U.S. Congress Passes Fy ‘05 Foreign Aid Spending Bill And Includes $8 Million Increase For Microbicide Development - Total Usaid Spending Now $30 Million

Microbicides Key to Prevention of HIV

Washington, DC (November 24, 2004) -- The Alliance for Microbicide Development, the Global Campaign for Microbicides and the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) are pleased to announce that as part of the FY 2005 Omnibus spending bill passed over the weekend, U.S. Congress gave final approval to a provision in the FY 2005 Foreign Operations bill that increases microbicide funding at the US Agency for International Development by $8 million, bringing the total amount of yearly foreign aid dedicated to microbicide R&D to $30 million. $2 million of the new funds will go to the International Partnership for Microbicides.

“Thanks to the efforts of Senator Leahy (D-VT), and Reps. Kolbe (R-AZ) and Lowey (D-NY), the International Partnership for Microbicides will be able to marshal more resources to accelerate its research and development program,” said Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of the International Partnership for Microbicides. “This appropriation gives us the ability to be a greater resource for the microbicide field.” The International Partnership for Microbicides was established to accelerate the development and accessibility of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV in developing countries.

Recently named one of the "10 most promising biotechnologies for improving global health," microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women and their partners could apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections. Many researchers believe that, with an increase in funding and cooperation, a microbicide could be available to women in developing nations in five to ten years. Even a partially-effective microbicide could stop 2.5 million infections over three years.

“No one can ignore the ruinous impact that the AIDS epidemic is having on families, women, their children and whole societies around the world. Alarmingly, the face of AIDS has become increasingly female as women now account for over half of the individuals infected with AIDS globally. Women are after all, the lynchpin in every society and when they are threatened, the society is as well,” said Polly Harrison, Director of the Alliance for Microbicide Development.

“We applaud Congress for recognizing the great promise of microbicides and we especially thank Senator Leahy, and Reps. Kolbe and Lowey for their longstanding and tireless leadership in supporting this vitally important research,” added Harrison. “We are thrilled to see this significant funding increase, and the field applauds the recognition of IPM. IPM’s work over the last two years, as highlighted at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok in July, has increased confidence in microbicide science by US policymakers.”

Lori Heise, Director of the Global Campaign for Microbicides said, "In light of the difficult budget environment, this represents a stunning victory for citizen advocates throughout the United States who have worked hard to convince their representatives of the importance of expanding women's options for HIV prevention. It is also an important step forward for the world's women, who presently must rely on men's willingness to use condoms or to be monogamous to protect themselves from HIV and other infections."

The Global Campaign for Microbicides is an international movement of activists, citizens and non-profit organizations dedicated to accelerating access to new HIV prevention tools, especially for women.

“We hope the new Congress that convenes in January will further their commitment by passing the Microbicide Development Act which will give a substantial and necessary boost to the future of microbicide research,” Heise continued. The Microbicide Development Act would establish a Microbicide Research and Development Branch at the National Institutes of Health and strengthen microbicide activity at USAID and the Centers for Disease Control.

The Alliance for Microbicide Development is a global, non-profit organization whose sole mission is to speed the development of safe, effective, and affordable microbicides to prevent sexually transmitted infections, most critically HIV/AIDS. The Alliance envisions a world in which all individuals have the power and tools they require to protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. http://www.microbicide.org

The Global Campaign for Microbicides is an international movement of activists, citizens and non profit organizations dedicated to accelerating access to new HIV prevention tools, especially for women. http://www.global-campaign.org

The International Partnership for Microbicides was established to accelerate the development and accessibility of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV. The organization’s goal is to improve the efficiency of all efforts to deliver a safe and affective microbicides as soon as possible. http://www.IPMglobal.org