-- Initiative to Provide Support to Local
Organizations Working to Positively Impact the Lives of People
Affected by and at Risk of HIV --
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) and the Elton John AIDS
Foundation today announced the launch of the ground-breaking RADIAN
initiative at the Fast-Track Cities 2019 conference in London.
RADIAN seeks to meaningfully address new HIV infections and deaths
from AIDS-related illnesses in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
(EECA). RADIAN builds on the existing collaboration between the
Foundation and Gilead in the EECA Key Populations (EECAKP) fund,
leveraging both organizations’ greater understanding of the
region’s needs to drive forward bold and meaningful action to
address specific challenges.
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“Every day, more than 400 people in EECA become infected with
HIV and 100 die from AIDS,” said Sir Elton John, Founder, Elton
John AIDS Foundation. “My Foundation’s work in establishing the
Eastern Europe and Central Asia Key Populations (EECAKP) fund with
Gilead and others a couple of years ago forcefully underscored for
us the need to drastically expand our efforts in the region. So,
I’m delighted that the Foundation is once again working with Gilead
through RADIAN to provide much-needed support and funding to
reverse trends and reach some of the world’s most vulnerable
people. Together, we can create change, save lives and ensure no
one is left behind in the fight to end the epidemic.”
Addressing the epidemic in EECA is imperative to the global
effort to eliminate HIV/AIDS. According to UNAIDS, while rates of
new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses are now
decreasing globally, EECA is one of the few regions where HIV is on
the rise and deaths from AIDS have increased by approximately 300
percent in the last 20 years.
“Gilead and the Foundation share a vision to end the HIV
epidemic. Through RADIAN, we aim to reach marginalized populations
in the EECA region and work with local organizations to address
some of the challenges they face,” said Daniel O’Day, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, Gilead Sciences. “RADIAN will help to
provide the funding and support for the HIV response that have
historically been lacking in the region. There are more than one
million people living with HIV in EECA who need access to
appropriate care. This needs to be urgently addressed through
education, community empowerment and novel partnerships such as
this.”
The RADIAN initiative is comprised of two key elements, the
RADIAN “Model Cities” program and the RADIAN “Unmet Need” fund. By
adapting a dual-track program, RADIAN can direct resources to
communities in need that are immediately ready to scale
interventions through targeted funding, while simultaneously
building capacity in others. HIV has high prevalence in communities
that often face stigma and have limited access to care. By
partnering with local organizations, RADIAN will leverage
on-the-ground insights and share the best practices that are needed
to make meaningful progress.
The first RADIAN Model City will be Almaty, Kazakhstan. Almaty
faces a disproportionately heavy burden of HIV. There are
approximately 7,400 people living with HIV in Almaty, and the city
has an HIV prevalence that is almost twice the national average.
RADIAN will support Almaty in achieving improved HIV outcomes by
addressing stigma, strengthening healthcare infrastructure and care
models and increasing access to innovation. Additional Model Cities
will be announced in 2020.
“We are happy that Kazakhstan will be part of the RADIAN
initiative,” said Dr. Bauyrzhan Baiserkin, Director of the Kazakh
Scientific Center of Dermatology and Infectious Diseases, based in
Almaty. “We have ambitions to reach those that live with or are at
risk of HIV to ensure as many of them as possible can get tested
and treated so they can live healthy lives. We welcome this support
and commitment from the RADIAN initiative to help Kazakhstan
continue our progress and ultimately achieve our targets.”
In order to support the rest of the EECA region beyond the
selected Model Cities, RADIAN will also implement the Unmet Need
fund, to support impactful initiatives in other parts of EECA.
Grants will be available for local and regional organizations in
EECA who share RADIAN’s vision to address new HIV infections and
deaths from AIDS-related illnesses. The Request for Proposals will
open in mid-October 2019.
Across both elements, RADIAN aims to contribute measurable
changes in HIV incidence, linkage to care and treatment coverage
and prevention, to meaningfully address new HIV infections and
AIDS-related deaths in EECA. Best practices and learnings from the
local implementation of RADIAN over the next five years will be
used as a blueprint toward helping change the trajectory of HIV
across the region.
About RADIAN
RADIAN is a ground-breaking initiative between the Elton John
AIDS Foundation and Gilead Sciences. It aims to meaningfully
address new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses
in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), where deaths from AIDS
have increased by around 300 percent in the last 20 years.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation and Gilead have an established
presence in EECA and extensive experience working effectively with
key stakeholders. Through a focused investment of up to $25
million, as well as provision of resources on the ground, RADIAN is
a natural evolution of this initiative, leveraging a deep
understanding of the EECA community to drive forward the shared
ambition to end the HIV epidemic.
Both organizations, as well as potential additional partners in
the future, will work together to ensure no one is left behind in
the global effort to eliminate HIV/AIDS. Join us in addressing new
HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in EECA:
www.radianHIV.org.
About the Elton John AIDS
Foundation
The Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the foremost
independent AIDS charities in the world. At the Foundation, we
believe AIDS can be beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds
for evidence-based frontline programs and policies and speaking out
with honesty and compassion about the realities of people’s lives.
Sir Elton John created the Foundation in 1992. Since then, through
hard work and with the help of our network of kind and generous
friends and supporters, the Foundation has raised more than $450
million globally to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide
treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. Join
us in speaking out, taking action, and continuing the fight against
this worldwide pandemic so that no one is left behind.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical
company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative
medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to
transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening
illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35
countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City,
California.
For nearly 30 years, Gilead has been a leading innovator in the
field of HIV, driving advances in treatment, prevention, testing
and linkage to care, and cure research. Today, it is estimated that
more than 12 million people living with HIV globally receive
antiretroviral therapy provided by Gilead or one of the company’s
manufacturing partners.
For more information, please visit
www.ejaf.org, follow the Foundation on Twitter (@ejaf), Facebook
@eltonjohnaidsfoundation and Instagram (@ejaf).
For more information on Gilead Sciences, please
visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on
Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at
1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190909005498/en/
Gilead Alex Kalomparis +44 (0)7584 266 020 Elton John
AIDS Foundation Anne Aslett +44 (0) 20 7603 9996
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