HIV/ TB co-infection stakeholder meeting

EDCTP has a strategy for its calls and grants that focuses on a product-based approach. In order to realise this strategy EDCTP holds stakeholder meetings in preparation of the launch of its calls.

The next stakeholder meeting is planned as indicated below:

Participants
Participants will include funders and experts from EDCTP Member States as well as third parties, product developers, representatives of African partner institutions and experts in the field. Most of the participants will be identified by the Organising Committee, which consists of members of the EDCTP Secretariat, Partnership Board (PB), Developing Countries Coordinating Committee (DCCC) and a representative of the country that hosts the meetings.

The meeting will be led by an independent chairperson.

Background Information
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2008, about 33 million people were living with HIV. This burden is on the increase, mainly due to the association of HIV/AIDS with Tuberculosis (TB). There are 9 million new cases of TB each year. Among these 1 million also have HIV and half of them die from both diseases. In view of this, EDCTP plans to launch a call to support clinical trials that will lead to the development of a more optimised treatment for HIV/AIDS and HIV-TB and other co-infections.

As a first step, EDCTP plans to hold a stakeholder meeting on this issue. The goal of the meeting is to define the research gaps, needs, funding mechanisms and ways of accelerating the required research and development that will lead to discovery of new or improved treatment for HIV/AIDS and HIV-TB and other co-infections.

EDCTP has budgeted EUR 5 million to support clinical trials on this subject, which is expected to be matched by at least the same amount from participating European Member States and further funding from interested third parties. The studies will be funded from 2009 onwards.