The Win-Win Agenda is a new health equity advocacy platform to increase access and remove barriers to quality HIV care. The Win-Win underpins all of PAC’s work and is based on a simple concept: increasing access and removing barriers to quality HIV treatment and care not only saves the lives of people living with HIV it also results in social, health, and economic benefits to countries –  and it’s the foundation to end the epidemic.

When people living with HIV have the treatment, care and services to achieve and maintain U=U, everyone wins. However, social, structural, and legal barriers make U=U difficult or impossible for too many people living with HIV. The Win-Win approach is strengthening advocacy to eradicate these barriers to access.

To learn more and join the movement, visit Win-Win Agenda and check out the introductory video featuring Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and leaders from WHO, UNAIDS, and civil society. 

U=U University is a new and growing tranformative partnership between Prevention Access Campaign and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) and International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC).

The purpose of U=U University is to educate and empower individuals, groups, and organizations with the latest evidence-based knowledge and practical skills to effectively communicate the U=U message as strategy with multi-level impacts. By equipping participants with a comprehensive understanding of U=U and effective strategies to use U=U as an intervention, this curriculum aims to reduce stigma, promote HIV treatment and prevention, and improve the quality of care and support provided to individuals living with HIV.  Individuals and organizations who participate in U=U University can play a critical role in disseminating accurate information about U=U, optimizing HIV treatment to reach U=U, transforming the quality of life for people living with HIV, and accelerating the end of AIDS as a public health threat.

WHY U=U UNIVERSITY WAS DEVELOPED?

Despite the significant evidence supporting its multi-level benefits, U=U has yet to reach its full potential as an HIV intervention. Some of the reasons for this include:

• There is a lack of awareness and education about U=U among priority populations, health workers, and the general public.
• A limited understanding of implementing U=U as an intervention and its benefits.
• There is a lack of resources, specifically funding and technical expertise, to implement, scale, monitor, and evaluate U=U at individual, community, and population levels to support efforts to achieve HIV targets.
• In some settings, people are unwilling to share the U=U message because of stigma and judgmental views.

A transformative partnership between PAC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Global HIV and TB PEPFAR program aimed to address some of these challenges by building the capacity and skills of those implementing and scaling up U=U. In July 2024, CDC and PAC will release “Implementing and Scaling-Up Undetectable=Untransmittable: A Resource Guide.” This comprehensive resource is divided into six parts. It is designed to build an understanding of U=U gradually, situate it within the science, effectively communicate its core message, develop a strategic plan, and implement activities while monitoring and evaluating these efforts. Resources, tools, country examples, and essential messages support each guide section.

U=U University was established as the training component of the resource guide. U=U University will increase uptake and access to the guide’s content using online modules, virtual and in-person training opportunities, engaging webinars, interactive discussions, skill-building, role-playing, and real-world case scenarios. Additionally, U=U University offers a Training of Trainers (ToT) Program designed to increase and build the capacity of individuals to train other individuals in their communities and organizations.  PAC and CDC are collaborating with the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) and International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) to maximize the reach and impact of U=U University globally.  We are developing national and regional partnerships to adapt U=U University for country and regional-specific contexts and strategies.

The first phase of U=U University will launch live and virtually at AIDS 2024 in July 2024 and the United States Conference on AIDS in September with a online live and self-paced courses widely available later in the year.  For information please contact info@preventionaccess.org and place “U=U University” in the subject line.

PAC works with global health partners and CSOs to improve health outcomes and equity for people living with HIV by improving innovation, accessibility and demand for ARVs and viral load testing. 

PAC partnered with the World Health Organization and stakeholders across the spectrum of HIV national and global health considerations to develop and launch a groundbreakig policy brief: The role of HIV viral suppression in improving individual health and reducing transmission. The brief has major implications for scaling up access to viral load testing and clear communications about transmission risk. PAC worked closely with the WHO on the release of the brief on July 23, 2023 at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in Brisbane, Australia and launched the #SayZero campaign at the conference to draw attention to the brief’s groundbreaking recommendation to communicate “Zero risk” for sexual transmission when a person’s viral load is undetectable. The brief and “Zero risk” were the #2 media story of the Conference and the brief and PAC were featured in Devex and numerous other publications as well as the featured editorial in the The Lancet ID in September 2023. PAC is continuing to facilitate strong linkages and engagement with community and policymakers, raising key issues on communications and viral load scale-up and providing input on strategy for moving the brief from policy to practice.

In November of 2023, PAC and National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research co-organized a 2-day workshop “Community Voices: Forging the Path Forward for HIV Self-testing and Personalized Viral Load Monitoring” to provide a mechanism for community input on the development of  new and cutting edge technologies for making testing and viral load monitoring, including at-home monitoring, more accessible. PAC will continue to enable informed and meaningful discussion between communities and stakeholders to evaluate the state of technology for viral load testing (VLT). Event page and agenda; Day One 11/01/2023; Day Two 11/02/2023  

In 2023, PAC mobilized the Viral Load Testing Access Coalition (VLTAC), a group of leading civil society organizations advocating for equitable access to viral load testing. The VLTAC currently includes AfroCAB, APCOM, AVAC, GATE, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, GNP+,  IAPAC, IAS, ITPC Global, PAC, PATA, and Y+ Global. Viral load test information and access can help people living with HIV to stay healthy and ensure that HIV is not transmitted to other people and support policy-makers in determining the optimal allocation of resources for viral load testing and communicating the results.

PAC is committed to providing accurate and meaningful information to healthcare professionals and people living with HIV about the value of ARVs, viral load test results and ensuring equitable access to diagnostics.

U.S. U=U NATIONAL TASK FORCE 

In June 2023, PAC launched the U=U National Task Force with the endorsement of the US Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus in partnership with inaugural members Elton John AIDS Foundation, Equality Federation, Human Rights Campaign, NMAC, Southern AIDS Coalition, and The Well Project. The Task Force will ensure that the US government follows through on the commitments outlined in the Multinational Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) Call-to-Action (MUCA). This call-to-action urges all nations to support the evidence-based U=U message and incorporate U=U into national efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV. Doing so can improve the health of individuals and communities and accelerate progress towards the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and related initiatives to achieve epidemic control. The Task Force aims to reignite action in the United States as a leader in U=U and to encourage other nations to take action based on the MUCA.

U=U AFRICA FORUM

In 2021, PAC and African partners CEYOHO in Botswana, HIV Survivors and Partners Network (HSPN) in South Africa,and Love to Love Organization in Uganda formed the U=U Africa Forum (UAF) to stimulate and support U=U programs in Africa. The UAF shares ideas and fosters collaborations in countries and regions where in-country partners have expressed need for support to develop sustainable and authentic U=U-related programs.  A corps of U=U Ambassadors  across the continent provide in-country direction and monitoring to ensure U=U is integrated into their country’s health policies and communications. To learn more, visit U=U Africa.

Formed in June, 2022, the U=U Global Community Board is led by fourteen leading global activists living with HIV on every continent to support the continued growth, impact, and community- driven leadership of U=U movements worldwide. These extraordinary activists have demonstrated commitment and action to share the U=U message with communities inclusive of all people living with HIV, working collaboratively in communications, education, and advocacy to ensure that U=U can be a reality for everyone. The Board engages in advocacy and actions to ensure that people living with HIV are informed about U=U and have the treatment and care to experience the freedom and joy it brings.

After a first year of engagement and learning, the UGCB is on hiatus and being reimagined for a relaunch in 2024.

PAC partnered with VIIV Healthcare and a panel of global experts on Positive Perspectives Wave 2 Study (PP2), one of the largest, global, HIV patient-reported outcomes studies to date.  A primary goal of the study was to understand the extent to which healthcare providers (HCP) are informing their patients living with HIV about U=U and the impact that sharing U=U has on patient health outcomes. The study was based on PP2’s 2019 survey of 2,389 people living with HIV on treatment across 25 countries.

PP2 was groundbreaking. Being informed by an HCP about U=U was significantly associated with favorable health outcomes for people living with HIV, including better viral suppression, greater adherence, optimal health (including mental health and sexual health), and greater willingness to share HIV status with others. The PP2 study confirmed that dissemination of the U=U message in clinical settings can greatly benefit personal health outcomes and that U=U discussions with people living with HIV should be considered as a standard of care in clinical guidelines.

PAC, ViiV, and an advisory committee of community leaders and HCPs continue to promote this critical study to encourage more HCPs to inform their patients living with HIV about U=U.

Owning HIV is a campaign created with Merck and HIV advocates to inspire all of us to own the future of the HIV epidemic. The motivation behind the campaign is the alarming statistic that young adults (ages 18-34) account for the majority of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Owning HIV kicked off in 2019 with a first-of-its-kind survey to better understand beliefs and perceptions about HIV among millennials and Gen Z in the U.S.

Owning HIV survey findings uncovered a jarring trend of general confusion and insufficient knowledge about HIV and its transmission among young adults, along with the existence of high-risk sexual practices, poor disease management, and stigmatizing behaviors. For instance, 30% of HIV-negative millennials said they would prefer not to interact with someone living with HIV, and 28% of HIV-negative millennials said they have avoided hugging, talking to, or being friends with someone living with HIV.

In November 2020, new findings specific to young Black and African American survey respondents were released as part of Owning HIV Presents: HIV in Young, Black America, a free live and on-demand webinar to invite college students to fight stigma and take ownership of the HIV epidemic.

PAC continues to promote the findings from this groundbreaking study and to leverage U=U as an effective intervention to address pervasive HIV stigma, calling on all of us,  including young adults, to work together to own the future of the HIV epidemic.