RADIAN’s five-year, $25 million extension will increase support for local organizations and advance progress in stopping HIV across the region
RADIAN will expand its geographic focus to provide HIV prevention and care services to key populations and communities affected by the conflict in Ukraine
FOSTER CITY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 13, 2024 / Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) announced a five-year extension of the RADIAN program. ® Partnership to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), where the HIV epidemic is growing. RADIAN will continue to support the initiatives of trusted grassroots organizations working to address HIV-related challenges in the region.
While the number of HIV cases is declining worldwide, the EECA is one of the few regions in the world where the epidemic is worsening: since 2010, the number of new HIV diagnoses has increased by 20% and the number of AIDS-related deaths by 34%.1 Of the 2.1 million people living with HIV in EECA countries, 41% are unaware of their HIV status and 50% are not receiving treatment. – far below the global targets of 95-95-95-95.1
“We want to ensure that the EECA region is not left behind, because ending the HIV epidemic means ending it for everyone, everywhere,” said Daniel O’Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. “During a recent visit to Kazakhstan, I met community leaders supported by RADIAN who emphasized the importance of doubling our collective efforts. Over the next five years, RADIAN 2.0 will continue to address the structural causes of the epidemic, strengthen HIV health systems and improve the capacity of local organizations for sustained impact.”
Since its launch in 2019, RADIAN has had a significant impact on the HIV response in the region: more than 271,000 people have been reached with HIV services, over 114,000 HIV tests have been conducted, over 26,500 people have been (re)treated with antiretroviral therapy, and more than 14,000 frontline workers have been trained to reduce stigma and discrimination.2 These efforts are impacting the communities most in need. However, the situation in the region has worsened dramatically in recent years, and the conflict in Ukraine has further exacerbated the crisis.3 Anti-LGBTQ+ laws, human rights violations, stigma and discrimination also hamper the fight against HIV throughout the region.4
“At the Elton John AIDS Foundation, we have a long history of supporting people living with or at risk of HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – a region too often overlooked in the global HIV response. Due to inadequate access to HIV testing and effective treatment, 384 people become newly infected with HIV and 120 people die from AIDS-related causes every day in EECA countries,” said Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.1 “We are incredibly proud of our RADIAN partnership with Gilead Sciences, which is truly helping to address the HIV epidemic in the region. Over the next few years, RADIAN will continue to help meet the needs of people in EECA most affected by HIV through innovative, scalable solutions, and we are incredibly grateful to our resilient and determined local partners who share our goal of leaving no one behind.”
Over the next five years, RADIAN will expand its efforts and support community-based initiatives to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations across the EECA, including drug users, men who have sex with men, sex workers and transgender people.
RADIAN will also expand its geographic reach to countries hosting refugees from Ukraine, including Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Germany, where there is an acute need for additional HIV services. Language barriers, social isolation and internalized stigma make it difficult for refugees living with HIV or at risk of HIV to access the treatment and care they desperately need.5 RADIAN’s geographic expansion will better support these vulnerable communities, improve access to HIV services, and promote their mental and social well-being.
RADIAN will continue to build on the successes and lessons learned from the first five years of the partnership to address gaps in HIV testing, prevention and treatment. In addition, RADIAN will launch an Innovation Fund to support innovations that increase the effectiveness of the HIV response in EECA. The Fund will accept creative applications on an ongoing basis to ensure flexibility in funding opportunities as innovations emerge.
About RADIAN
RADIAN is a groundbreaking partnership between Gilead Sciences and the Elton John AIDS Foundation that supports grassroots organizations and partners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to effectively address HIV-related challenges in the region. By supporting the delivery of community-based services and health systems and by removing structural barriers that hinder the HIV response, RADIAN helps meet the needs of key populations and marginalized communities – including people who use injections of drugs, men who have sex with men, sex workers, and transgender people. RADIAN works closely with local leaders and community partners – RADIAN Changemakers and grantees – who advocate for change in the region through on-the-ground initiatives that address the unique challenges of the HIV epidemic in EECA.
For more information on RADIAN’s work to eradicate HIV in EECA countries, visit www.radianhiv.org.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has been pursuing and achieving medical breakthroughs for more than three decades with the goal of creating a healthier world for all. The company is committed to developing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Foster City, California.
For 35 years, Gilead has been a leading innovator in the field of HIV, driving advances in treatment, prevention and cure research. Gilead researchers have developed 12 HIV medicines, including the first one-pill regimen to treat HIV, the first antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce new HIV infections, and the first long-acting, injectable HIV treatment medicine given twice a year. Our advances in medical research have helped make HIV a treatable, preventable, chronic disease for millions of people.
For more information about Gilead Sciences, visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com.
About the Elton John AIDS Foundation
Founded in 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world’s leading independent AIDS organizations. The Foundation’s mission is simple: to end the AIDS epidemic. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is committed to overcoming the stigma, discrimination and neglect that prevent us from eradicating AIDS. By mobilizing our network of generous supporters and partners, we fund local experts on four continents to fight discrimination, prevent infection, provide treatment and lobby governments to eradicate AIDS. www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org
1 Data provided by UNAIDS (2024), https://www.unaids.org/en
2 Data provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation – June 2024
3 Jonas, Kai J. et al. The war refugees from Ukraine: An HIV epidemic is also fleeing. AIDS 36(12):p 1745-1746, October 1, 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000003271, last accessed June 2024
4 Schweitzer AM et al., Managing HIV stigma in health care, community and legislative settings in Central and Eastern Europe, 2023. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10714556/, last accessed in June 2024
5 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Migrant health: HIV testing and counselling for migrants and ethnic minorities in EU/EEA/EFTA Member States. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/media/en/publications/Publications/1108_TER_HIV_in_migrants.pdf, last accessed July 2024.
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Originally published by Gilead Sciences
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