AEGiS-14IAC: Women &HIV: ignored in French research.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Women &HIV: ignored in French research.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no.. G12525)

Meier A
Act Up-Paris, Paris, France

ISSUES: In 2002, the number of women infected by HIV in the world is higher than men's. And yet, very few trials have been conducted to find out the differences between men & women on the virological, immunological or pharmacological level. Current scientific literature treats only the issue of mother / child transmission. The lack of women-oriented research stands in the way of understanding,, anticipating and fighting the secondary effects from treatment

DESCRIPTION: Based on testimony from HIV positive women in treatment, we will be presenting the report of the information assembly we had organized, last November, in Paris. Many findings in Anglo-Saxon studies show the existence of specificity to women and a real need to create trials that gather a maximum of informations on women, especially concerning drug dosage, interaction, secondary effects, or hormonal cycle impact. This presentation is based on the experience of the women's committee of Act Up-Paris composed of predominantly HIV positive women organizing themselves around the acknowledgement of their specificities, their right for better treatments and their empowerment.

LESSON LEARNED: The only findings that we have from studies conducted in England/USA are contradictory because not widely leaded: the need is there for French research to tackle the subject augmenting clinical trials and therapies, including women in real significant numbers and creating new female cohorts.

CONCLUSION: 20 years after the beginning of the aids epidemic the problem is just recently being addressed by the French national research institute on aids (ANRS), with the creation of a women's group with whom we will collaborate as well as the inception of a new women's chapter in the "Delfraissy " therapeutical recommendation report. Women must be represented in research in order to fulfill ethical and public health imperatives and in order to have reliable results answering uncovered questions.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Research, HIV Seropositivity, Anti-HIV Agents, HIV Seroprevalence, Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active, England, Paris, Human, Adult, Female, Male, Child, therapy, drug therapyKWDaegis,hiv,hivinfections,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,research,hivseropositivity,anti-hivagents,hivseroprevalence,antiretroviraltherapy,highlyactive,england,paris,human,adult,female,male,child,therapy,drugtherapy

020707
G12525

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