International AIDS Society's Industry Liaison Forum annual report
It has been a ground-breaking year for the International AIDS Society’s (IAS’s) Industry Liaison Forum (ILF).
The programme was restructured following a consultative process involving the entire ILF Advisory Group (including input from its industry partners). The ILF now focuses on all aspects of IAS work, and the multi-stakeholder advisory group has expanded to include an even broader range of industry and non-industry actors. As part of this modernized approach, the ILF introduced a tiered Corporate Partnership Programme, allowing corporations with different roles, interests and capacities to participate meaningfully. The ILF also recruited several additional non-industry advisory group members from the IAS Governing Council and such sectors as regulatory/normative agencies, procurement/ implementing organizations, intergovernmental organizations and civil society (see the organogram). Finally, the ILF launched two new types of high-impact activities: the IAS-Industry Consultation Series and the ILF Thematic Roundtable Series (presented on page 3 of this report).
Two IAS-Industry Consultations took place in 2014. More than 25 companies active in HIV took part in a unique open discussion with the IAS leadership about what industry’s interests and challenges are and how collaboration with the IAS can contribute to creating solutions to advance the fight against the global epidemic. In addition, the ILF organized an open symposium to educate attendees on viral load monitoring following the 2013 recommendations by the World Health Organization. One ILF Thematic Roundtable took place and, for the first time, brought together ARV manufacturers (originators and generics) and nine of the largest paediatric HIV cohorts worldwide. Finally, planning started for an ILF Thematic Roundtable, to take place in early 2015, to bring together representatives of key populations, stakeholders involved in providing HIV care to these populations and the broader industry.
In 2015, the ILF will continue to address intersecting issues between IAS Member Priorities and the interests and challenges facing industry in the modern response to HIV. In particular, the ILF Thematic Roundtable Series will cover all four IAS Member Priorities, which focus on the topics of Key Populations, Paediatric HIV, HIV Co-Infections, and Towards an HIV Cure. Moreover, recruitment of additional advisory group members will continue, with efforts to include a broader representation of industry involved in prevention, diagnostics and generic drugs, ensuring that all partners are engaged meaningfully and as part of constructive processes.
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