Teleconference: AHF to Call for Halt to HIV Vaccine Funding

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In conjunction with tomorrow’s HIV Vaccine Summit in Bethesda, Maryland, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a press teleconference on Tuesday, March 25^th at 12:15 P.M. (EDT) to call for the suspension of costly HIV vaccine research funding and the re-allocation of resources into effective HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment strategies proven to save lives. The Bethesda Summit, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. (EDT), has been convened by the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci at the urging of members of the scientific community concerned by the overall HIV vaccine funding strategy in the wake of a string of recent, highly publicized clinical trial failures.

WHAT:		Press Teleconference Call - AHF to Call for Halt to HIV Vaccine Funding
WHEN:		TUESDAY, March 25th 2008
		12:15 p.m. Eastern
WHO:		Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
		Homayoon Khanlou, M.D., Chief of Medicine/U.S., AIDS Healthcare Foundation
		Tom Myers, Chief of Public Affairs and General Counsel, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
HOW:		Teleconference dial in information:
		Domestic: +1.877.411.9748 participant code # 7931503
		Int'l: +1.636.651.3128 participant code # 7931503

In “Enough is Enough,” an opinion editorial published in the Baltimore Sun this past Sunday, co-authors Homayoon Khanlou, M.D., AHF’s Chief of Medicine/U.S. and Michael Weinstein, AHF’s President, criticize the ballooning HIV vaccine research budget, stating that “it is time to stop the waste.”

“Suspending U.S. funding for an HIV vaccine and investing in strategies that save lives and stop new infections is the wisest and most effective use of limited public resources,” conclude Dr. Khanlou and Mr. Weinstein. “And with thousands of lives lost daily because people around the world lack access to proven, effective and relatively inexpensive prevention and treatment options, it is also the only moral choice.”

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation’s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 65,000 individuals in 20 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org