tagadmin's blog

Greetings Everyone, as you are getting ready for the Catalyst Forum, here's a taste of what you can expect next week. As a testiment to the collective power of community advocacy, the sign on statement we've posted here on the website on the ADAP crisis and drug pricing negotiations garnered 226 organizational and 601 individual endorsers. The letter is now being sent to all the HIV drug companies letting them know that we are watching their negotiations with ADAP in May. There will be several skills building and affinity group sessions at the Catalyst Forum addressing treatment access and drug pricing issue and what more you can do to help end the ADAP crisis.

We've now posted a second sign on statement, this one concerns the recent change in when to start treatment recommendations issued by the antiretroviral guidelines panel, and its potential negative impact on enrollment in a critical treatment strategy study called START. Click on ACTION2 in the menu above. The statement has already garner over 100 endorsers after the first 24 hours. Please help by distributing the sign on information to your contacts, networks, doctors, clinics, and AIDS organizations you work with. We expect this to become a big story in the next few months as more people take notice of this critical issue.

Looking forward to meeting you all in Baltimore!

Lei Chou, Treatment Action Group

Welcome and congratulations for your participation in the upcoming HIV Research Catalyst Forum! We are all very excited about the beginnings of a reinvigorated HIV prevention and treatment activist movement in the U.S.  With over 200 community activists from the US and Canada attending the Catalyst Forum, our blog will be the hub of community voices who are reporting, sharing information and ideas, strategizing and networking before, after and during the Forum.

If you're interested in contributing to the Catalyst Forum as a blogger, please complete this application and submit it to Coco.Jervis@treatmentactiongroup.org as soon as you can. We will set you up with a blogging information and account to get you started. All other blog related question or comments can be directed to the above email as well. Hope to see you blogging soon!