May 29, 2023|Health JusticeStatement from Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell on President Museveni’s Signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Law, 2023“By signing this authoritarian, anti-human rights legislation, President Museveni is waging a deadly attack on his own citizens and further estranging Uganda from the rest of the world. Museveni’s action today is a full-throated attack on queer Ugandans’ human rights…
February 7, 2023|Funding the FightThe State of the Biden Administration’s Response to Global AIDS: Twenty Years after Bush’s Historic SOTU Launch of PEPFAR, Biden Must Fulfill His Promise to End AIDS in Tonight’s State of the Union FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2023 Contact: Jessica Bassett, jessica@healthgap.org, 929-866-3929 The State of the Biden Administration’s Response to Global AIDS: Twenty Years after Bush’s Historic SOTU Launch of PEPFAR, Biden Must Fulfill His Promise to End AIDS in Tonight’s…
December 1, 2022|Access to Medicines, COVID-19, Funding the Fight, Health Justice, Transparency & AccountabilityFORGOTTEN BUT NOT GONE: On World AIDS Day, People with HIV, Long COVID and ME/CFS Protest Biden’s Pandemics Neglect, Urge Funding from Congress in Demonstration Outside the White HouseDecember 1, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE In an unprecedented on-site and virtual World AIDS Day protest, people with HIV united with chronically ill and disabled people with Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), and others, in a rally today outside the…
September 21, 2022|Funding the FightStatement from Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell on the Seventh Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and MalariaFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2022 Statement from Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell on the Seventh Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria “The world was watching for success at today’s seventh replenishment conference…
July 28, 2022|Access to Medicines, Funding the Fight, Health JusticeHealth GAP Statement regarding ViiV – MPP Voluntary Licensing Agreement for CAB-LAFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2022 Health GAP Statement regarding ViiV - MPP Voluntary Licensing Agreement for CAB-LA “Just four months ago, ViiV announced it would not pursue voluntary licensing for CAB-LA to allow generic manufacturing and accessible pricing for…
July 27, 2022|Funding the Fight, Health Justice, Transparency & AccountabilityAs the International AIDS Conference Kicks Off in Montreal, New UNAIDS Global AIDS Update Shows Deadly Backsliding Away From Ending the Pandemic, With AIDS Deaths No Longer DecliningFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2022 As the International AIDS Conference Kicks Off in Montreal, New UNAIDS Global AIDS Update Shows Deadly Backsliding Away From Ending the Pandemic, With AIDS Deaths No Longer Declining Perfect storm rising of pandemic competition,…
July 22, 2022|Health JusticeStatement from Health GAPOn Wednesday, one of our staff members was unjustly arrested and detained by Kenya police along with four colleagues while conducting a routine training for civil society seeking to improve HIV and related health services delivery for key populations of…
June 17, 2022|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Statement from Asia Russell, Health GAP Executive Director, on the Failure of the WTO’s MC12 to Deliver a TRIPS Waiver for COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments, and Tests“The World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) was a dismal failure for the 85% of people in low-income countries that have not had a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, for the billions of people worldwide without access to COVID-19…
May 4, 2022|Access to MedicinesCampaigners protest GSK for pricing game-changing HIV prevention medication 100 times more expensive than gold, blocking global accessCampaigners unfurl banner outside GlaxoSmithKline Annual General Meeting demanding subsidiary ViiV Healthcare sell new injectable at a price comparable to generic oral prevention pills, and immediately commit to sharing technology with generic manufacturers As GSK shareholders gather in person at…
April 20, 2022|Access to Medicines, COVID-19109 Civil Society Organizations Call on Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader to Support Compulsory License to Expand Access and Break Pfizer’s Monopoly Over Lifesaving COVID-19 TreatmentDecision Expected Any Day in Landmark Case Filed by KEI Could Set Precedent Across Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Determine Trajectory of Access to Essential COVID-19 Treatments Pfizer Brazenly Claimed its “Human Rights” in Pushback Against Effort to Utilize Existing Public…
April 4, 2022|Access to MedicinesLong-Acting PreP is a Necessity, Not a Luxury: ViiV’s Greed is Still Blocking Global Access to Injection that Could Transform HIV Prevention and Help End the Pandemic In response to ViiV’s announcement today that it is working with the Medicines Patent Pool “to outline a positive path forward for voluntary licensing of long-acting HIV prevention,” Health GAP released the following statement: “ViiV's statement today with the Medicines…
March 29, 2022|Funding the FightBiden’s PEPFAR Funding Cuts Put People with HIV at Greater RiskPresident Biden’s FY23 budget proposal includes a $20 million cut to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and a $5 million cut to UNAIDS along with other budget actions that result in an overall funding cut to existing…
March 17, 2022|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Nearly 100 Health, Development and Human Rights Groups Write Pfizer CEO Demanding Immediate Action to Increase Access to COVID-19 Antivirals in Low- and Middle-Income CountriesPfizer COVID-19 Treatment Licensing Deal with Medicines Patent Pool Excludes Almost 50% of the Globe Perpetuating Medical Apartheid Nearly 100 health, development, and human rights organizations sent a letter today to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla demanding immediate steps to increase access to COVID-19…
March 14, 2022|Funding the FightSTARVING BILATERAL AIDS PROGRAMS OF LIFE-SAVING FUNDING INCREASES HARMS FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL HIV AND COVID-19Diminishing PEPFAR’s Role in the COVID Response is a Grave Misstep The Omnibus spending bill for FY22 released by congressional appropriators proposes flat funding for the U.S. bilateral AIDS program (PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a decision…
November 17, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Statement on the Biden Administration Plan to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing CapacityAsia Russell, Health GAP Executive Director, said: “This is a dire global health emergency, and instead of using their power to compel pharma companies to share know-how to build capacity and rapidly expand vaccine manufacturing around the world, the Biden…
October 21, 2021|Access to MedicinesOn Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla’s Birthday, Medical Students and Activists from Health GAP, Rise and Resist, CPD Action and More Protest at His Home to Demand Equitable Global Access to COVID-19 VaccinesScarsdale, NY, October 21, 2021 (Globe Newswire) – On Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla’s birthday, medical students and activists held a mock celebration by placing a faux “Pfizer graveyard” outside Bourla’s home to denounce his role in blocking access to life-saving…
September 29, 2021|Transparency & AccountabilityNOMINATION OF DR. JOHN NKENGASONG TO LEAD PEPFAR IS GROUNDBREAKING FOR CRUCIAL POSITION THAT HAS BEEN EMPTY FAR TOO LONG“President Biden’s nomination of Dr. John Nkengasong to serve as the next U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator is a groundbreaking choice for a crucial position that has been empty for far too long. The stakes could not be higher in the…
July 21, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Pfizer-BioNTech Fill and Finish Deal with Biovac in South Africa Is the Latest Step in Pharma’s Campaign to Convince the World the Status Quo is Good EnoughStatement from Brook Baker, Senior Policy Analyst, Health GAP, regarding the COVID-19 vaccine agreement announced today between Pfizer, BioNTech, and Biovac: “This is a far cry from actual technology transfer to allow independent manufacture of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics in…
June 28, 2021|Funding the FightHouse Appropriations Subcommittee Budget Proposal Provides Just 20% of Funding Increase Needed to End AIDS by 2030A Decade of Chronic Underfunding and COVID-19 Pandemic Mean a Minimum $750 million Increase is Needed to Put the US Global HIV Response Back on Track The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) tonight…
June 3, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19March & Vigil Calling for Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines Held at Western Countries’ UN Missions in New York City Free the Vaccine Activists Remember Those Around the World Lost to COVID-19, and Called for Rich Nations to #EndVaccineApartheid via WTO TRIPS Waiver (New York, NY) — Dozens of New York activists gathered this evening outside Pfizer World Headquarters…
May 28, 2021|Funding the FightBy Flat Funding Global AIDS, Biden’s Budget Undermines Global Progress to Defeat AIDS and Weakens the COVID-19 ResponseIn response to the release today of Biden’s proposed FY22 budget to Congress, Matthew Rose, Director of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at Health GAP, said: “President Biden’s first detailed budget displays a lack of bold leadership motivated to end…
May 5, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Statement in Response to USTR Announcement that the U.S. Will Support Waiving Intellectual Property Protections for COVID-19 VaccinesHealth GAP Executive Director Asia Russell said: “As HIV activists, we know that activism and global solidarity can change the trajectory of a pandemic. Today’s announcement shows that the Biden administration is feeling the pressure built over many months of…
April 14, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19FORMER HEADS OF STATE AND NOBEL LAUREATES CALL ON PRESIDENT BIDEN TO WAIVE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RULES FOR COVID VACCINESMore than 170 former heads of state and government and Nobel laureates, including former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown, former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of France…
April 9, 2021|Funding the FightBiden’s First Budget Won’t Put the World on Track to End AIDSFollowing the release of the outline of President Joseph R. Biden’s first budget, Matthew Rose, Director of U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Health GAP, said: “After years of neglect during the Trump and Obama years, President Biden’s proposed global health budget…
March 11, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19“People Over Profit” Rallies Push Pharmaceutical Companies to Commit to Equitable Global Vaccine DistributionActivists gathered across U.S. calling for lower-income countries ravaged by COVID-19 to get immediate access to lifesaving vaccines NEW YORK, N.Y. –– Today, activists gathered at rallies in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia as part…
February 26, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Hundreds of Prominent US Civil Society Organizations Call on Pres. Biden to Stop Blocking COVID-19 WTO Waiver to Boost Vaccines, Treatments WorldwideMSF, Oxfam, Partners In Health, Human Rights Watch, Public Citizen, MoveOn, Indivisible, Unions, Faith Groups, Citizens Trade Campaign, Health GAP, and More Urge U.S. Support for Waiver at March 1-2 WTO General Council WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. consumer, faith, health,…
February 24, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Biden’s USTR Must Stop Obstructing Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines by Supporting the TRIPS Waiver Proposal Led by South Africa and IndiaOn the same day as a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Council) in Geneva, where the Biden administration was explicitly opposing a proposal from South Africa and India, with…
February 3, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19As COVAX Falls Short, Biden Administration Continues to Block Efforts to Scale-Up Global COVID-19 Vaccine Supply As COVAX Falls Short, Biden Administration Continues to Block Efforts to Scale-up Global COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Biden Administration Must Break from Failed Trump Policies and Drop Opposition to South Africa-led Request to Expand Global Access to Vaccines As…
January 20, 2021|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Statement From Health GAP on the Biden Administration’s Day One Global Health ActionsMatthew Rose, Health GAP Director of U.S. Policy and Advocacy, said: “In this moment of global health crisis, it’s fitting that President Joseph R. Biden has made reengaging with the World Health Organization (WHO) one of his first acts as…
November 7, 2020|COVID-19, Health JusticeStatement on the Election of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as U.S. President and Kamala Harris as Vice PresidentJoe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected to lead the United States at a moment of crisis. Since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, America’s worst tendencies domestically and globally have been not just exposed, but thrust into primetime and…
July 24, 2020|Funding the FightCongress’ COVID-19 Response to African Countries: “Dig more graves.”Congress’ COVID-19 Response to African Countries: “Dig more graves.” $20 billion in Emergency Funding is Needed to Respond to COVID-19 and HIV Pandemics; Current Funding Proposals Fall Dangerously Short As South Africa – the African country with the largest COVID-19…
July 17, 2020|Funding the FightBiden Campaign Holds “HIV/AIDS Solidarity Event” While People With HIV Demand: Where is Biden’s Plan for Ending AIDS As a Global Public Health Threat?Health GAP released the following statement from Jason Walker, Senior Coordinator for Grassroots Advocacy: “Later today, the Biden campaign will hold an ‘HIV/AIDS solidarity event,’ hosted by LGBTQ+ for Biden. But people with HIV around the world need more than…
July 9, 2020|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Biden’s Commitment to Global Sharing of COVID-19 Vaccine Technology is a Step in the Right Direction, Must be Followed by Concrete Plans to Dismantle Dangerous Healthcare NationalismIn a conversation with healthcare activist Ady Barkan, Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. president, committed to sharing COVID-19 vaccine technologies and ensuring patents do not stand in the way of other countries accessing life-saving vaccines…
July 8, 2020|Health JusticeGlobal Health and Human Rights Organizations Say U.S. Withdrawal from WHO Is Reckless Act That Could Delay Americans’ Access to COVID-19 Solutions and Prolong Global PandemicAVAC, Health GAP and the Treatment Action Group (TAG) strongly condemn the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Today’s announcement formalizing the President’s threats from earlier this year is short-sighted and dangerous and will cost more lives and…
July 6, 2020|COVID-19, Health JusticeThis Was Preventable: COVID-19 Collides with Unmet Global AIDS Goals, Creating New Crisis for HIV Positive Adults and ChildrenActivists call for $1.2 billion in increased PEPFAR funding to mitigate life-threatening COVID-19 harms and to accelerate HIV treatment and prevention scale up New global AIDS data published by UNAIDS on the opening day of the 2020 International AIDS Conference indicate…
June 15, 2020|COVID-19, Health JusticeWith COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerating in Africa, Activists Demand Full Reversal of Trump Administration Ban on PPE Purchases for Front-line Healthcare WorkersPlaying Politics with the Coronavirus Response is Costing Lives as New Data Indicate People Living with HIV and TB are at Increased Risk of Dying from COVID-19 As the coronavirus pandemic accelerates exponentially in Africa, the Trump administration’s arbitrary and…
May 29, 2020|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Statement from Health GAP on today’s “Solidarity Call to Action” in support of the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access PoolWhen governments don’t stand up to Big Pharma, disaster ensues. Twenty years ago, millions of poor people in sub Saharan Africa were dying preventable deaths from AIDS because of pharma’s price gouging. International shame and pressure brought Big Pharma to…
May 21, 2020|Access to Medicines, COVID-19More Than 80 Academics, Researchers, and Teachers Call on President Ramaphosa to Fix the Patent LawsThe letter reproduced below was sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 May 2020 by more than 80 leading academics, researchers and teachers in South Africa. They urge the President to urgently reform South Africa’s patent laws and take further…
May 18, 2020|Access to Medicines, COVID-19South Africa’s patent laws threaten access to future COVID-19 medicinesContact: Lotti Rutter (Health GAP) | lotti@healthap.org | +27 82 065 5842 Ntsiki Mpulo (SECTION27) | mpulo@section27.org.za | +27 82 782 7143 Ngqabutho Mpofu (TAC) | ngqabutho.mpofu@tac.org.za | +27 72 225 9675 (Johannesburg) — In a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa…
May 4, 2020|Access to Medicines, COVID-19Funding Raised at Coronavirus Global Response Summit Must Come with “Strings Attached” to Ensure Access for AllAs a pledging conference for the World Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator kicks off today during the Coronavirus Global Response Summit, hosted by the European Commission, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Norway and Saudi Arabia, activists called for…
April 30, 2020|Health JusticeUganda’s COVID-19 Response is Terrorizing Women with Arbitrary Detention, Blackmail, and Violence(Kampala) ––The Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC) and other civil society organizations strongly denounced raids, arrests, extortion, and violent attacks during the last 24 hours targeting sex workers, barmaids and other vulnerable communities by police, Local Defense Units (LDUs), and…
April 23, 2020|Access to MedicinesActivists Critique Johnson & Johnson’s Framework for “Non-Profit” Pricing and Single-Source Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccine CandidateJohnson & Johnson held its virtual shareholder meeting today – the first shareholder meeting of a company with a candidate product since the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. J&J has made headlines recently with its announcement that it intends to sell its…
April 20, 2020|Health JusticeCivil society response to President Museveni’s directive that pregnant women will no longer be banned from using transport to seek health services during COVID-19 lockdownCivil society response to President Museveni’s directive that pregnant women will no longer be banned from using transport to seek health services during COVID-19 lockdown: The President of Uganda on April 19, 2020, declared during his address to the country…
April 16, 2020|Access to Medicines, Funding the Fight, Health JusticeGlobal Health Organizations Denounce Trump’s Decision to Pull Commitments to WHO during COVID-19 PandemicAVAC, Health GAP, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), and Treatment Action Group (TAG) strongly condemn the Trump Administration’s decision to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of the urgent COVID-19 global health crisis. “In a time…
April 3, 2020|Access to MedicinesAnalysis & Comment on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Pricing and Manufacturing Capacity Johnson & Johnson has announced that it intends to sell its COVID-19 vaccine candidate for 10 euros a dose, depending on production costs and volume. This would be a concessionary, no-profit price. Johnson & Johnson further reported that it might…
March 27, 2020|Access to MedicinesWith Access to Life-Saving COVID-19 Medicines and Diagnostics at Risk, Health GAP Joins the Call for Creation of Emergency Technology IP Pool Benefiting All CountriesAs the world races to develop treatments, a vaccine, and improved diagnostics for COVID-19, there are mounting concerns that life-saving medical technologies will be priced out of reach for millions worldwide, particularly those in countries where health systems have been…
March 24, 2020|Funding the FightHealth GAP Fact Checks Trump’s Global AIDS Remarks During COVID-19 Taskforce BriefingHealth GAP Fact Checks Trump’s Global AIDS Remarks During COVID-19 Taskforce Briefing Context: On Sunday evening, President Trump suggested that he had rejected calls from some in his administration to cut funding for fighting global AIDS , saying, in part,…
February 10, 2020|Funding the FightIntent on Harming People Living with HIV, Pres. Trump Proposes Even Deeper Cuts to U.S. Bilateral AIDS Program PEPFAR(Washington, DC) --- AIDS activists today rejected President Trump’s FY 2021 budget request, which calls for even deeper cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the major bilateral funding program for the global AIDS response, than Trump…
February 5, 2020|Access to Medicines, Funding the Fight, Health JusticeStatement in Response to President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union AddressOn Ending the AIDS Epidemic: “President Trump took a victory lap tonight for his year-old plan to end the domestic HIV epidemic, but his record deserves no praise. Three years into the job, Trump still has not articulated a plan…
December 2, 2019|Transparency & AccountabilityA new initiative—the Ritshidze Project—will monitor the quality of HIV services in 400 clinics across South Africa Contact: Ngqabutho Mpofu (Treatment Action Campaign) +27 61 807 6443 | ngqabutho.mpofu@tac.org.za Lotti Rutter (Health GAP) | +27 82 065 5842 |lotti@healthgap.org New UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima joins Ritshidze staff to monitor a clinic and join a community meeting…
November 26, 2019|Funding the FightWorld AIDS Day 2019: AIDS Activists Demand Increased Funding for Life-Saving HIV Programs(White Plains, New York) –– Ahead of World AIDS Day 2019, people living with HIV, doctors, and low-income New Yorkers from New York City, Yonkers, Westchester, and Albany arrived unannounced at the local office of Rep. Nita Lowey, the chairperson…
November 18, 2019|Access to MedicinesAlmost 100 organisations demand reform of African Regional Patent Office (ARIPO) to improve access to medicinesARIPO’s rules on granting patents favours the interests of pharmaceutical companies over peoples’ right to access to affordable medicines Monrovia, Liberia — Nearly 100 civil society organisations are today calling for urgent reform of the Harare Protocol of the African Regional…
October 25, 2019|Health JusticeCivil Society Groups Demand Sham Charges Against 16 LGBT Ugandans be DroppedEscalating Violence Against the LGBT Community Must be Condemned by the Government of Uganda (Kampala) Civil society groups in Uganda called on the Government and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to publicly condemn the brutal attacks against LGBT Ugandans,…
August 14, 2019|Health JusticeUNAIDS appoints African feminist leader, Winnie Byanyima, as its next Executive Director(New York, NY)—The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres, announced today the appointment of Winnie Byanyima as the next Executive Director of the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Byanyima, a Ugandan human rights advocate and former Member of Uganda’s…
August 9, 2019|Funding the FightAIDS Activists Call on Lawmakers to Reject Trump’s Unconscionable Attack on Foreign AidThe White House is attempting to slash as much as $4 billion in funding for global health, contributions to international organizations, and other development assistance programs that has already been appropriated by Congress for the current U.S. fiscal year. “Even…
July 24, 2019|Access to MedicinesActivists Demand Access to Important Cryptococcal Meningitis Drug(Mexico City) — At the International AIDS Society taking place in Mexico City, AIDS activists protested Gilead’s inaction to make its life-saving drugs available. Nearly one year ago, Gilead announced its ‘access initiative’ promising lower prices for its drug…
July 24, 2019|Access to MedicinesActivists Demand Universal Access to Medicines—Science Must Benefit All!Life without medicines is no party (Mexico City) — Today, dozens of treatment activists at the International AIDS Society (IAS) conference took over several drug company booths. Using balloons and streamers they called on governments across the world to join…
July 16, 2019|Funding the FightNew UNAIDS Report Shows Backsliding and Broken Promises in the Global AIDS Response(Eshowe, South Africa)—UNAIDS released new data regarding the state of the global AIDS response today, showing that the global target of reducing both new HIV infections and AIDS deaths to 500,000 by 2020 will not be met without an aggressive…
July 10, 2019|Health JusticeRelease Malawian Human Rights Defender Mr. Gift Trapence from Detention Now We are human rights and health organizations gravely concerned by the arrest on July 8 of Mr. Gift Trapence, the Vice-Chairperson of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) and the Executive Director of the Centre for the Development…
July 9, 2019|Access to MedicinesActivists call on South African government to ensure access to cancer medicine that WHO now considers “essential”Contacts: Salomé Meyer (Cancer Alliance): +27 79 493 3175 | advocacy@canceralliance.co.za Lotti Rutter (Health GAP): +27 82 065 5842 | lotti@healthgap.org Johannesburg (9 July 2019) — It was announced today that lenalidomide, a lifesaving medicine to treat multiple myeloma,…
June 20, 2019|Access to MedicinesOver 60 health organisations demand ARIPO reform to increase access to more affordable medicines in Eastern & Southern AfricaContacts: Allan Malleche (KELIN): +254 708 389 870 | amaleche@kelinkenya.org Lotti Rutter (Health GAP): +27 82 065 5842| lotti@healthgap.org (Harare, Zimbabwe) — More than 60 health organisations are calling for rapid reform of the Harare Protocol of the African…
June 19, 2019|Funding the FightHouse of Representatives Repeals Dangerous “Global Gag Rule” But Fails to Provide Life-saving Funding Increase for Bilateral Global AIDS Program in FY 20 Spending BillAdvocates call on the Senate to Turn Away from 8 Years of Devastating PEPFAR Flat Funding and to retain the House’s Historic Repeal of Dangerous “Global Gag Rule” (Washington, DC)--In reaction to the passage by the House of Representatives of…
June 13, 2019|Health JusticeLandmark Hearing on Maternal Deaths Kicks Off in Uganda’s Constitutional Court, While FY 2019/20 Budget Speech Reveals Shrinking Government Commitment to Health(KAMPALA) The Coalition to Stop Maternal Mortality, a civil society group of more than 40 organizations advocating for improved access to services to correct Uganda’s epidemic of preventable maternal deaths, today marked the opening of Constitutional Court Petition 16 of…
June 13, 2019|Access to MedicinesActivists demand Johnson & Johnson drop the price of vital TB medicine bedaquiline (Durban, South Africa)— Today activists stormed the corporate stall of multinational pharmaceutical company Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) at the 9th South African AIDS Conference. The activists demanded that Janssen urgently drop the price of…
May 29, 2019|Access to MedicinesTrump Administration obstructs efforts to force pharmaceutical corporations to disclose true costs of developing medicines at the World Health AssemblyYesterday member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a resolution that urges governments to publicly share information about the price of medicines and other health products, but allows companies to voluntarily withhold information about their true out-of-pocket research, development and…
May 22, 2019|Health JusticeAIDS Activists join Lawmakers in Call for “Robin Hood Tax” to Fund Investment in Domestic and Global Health Priorities(Washington, DC)—Today, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Barbara Lee introduced the “Inclusive Prosperity Act of 2019”, legislation that would raise an estimated $220 billion per year through a new tax on financial transactions. This would help curb harmful high frequency…
May 16, 2019|Access to MedicinesHouse Oversight Committee Hearing Exposes Harms of Gilead’s Greedy, Anti-Competitive Ploys to Obstruct HIV Prevention Drug Access(Washington, DC)—During hearings today of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform investigating Gilead’s excessive pricing of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine, known by the brand name Truvada), Health GAP and other activists, researchers, and…
May 8, 2019|Access to MedicinesAIDS Activists Disrupt Gilead Shareholder Meeting Over Access to HIV Prevention Medicine(San Francisco, CA)—AIDS activists disrupted Gilead’s annual general meeting of shareholders today, confronting CEO Daniel O’Day with demands that Gilead stop obstructing access to an essential HIV prevention medicine. The activists are part of a coalition confronting Gilead over its…
April 29, 2019|Transparency & AccountabilityPlan to Cut U.S Funding for South Africa’s HIV Response Reversed, Increased Funding Left on Table Contacts: Nomatter Ndebele (SECTION27): +27 72 919 2752 | ndebele@section27.org.za Brittany Herrick (Health GAP): +1 347 263 8438 ext. 101 | brittany@healthgap.org (Washington, D.C.) — Last week it was announced that a dramatic cut in U.S. funding to South Africa’s HIV response will…
April 24, 2019|Access to MedicinesTrump Administration Calls for Regulation Change to Unilaterally Disarm Government’s Strongest Existing Tool to Curb High Drug PricesBrook K. Baker, Professor of Law at Northeastern University School and Senior Policy Analyst at Health GAP, issued the following statement: “The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the Department of Commerce released a final ‘Green Paper’ called…
March 28, 2019|Health JusticeSecretary Pompeo’s most recent expansion of the Global Gag Rule places access to HIV services for women worldwide further in perilOn Tuesday, March 26, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the White House intends to further expand the reach of its ban on global health funding to foreign non-governmental organizations that use their own funds to provide information…
March 11, 2019|Funding the FightTrump Budget Proposes Largest Ever Cuts to Global HIV ProgramsHealth Global Access Project (Health GAP) released the following reaction to President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request: “Just one month ago, President Trump promised during the State of the Union Address to defeat AIDS in the U.S. and beyond.…
February 15, 2019|Funding the FightActivists welcome $50 million increase for U.S. global AIDS programs in FY 2019 budget expected to pass CongressHealth GAP released the following statement in response to an increase of $50 million for U.S. global AIDS programs included in the FY 2019 budget that is expected to pass a vote by Congress later today: “U.S. bilateral HIV treatment…
February 5, 2019|Funding the FightFact Checking the State of the Union Announcement on HIVHealth GAP issued a reaction to the State of the Union pledge by President Trump to request the fiscal year 2020 budget to include the “needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years” and…
February 5, 2019|Funding the FightTrump State of the Union Plan to End New HIV Infections by 2030 Only Realistic With Sweeping Policy ChangesIn response to reports that President Trump will use the State of the Union address to announce a plan to end new HIV infections in the U.S. by 2030 while ignoring the unmet needs for the global AIDS response, Health…
November 30, 2018|Funding the FightHealth GAP Responds to Announcement from Trump White House on World AIDS DayHealth GAP released the following reaction to the announcement made yesterday by Vice President Pence of a new initiative funding faith-based organizations with $100 million through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): “This announcement comes with no…
October 26, 2018|Access to MedicinesStatement from Health GAP in response to remarks by President Trump on Reducing the Prices of Medicines in the U.S.Brook Baker, Senior Policy Analyst for Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s remarks by President Trump on the administration’s plans to reduce the price of medicines in the U.S.: "President Trump has…
September 28, 2018|Access to MedicinesActivists call on IMF to prevent looming health crisis in Argentina(Washington, D.C.) – Today, global health activists took to the streets of Capitol Hill to highlight the looming health crisis facing the people of Argentina. Strict targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mean the Argentinean government is taking…
September 26, 2018|Access to MedicinesWhat is Missing from the United Nations Political Declaration on Tuberculosis?(New York) — Today, UN Member States will come together at the UN Headquarters in New York City for the first “High Level Meeting” on TB, where countries will ratify a political declaration on tuberculosis (TB). Despite pressure, and securing several concrete…
September 21, 2018|Funding the FightAs the U.S. Global AIDS Program Marks its 15th Anniversary, Policy Makers Call for Resources to Scale Up Lifesaving Services“Do we need more resources? That’s easy—yes.” -Dr. Anthony Fauci (Washington)—At a Capitol Hill meeting on Thursday, September 20th, marking 15 years since the start of the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—the U.S. government’s global AIDS program—policymakers,…
July 25, 2018|Funding the FightAt International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, Experts Warn of Increasing AIDS Deaths and Detail New Evidence of a Global AIDS Response Sorely Off Track After Years of Insufficient FundingNew Data Prove that Powerful HIV Treatment and Prevention Tools Are Not Reaching Enough People Due to a Lack of Funding, Leaving Millions More to Die Unnecessarily While Waiting for Life-Saving Services Video coverage of the press conference available here. (Amsterdam)––During…
July 18, 2018|Transparency & AccountabilityStatement from Health GAP on the Release of New Data on the State of the Global AIDS ResponseAsia Russell, Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP) issued the following statement: “The global AIDS response is profoundly off track. This harsh reality is the consequence of major funders, in particular the U.S. government, refusing to…
June 20, 2018|Funding the FightStatement from Health GAP on Senate Appropriations Subcommittee’s Approval of HIV/AIDS Funding Increase in FY19 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations BillAsia Russell, Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP) issued the following statement: “U.S. funding for the global AIDS response has been stuck in a deadly flat line for 7 years, despite the urgent need for expanded…
April 10, 2018|Funding the FightAhead of Pompeo Confirmation Hearings, New Report and Infographics Detail the Deadly Impact of Flat Funding the Global HIV ResponseSecretary of State Designee Mike Pompeo Must Show Support for PEPFAR and Recognize the Need for Additional Resources Now or Risk Failing on Administration Promises to Control the HIV Pandemic A report released today details the devastating impact that years of…
March 23, 2018|Funding the FightStatement from Health GAP on Flat Funding the Global HIV Response in the Omnibus Spending BillJamila Headley, Managing Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP) issued the following statement: “Last year, President Trump unveiled his global AIDS strategy in the form of a plan to slash $1 billion from the HIV treatment, prevention…
March 7, 2018|Health JusticeMore than 200 Scientists, Researchers and Clinicians including the co-discoverer of HIV Denounce Trump Administration Policies that Undermine the Global HIV ResponseMore than 200 HIV scientists, researchers and clinicians – including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, a virologist and Nobel Laureate who co-discovered HIV; Linda-Gail Bekker, President of the International AIDS Society; and the HIV Medicine Association – have signed an open letter to…
February 12, 2018|Health JusticeStatement from Health GAP on the President’s Budget Proposal: Deadly Attack on Global AIDS Programs Goes Against American ValuesAsia Russell, Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP) issued the following statement: “President Trump’s proposal to cut over a billion dollars from the U.S. global HIV response in fiscal year 2019 shows how very out of…
November 14, 2017|Transparency & AccountabilityHealth GAP issued the following statement regarding the election of a new Executive Director, Peter Sands, by the Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and MalariaHealth Global Access Project (Health GAP) issued the following statement regarding the election of a new Executive Director, Peter Sands, by the Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "The Global Fund’s new director…
September 20, 2017|Transparency & AccountabilityPress Statement: Dozens of Countries Left Out of New PEPFAR Strategy, Threatening Global AIDS ResponsePlan Reflects Significant Resource Scarcity, Congress & Administration Failure to Provide Sufficient Funding Secretary of State Rex Tillerson yesterday unveiled the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) “Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020)” at the United Nations General…
September 7, 2017|Funding the FightPress Statement: Flat Funding Will Stall the Global AIDS Response When 1 in 2 People with HIV Still Have No Access to Lifesaving TreatmentCongress Should Pass Leahy Amendment with $500 million in Additional Funding for PEPFAR in the Final Budget The Senate Appropriations Committee today rejected President Trump’s proposed cuts to global AIDS programs and instead voted to continue funding for the President’s…
July 21, 2017|Funding the FightPress Statement: Donor Governments Fail to Fulfill Global AIDS Response Funding Promises for 2nd Year in a RowA new Kaiser/UNAIDS study released today at the start of the International AIDS Society Conference in Paris finds donor government funding for the global HIV response declined by 7% in 2016 and is at its lowest level since 2010. This is the second year in…
May 25, 2017|Health JusticeUsing Street Theater Tactics, A Coalition of Women’s Rights and Global Health Activists Denounce Trump’s Anti-Abortion Foreign PolicyNew York City–A coalition of physicians, AIDS activists, medical students, and women’s health and rights advocates plan to stage political theater in front of the globe outside Trump International Hotel to protest Trump’s global gag rule, which expands the policy…
May 23, 2017|Funding the FightTrump’s $1 Billion Cut to Global AIDS Programs Would Block Millions of People with HIV from Accessing Life-Saving TreatmentBudget Slashes PEPFAR and Global Fund by 17% each, Decimates Years of Bipartisan Investment in Ending the AIDS Epidemic President Donald Trump released a budget plan today that would, if enacted, mean more unnecessary and avoidable deaths because of over…
May 15, 2017|Health JusticeTrump’s Global Gag Rule Expansion Could Roll Back Years of Progress in the Global HIV ResponseThe Trump administration today released details regarding how it will expand the Global Gag Rule to all U.S. global health funding - including PEPFAR and other HIV treatment and prevention programs. This unprecedented move rejects years of exempting PEPFAR from the policy,…
April 26, 2017|Funding the FightFirst Look at Trump’s FY18 Budget Shows Plan to Slash Global AIDS ProgramsCONTRARY TO THE “SKINNY BUDGET,” LATEST INFORMATION SHOWS THE ADMINISTRATION’S PLANNED ATTACK ON LIFE-SAVING HIV PROGRAMS A recently leaked draft of President Trump’s budget for fiscal year 2018 (FY18), published by Foreign Policy shows the administration plans deep cuts to the…
March 16, 2017|Funding the FightStatement from Hilary McQuie, Director of U.S. Policy & Grassroots Mobilization, Health GAP on President Trump’s “Skinny Budget”“The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been one of the most effective and strategic programs the United States has ever undertaken, providing life-saving treatment for one in four people with HIV around the world and preventing millions…
February 7, 2017|Access to MedicinesGlobal Health Activists Attack Roche over Breast Cancer Drug- Demonstrations held at Roche & pharma associations in South Africa, Malaysia, UK, France, Zambia, Brazil, US - 108 organisations endorse a letter to Roche Swiss multinational company Roche faced global condemnation today from women living with cancer, families of…
December 1, 2016|Funding the FightOn World AIDS Day, AIDS Activists Tell Paul Ryan & Tom Price: “Wake Up, Your Budget Dreams are Our Nightmare!”TAG Contact: Bryn Gay, bryn.gay@treatmentactiongroup.org, 954-482-1421 Health GAP Contact: Jessica Bassett, Jessica@healthgap.org, 518-593-7628 ACT UP Philadelphia Contact: Jose DeMarco, actupphilly@gmail.com, 302-784-4632 VOCAL-NY Contact: Jeremy Saunders, jeremy@vocal-ny.org, 917-676-8041 Ryan’s Budget Plans Are Deadly for People with HIV in the U.S. and…
November 9, 2016|Health JusticeHealth GAP Statement on the Election of Donald J. Trump as U.S. PresidentIn the early hours of this morning, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Throughout this campaign Health GAP and our activist partners showed how the next president has the power to move us forward toward ending AIDS…
September 16, 2016|Funding the FightWith Global Fund Replenishment Falling Short, Will Secretary Clinton Lead us to an AIDS-Free Generation?Health GAP Calls on Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton to Directly Confront the AIDS Funding Crisis Threatening Her Vision (September 16, 2016) – World leaders, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are meeting today and tomorrow in Montreal for the 5th Replenishment Conference…
September 14, 2016|Access to MedicinesHealth GAP Statement on the Final Report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Access to MedicinesThe High Level Panel’s (HLP) Final Report correctly identifies a high degree of policy incoherence between the interests of inventors – protected by national and international intellectual property law and trade agreements – and supervening rights to individual and public…
August 5, 2016|Health JusticeActivists Condemn Ugandan Police Attack on Lawful LGBTI Pride CelebrationThe High Level Panel’s (HLP) Final Report correctly identifies a high degree of policy incoherence between the interests of inventors – protected by national and international intellectual property law and trade agreements – and supervening rights to individual and public…
July 21, 2016|Access to MedicinesIndia Endangering the Global AIDS ResponseContacts: Matthew Kavanagh, matthew@healthgap.org SA: +27 (0)60 937 3425 US: +1 202 486 2488 Anso Thom, thom@section27.org.za, +27(0)82 466 7822 Gill Mathurin, AIDS Free World, gm@aidsfreeworld.org Radical shrinking space for civil society, generic drugs Speakers will include: Justice Zak Yacoob, former Justice, Constitutional Court of South Africa Stephen…
July 19, 2016|Funding the FightFunding Drop Threatens Global AIDS ResponseMEDIA ADVISORY EXPERTS WARN OF SIGNIFICANT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPACT When: 19 July 2016, 12 noon SAST Where: International AIDS Conference, Durban Convention Center, Press Conference Room 1 Speakers: Mr. Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS Dr. Chris Beyrer, President, International AIDS Society & Professor, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Linda-Gail…
July 18, 2016|Transparency & AccountabilityAIDS Response at Code RedContacts: Anso Thom, thom@section27.org.za, +27(0)82 466 7822 Matthew Kavanagh, matthew@healthgap.org SA: +27 (0)60 937 3425 US: +1 202 486 2488 Lotti Rutter, lotti.rutter@mail.tac.org.za +27 (0)81 818 8493 Thousands of Activists March to International AIDS Conference in Durban: “We’re Not Even…
June 10, 2016|Transparency & AccountabilityHealth GAP and MSMGF Welcome US Government Announcement of New Funding for Key Populations(New York, NY) At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS this week, pledges to end AIDS by 2030 were undermined by weakened and ideologically driven language about HIV among men who have sex with men, transgender persons, sex…
June 8, 2016|Funding the FightGlobal AIDS Activists Sound Alarm at UN: World Leaders Have Blood on Their HandsUN NEGOTIATIONS MARRED BY BIGOTRY, BROKEN FUNDING PROMISES AND DANGEROUS POLICIES (New York) In reaction to the approval this morning by world leaders of a new Political Declaration on HIV, activists from more than 20 different countries walked out in…
May 25, 2016|Funding the FightBernie Sanders Meets with Global AIDS ActivistsACTIVISTS CALL FOR REVISIONING OF AIDS RESPONSE AND INCREASED ACCESS TO MEDICINES (San Bernardino, CA) Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders met with 19 representatives of the HIV/AIDS community in San Bernardino today. Activists presented a policy document that, among other key recommendations,…
May 12, 2016|Funding the FightHillary Clinton Meets with Global AIDS Activists in New YorkActivists Call for Revisioning of AIDS Response, Await Concrete Goals from Secretary Clinton (Brooklyn, NY) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton met with 20 representatives of the HIV/AIDS community at her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn today. The meeting was scheduled as…
March 3, 2016|Transparency & AccountabilityNew Audit of Global Fund grants in Uganda finds millions in unspent fundsNew Audit of Global Fund Grants in Uganda finds millions in unspent funds; massive public sector stockouts of life-saving HIV medicines; ineffective Ministry of Health leadership, management and oversight; and lack of government accountability Ugandan activists call for immediate bold…
February 3, 2016|Access to MedicinesTPP Will Endanger Global Access to Affordable MedicinesAvailable for Interview: Experts Warn that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Will Endanger Global Access to Affordable Medicine In response to today’s signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Auckland, New Zealand, academic and legal experts warn that if ratified, the agreement will…
December 16, 2015|Funding the FightCongress Falls Short of Urgently Needed Funds for Life-Saving Global AIDS ProgramsNEW BUDGET DEAL DOES NOT RESTORE CUTS TO GLOBAL AIDS FUNDING DESPITE CALLS FOR $300 MILLION INCREASE (Washington, DC) -- Global AIDS activists expressed disappointment over the release of Congress’ Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which fails to restore the…
October 27, 2015|Access to MedicinesThe U.S. Should Stop Blocking Uganda’s Access to Affordable MedicinesSEATINI UGANDA • HEALTH GAP • CEHURD • HEPS UGANDA • CHAIN Despite US Opposition, Uganda and all Least Developed Countries Seek Exemption on Implementing Monopoly Rights for Drug Companies in Order to Cut Drug Prices and Save Lives (Kampala)…
September 27, 2015|Funding the FightPresident Obama’s New Global HIV Goals Are Missing Life-saving MoneyNEW YORK--Health GAP reacted today to new White House targets for global HIV treatment and prevention by calling on the United States government to ensure sufficient funding to deliver on these goals. The targets—reaching 11.4 million people with HIV treatment by…
September 25, 2015|Access to MedicinesU.S. Pressure On India’s Pro-health Patent Law Threatens Sustainable Development GoalsAsia Pacific Network of People living with HIV/ AIDS (APN+) and HEALTHGAP Call on India to stand strong and defend the pharmacy of the Developing World 25 September 2015, Bangkok and New York – As world leaders gather in New York…
September 20, 2015|Access to MedicinesHealth GAP Celebrates New WHO Guidelines on HIV Treatment and PrEPHealth GAP Celebrates New WHO Guidelines on HIV Treatment and PrEP and Calls on Donor and Implementing Countries to Move Swiftly with Implementation Health GAP welcomes the World Health Organization’s release of new global guidelines on HIV treatment, recommending that all people living with…
