2010 HIV Directory Now Available
Open Letter to Pharmaceutical Companies
Project Inform Issues Position on When to Start HIV Therapy
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2010 HIV Directory Now Available
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), the publisher of Positively Aware magazine, has just released the 2010 Chicago Area HIV Services Pocket Directory. This pocket-sized directory lists agencies which provide HIV services throughout the Chicago Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA), with a specific focus on those funded through Ryan White Part A. The directory is made possible by the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Chicago Area HIV Services Planning Council.
"The directory is a comprehensive guide to HIV services in the Chicago area," says Christopher Brown, Assistant Commissioner, STI/HIV/AIDS Division of the Chicago Department of Public Health. "It is our hope that people will use this guide to get connected to the services they need and deserve."
For 17 years, the directory has helped clients, case managers and care providers to quickly identify and access essential services, and has improved the quality of life for countless individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
"Due to the Illinois state budget crisis, funding for the Illinois HIV Services Directory was cut earlier this year," says Jeff Berry, TPAN Director of Publications and editor of Positively Aware. "We are thrilled to be able to provide this new pocket-sized directory along with help from the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Planning Council."
Expanded listings in the first section of the 2010 Chicago Area HIV Services Pocket Directory are for those agencies in the Chicago EMA that are funded through Ryan White Part A, followed by a more inclusive but abbreviated listing of HIV service organizations throughout the Chicago area. More comprehensive and detailed listings of HIV service providers in the Chicago area and throughout the state of Illinois are available online at www.tpan.com/directory, and include hours of operation, agency descriptions, and services provided.
The directory is free of charge. Copies may be picked up at TPAN´s offices at 5537 N. Broadway Street during business hours (Mondays – Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), or by calling (773) 989-9400. Also visit www.tpan.com or e-mail directories@tpan.com.
Founded in 1987, TPAN is Chicago´s oldest peer-led AIDS service organization and specializes in peer-led treatment information and support services. TPAN also publishes the internationally known and respected Positively Aware HIV treatment journal.
To learn more about the Chicago Area HIV Services Planning Council, call (312) 747-0537.
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The Treatment Action Group (TAG), based in New York City, requests endorsements for the START Study by April 30. The following is taken from a TAG release.
“We are requesting individual and organizational endorsements in support of a statement from the INSIGHT (International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials) Community Advisory Board, one of six HIV clinical trials networks funded by the National Institutes of Health.
“As you may know, the U.S. HIV Treatment Guidelines Panel recently changed its recommendation for when to start HIV treatment, raising it from 350 to 500 CD4 cells. This change was not without controversy, since there is no conclusive evidence that starting treatment earlier is better. A large-scale randomized control trial that could clearly provide this evidence—called START (Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment)—is still in its critical pilot phase.
“As the result of this new treatment recommendation, there are now concerns that INSIGHT Network’s ability to enroll the expected 4,000 volunteers for START might be jeopardized. What’s more, as we face longer waiting lists for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs and the call for treating everyone who test positive, we need the critical answers that can be provided by the START trial more than ever, or we risk putting people on treatment prematurely, with unknown long-term side effects and the risk of drug resistance in life-long therapy.
“We believe that the priority for HIV-positive people is to have accurate, reliable data on both the risks and benefits of earlier treatment in order to base any decision for when to start treatment. We fully support this study and invite you to endorse the importance of this research.
“To read the statement and to lend your support for this important study, please go to: http://www.hivresearchcatalystforum.org/endorse-start-study.”
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Open Letter to Pharmaceutical Companies
The Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC) issued the following open letter on April 15.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
ON THE ADAP CRISIS
The Fair Pricing Coalition, in conjunction with undersigned members and organizations of the HIV community, call upon the manufacturers of HIV antiretrovirals and other medications used by people living with HIV/AIDS to provide immediate relief to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) and to work in partnership with HIV advocates to ensure that additional federal and state funding also flows to ADAPs.
The ADAP crisis is rapidly expanding. These critical safety net programs are at the center of a perfect storm brought on by the economic meltdown, federal and state budget shortfalls, and continuing escalation of drug prices.
The number of new people who rely on ADAPs for their medications each month grew an unprecedented 80% from June 2008 to June 2009. States with waiting lists have grown from 3 to 10 in one year, and clients on those lists increased by 58% in the last quarter alone. Numerous additional states are being forced to plan for imminent implementation of waiting lists, formulary reductions and eligibility cuts.
To meet the needs of over 166,000 individuals living with HIV and receiving ADAP services, and tens of thousands more whose lives will depend on ADAP access in years to come, ADAPs, state and federal governments, and industry partners must all work together to solve this crisis.
The Fair Pricing Coalition and the HIV community are currently addressing budget issues with federal and state officials and are calling on pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide a financial bridge for ADAPs, particularly until the healthcare reform law is fully implemented.
ADAP survival requires that drug manufacturers hold ADAPs harmless against rising drug prices. We call upon manufacturers of HIV antiretroviral and other related drug manufacturers to implement a multi-year cost protection and rebate enhancement program for ADAPs which will allow all increased revenues to go toward eliminating waiting lists, providing medications to new clients, and maintaining formularies.
Although manufacturers provide Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) for individuals without government or private health insurance coverage, the confusing patchwork of eligibility and recertification criteria creates barriers to access. We call upon the companies to create a standardized PAP application and to provide automatic PAP enrollment to individuals on any state's ADAP waiting list who have already been certified ADAP-eligible by that state.
Industry must work diligently and in good faith with the ADAP Crisis Task Force during the May 2010 meetings to forge agreements that assure full access to life-saving medications for all people living with HIV/AIDS.
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Project Inform Issues Position on When to Start HIV Therapy
The San Francisco-based HIV treatment advocacy organization Project Inform in April issued a position paper on when to start HIV therapy.
According to a press release, “Project Inform is concerned that nearly half of all HIV-positive people in the United States do not know their HIV status or have not engaged in care and treatment that could prolong their lives and prevent new cases of HIV infection. We believe this results, in part, from a lack of understanding of the benefits of treatment, the fear of side effects of HIV drugs, the need for support services to make care and treatment possible, fears about disclosure of HIV status, and the belief that care and treatment services are unavailable to low-income people.”
Moreover, continued the release, “Although researchers continue to gather evidence regarding the optimal time to start treatment, federal guidelines have shifted in favor of earlier treatment. These guidelines allow for varied interpretation by HIV providers. In this document, Project Inform—a trusted provider of HIV treatment information for 25 years—presents its position regarding HIV testing, when HIV-positive people might consider engaging in care and treatment, and important considerations for starting care and treatment.”
See the paper, consisting of 16 bulleted paragraphs, at http://www.projectinform.org/info/when/index.shtml.
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