Evaluating the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: Time to Scale It Up
Authors: Robert Gross
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Editorials19 May 2009Evaluating the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: Time to Scale It UpRobert Gross, MD, MSCE and Gregory Bisson, MD, MSCERobert Gross, MD, MSCEFrom Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this author and Gregory Bisson, MD, MSCEFrom Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-10-200905190-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 2003, the U.S. government embarked on the largest public health program ever created by 1 country to fight a single disease: HIV/AIDS. The nucleus of the program, framed in the context of urgent need, was aptly named the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The initial goals of PEPFAR were to confront HIV and AIDS on multiple fronts by scaling up services to prevent vertical and horizontal HIV transmission, to provide medical therapy through the procurement and distribution of antiretroviral and ancillary drugs, and to support care for HIV-uninfected persons whose lives had become unstable because of HIV/AIDS. ...References1. U.S. Department of State. Engendering Bold Leadership: First Annual Report to Congress on PEPFAR. Washington, DC; U.S. Government, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; 2005. Accessed at www.state.gov/s/gac/rl/c14961.htm on 15 April 2009. Google Scholar2. Bendavid E, Bhattacharya J. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Africa: an evaluation of outcomes. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:688-95. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Hammer SM, Squires KE, Hughes MD, Grimes JM, Demeter LM, Currier JS, et al. A controlled trial of two nucleoside analogues plus indinavir in persons with human immunodeficiency virus infection and CD4 cell counts of 200 per cubic millimeter or less. AIDS Clinical Trials Group 320 Study Team. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:725-33. [PMID: 9287227] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Braitstein P, Brinkhof MW, Dabis F, Schechter M, Boulle A, Miotti P, et al; Antiretroviral Therapy in Lower Income Countries (ART-LINC) Collaboration. Mortality of HIV-1-infected patients in the first year of antiretroviral therapy: comparison between low-income and high-income countries. Lancet. 2006;367:817-24. [PMID: 16530575] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Connor EM, Sperling RS, Gelber R, Kiselev P, Scott G, O'Sullivan MJ, et al. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:1173-80. [PMID: 7935654] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Quinn TC, Wawer MJ, Sewankambo N, Serwadda D, Li C, Wabwire-Mangen F, et al. Viral load and heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Rakai Project Study Group. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:921-9. [PMID: 10738050] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Janssen RS, Satten GA, Stramer SL, Rawal BD, O'Brien TR, Weiblen BJ, et al. New testing strategy to detect early HIV-1 infection for use in incidence estimates and for clinical and prevention purposes. JAMA. 1998;280:42-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. U.S. Department of State. Celebrating Life: The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 2009 Annual Report to Congress. Washington, DC; U.S. Government, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; 2009. Accessed at www.pepfar.gov/press/fifth_annual_report on 15 April 2009. Google Scholar9. Framework for program evaluation in public health. MMWR Recomm Rep. 1999;48:1-40. [PMID: 10499397] MedlineGoogle Scholar10. Sepulveda J, Carpenter C, Curran J, Holzemer W, Smits H, Scott K, et al, eds. PEPFAR Implementation: Progress and Promise. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2007. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Disclosures:Grants received: R. Gross (National Institutes of Health [National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases], Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation), G.P. Bisson (National Institutes of Health [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases], Doris Duke Charitable Foundation). Other: Drs. Gross and Bisson conduct research in Botswana under the auspices of the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, which receives support from PEPFAR to provide care to HIV-infected persons in Botswana. Neither author receives funds from PEPFAR.Corresponding Author: Robert Gross, MD, MSCE, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 8th Floor, Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021; e-mail, [email protected]med.upenn.edu.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Gross and Bisson: Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 8th Floor, Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Africa: An Evaluation of Outcomes Eran Bendavid and Jayanta Bhattacharya Metrics Cited ByIs there an association between PEPFAR funding and improvement in national health indicators in Africa? A retrospective study 19 May 2009Volume 150, Issue 10Page: 727-728KeywordsAIDSAntiretroviral therapyDeath ratesForecastingGlobal healthHIVHIV infectionsHIV preventionInfectious diseasesPrevention, policy, and public health ePublished: 19 May 2009 Issue Published: 19 May 2009 CopyrightCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...