research moves ahead

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

via Citizens News Service, by Bobby Ramakant

It is indeed promising to note the momentum rectal microbicides research and development has attained, more so when there is a global call to end AIDS at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). Turning the tide of HIV is not possible unless we have safe and effective HIV prevention options for women and men who practice anal sex. Just before the AIDS 2012 opened in Washington DC, the researchers at Microbicide Trial Network (MTN), University of Pittsburgh, USA, got a green signal to go ahead with a major rectal microbicide clinical trial.

According to Jim Pickett, Chair of International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) and Director (Advocacy), AIDS Foundation of Chicago: Rectal microbicides are products currently under research – 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. 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 is only one-cell thick, the virus can more easily reach immune cells to infect.

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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