For Women, A Chance At Last

The narrative on women’s issues in the modern age has dominated its fair share of political attention in this past year. With the government’s attention on maternal health for the G8 meetings, concern over human trafficking, the primacy of women’s concerns over the loss of the gun registry, and the presence of female advocates pleading with the government to maintain the long-form census, since it tells a detailed story of the various plights women face in Canada. And then just today we held a minute of silence in the House for the young women who were slain in the Polytechnique massacre over two decades ago. The challenges are enormous; the will to tackle them seriously has, at times, waned.Last week was AIDS Awareness Week, with the reminder that AIDS is the number one cause of death among women of reproductive age globally. It would be easy to despair considering all that women face globally.Yet with efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS we might be on the verge of a breakthrough that could have worldwide effects on women and their lives.  In the past 18 months, new HIV technologies have been developed that show some remarkable promise for helping provide women with powerful new tools to protect themselves from HIV without limiting their choices to bear children. Three recent developments tell the tale.Results from September 2009 testing in Thailand involving 16,000 volunteers revealed that a new study vaccine was 31.2% effective at preventing HIV infections. This provided the first evidence that development of a safe and effective preventative HIV vaccine is possible.  In addition, a global collaboration led to the discovery of four new neutralizing antibodies that target multiple strains of HIV and prevent the virus from infecting cells.Then in July 2010, results were released demonstrating proof of concept for an antiretroviral-based vaginal microbicide. A trial showed that women using a gel had a 39% lower chance of becoming HIV infected than those using a placebo gel.  It is to be used with 12 hours before sex and again as soon as possible within 12 hours after sex.Just last month results were released from an oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trial, which found that participants who received an antiretroviral pill called Truvada, in addition to a standard prevention package, had an overall 43.8% reduced risk of HIV.  This is the first evidence that oral PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV infection.All this is technical, I know, but the possibilities are exciting. More trials and preparations have to be undertaken, but these groundbreaking gains have the potential to dramatically alter the course of the epidemic.  Sadly, just as such breakthroughs are emerging, efforts are in danger of being thwarted if the research isn’t adequately funded.For the most part, HIV prevention research is funded by charitable foundations and government grants. The numbers are revealing: 85% is funded by the public sector, 14% by the philanthropic sector, and a mere 1% by the private sector.  In other words, government investments are key.CIDA has a pivotal role to play here but has yet to step up.  From 2005 to 2009, it contributed $30 million to the International Partnership for Microbicides and for almost a decade gave $82 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.  When both of these contributions ended in March 2010, reapplications were made but nothing has been forthcoming.  It’s important to note that Canada does assist the Global Fund and the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, and CIDA should be applauded for those efforts. However, neither one funds the kind of microbicide research that is now leading to some remarkable breakthroughs.This is remarkable stuff, and the ability for Canada to pioneer efforts for discovering a solution to HIV is real and pivotal.  It’s a deeply encouraging time in the field of HIV prevention research and, as with the past, those working diligently in the field are looking to Canada to show some faith in these remarkable efforts. The proposal for further funding for the two groups is $20 million over two years. This is no pipe dream, but a solid search for a cure based upon scientific evidence.  For women, at last, CIDA can give them a chance at a breakthrough.