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| "AIDS
101 -- An Intensive," 1997 Max Greenberg* |
Visual AIDS has asked community members to share their thoughts through blog posts on the recent FDA decisions, recommending the approval of Truvada as a form of PrEP, and the sale of Oraquick’s rapid, over the counter, take-home HIV tests. Through these blog posts, we hope to encourage conversation around these current events, and inspire artists, writers, and others to consider what is going on right now in terms of HIV/AIDS. For more information, please view the links below.
Mark "middle" Hubbard: The realization I've come to after being immersed in PrEP conversations for
about four years, is that we
must recognize and honor that Truvada for PrEP is a first-generation
technology. Think of brick-sized cell phones and forty-pound,
"portable" personal computers. It's clunky, costly, has some
downsides, and is highly dependent on user motivation for successful use.
Think also of early HIV treatment regimens, which had the same characteristics.
As was the case back then, this first generation intervention is appropriate
for those who need it most (like I needed my Crixivan / AZT based regimen in
1996.) Folks whose risk is moderate might be better served by re visiting and
working on using existing methods, such as condoms.
The prevention pipeline is rich with
potential second and third-generation possibilities, including long-acting
injections (which would minimize the adherence factor), the search for drugs
not intended for treatment (and therefore less of a concern with regard to
resistance), and, of course, microbicides and other technologies like vaginal
rings and films, and augmented receptive condoms and diaphragms.
I'm absolutely pro-FDA approval and for making new tools available. That being
said, folks need to understand that Truvada isn't appropriate for folks who
have chronic Hepatitis B and that prevention is much more than a pill. It needs
to include a lot of other components such as frequent HIV & STI &
metabolic testing, adherence support and risk reduction guidance.
I think we should both fiercely advocate for access to competently and
sensitively provided Truvada for PrEP, while insisting that the search for
second and third-generation prevention technologies doesn’t languish in
research. We must also advocate for an effective vaccine, better treatments,
and ultimately, a cure.
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"Blue
in the Face II," 2007
Frederick Weston* |
Mark
"middle" Hubbard is an HIV treatment and prevention research geek,
queer health advocate, radical faerie, writer and activist who has been living
with HIV for 25 of his 50 years.
If you have any questions, comments, or would like to
share your own reactions please email us at info@visualaids.org
More information:
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