Harvard faculty press aggressive agenda for AIDS fight in Africa

A statement signed by more than 100 Harvard faculty members calls upon wealthy countries, in partnership with poor countries, to establish a global trust fund to make life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy available in the areas of the world hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. The statement is the first of its kind to outline a comprehensive approach to counter the increasing global inequities in HIV treatment. The statement outlines parameters for making antiretroviral therapy immediately available to poor countries, while at the same time conducting carefully controlled clinical trials in order to determine the best practices for providing HIV therapy in resource-poor settings. Included is a detailed cost estimate for delivering antiretroviral therapy as well as a proposal for how this treatment could be readily financed by resource-rich nations.