Policy Initiatives

The History and Shape of Our Policy Initiatives

The Alliance, in coordination with the Global Campaign for Microbicides, has maintained a political agenda for the past seven years, with the goal of helping policymakers understand the role that safe and effective microbicides could play in stemming the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and increasing federal funding for this research.

Today, the issue is routinely integrated into policy discussions addressing the epidemic, and total US public sector funding for microbicides has grown steadily since 2000. Despite these welcome increases, spending on microbicides at the National Institutes of Health, for example, accounts for just over 2% of all AIDS spending across the Institutes.

2007 brought realization of key Alliance public policy and advocacy goals: establishment of a Microbicide Research Branch at the National Institutes of Health and formation of a Microbicide Research Working Group charged with providing strategic direction and advice regarding the microbicide pipeline, programs, and priorities.