UNAIDS urges rapid expansion of access to HIV antiretroviral medicines
15 July, 2013
New framework to scale up antiretroviral treatment access to 15 million people worldwide by 2015Â
Vancouver, B.C. [July 15, 2013] — The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) today lauded the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for its new framework to accelerate action in reaching 15 million people with antiretroviral treatment by 2015.
The framework, entitled Treatment 2015, provides countries with methods to rapidly scale up HIV treatment access to reach this goal set by United Nations Member States in 2011, and furthering this target to nearly 26 million people on antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible thereafter. The framework emphasizes the importance of HIV testing and counseling as a gateway to expanding access to antiretroviral therapy and that further efforts are required to normalize HIV testing.
Treatment 2015 was developed in partnership with the Global Fund and PEPFAR, as well as the African Union and other key stakeholders, to maximize the impact of HIV treatment on the prevention of morbidity, mortality, and HIV transmission. The framework is based on the new consolidated guidelines put forward by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this month at the 7th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“The end of AIDS is within grasp, expanding treatment as prevention, as recommended by the 2013 WHO guidelines, will bring this epidemic to its knees,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC-CfE. “Together, we can stop AIDS, and move towards realizing the vision of an HIV & AIDS-free generation. We should rally behind UNAIDS to make the best of this extraordinary opportunity.”
The key recommendation of the 2013 WHO guidelines is to initiate treatment sooner in order to save more lives and prevent more infections. The 2013 WHO guidelines recommend treatment be offered regardless of CD4 count level if there is TB co-infection, or liver disease due to Hepatitis B virus co-infection, or for individuals at very high risk for HIV transmission, such as those in sero-discordant couples and pregnant HIV infected women, who should be encouraged to start HAART during pregnancy and to continue it for life thereafter, and for children infected with HIV under the age of five years.
“The new 2013 WHO guidelines represent a dramatic step forward as they virtually close the gap in the eligibility for antiretroviral therapy between the North and South of the world,” added Dr. Montaner. “Furthermore, they critically incorporate early intervention with antiretroviral therapy as a means of preserving health and quality of life, preventing disease progression and death, as well as preventing HIV transmission.”Â
In British Columbia, provincial therapeutic guidelines recommend highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) be offered to most HIV-positive individuals regardless of their CD4 cell count. As a result, the number of individuals receiving treatment increased from 837 to more than 7,000 between 1996 and 2012, and HIV-related morbidity and mortality have declined by approximately 90 per cent since the early 1990s. The number of new HIV diagnoses fell from approximately 800 per year prior to 1996 to 238 in 2012.
The Treatment 2015 framework can be accessed here.Â
-30-
About the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility and is internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases. BC-CfE is based at St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. The BC-CfE works in close collaboration with key provincial stakeholders, including health authorities, health care providers, academics from other institutions, and the community to decrease the health burden of HIV and AIDS and to improve the health of British Columbians living with HIV through developing, monitoring and disseminating comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related illnesses.
 About the University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of North America’s largest public research and teaching institutions, and one of only two Canadian institutions consistently ranked among the world’s 40 best universities. Surrounded by the beauty of the Canadian West, it is a place that inspires bold, new ways of thinking that have helped make it a national leader in areas as diverse as community service learning, sustainability and research commercialization. UBC offers more than 55,000 students a range of innovative programs and attracts $550 million per year in research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through 7,000 grants.
