Coburn/Burr Bill "Restores Heart of PEPFAR AIDS Program," Says AHF.

Proposed Legislation Reinstates Treatment Funding Requirement, Key to PEPFAR's Success

WASHINGTON -- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which provides AIDS care and treatment services to more than 65,000 individuals in 20 countries worldwide, is welcoming the introduction of a Senate Bill that seeks to reinstate a treatment funding requirement that is key to the success of PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the US global AIDS program. The Senate Bill, introduced earlier today by Senator Thomas Coburn, M.D., (R, OK) and Senator Richard Burr (R, NC) would improve treatment and testing for HIV/AIDS by focusing on elements of the original bill that have been eliminated in the House Version of the bill which is set to be marked up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday. The pending House version eliminates the requirement that 55% of PEPFAR funds be spent on treatment, a provision that AHF believes has been key to the success of President Bush's landmark legislation over the past five years.

"The American AIDS relief effort is a true humanitarian effort that receives widespread bipartisan support," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "We need to pause and remember why we started PEPFAR to begin with; to bring lifesaving treatment to those in need, to prevent others from becoming infected, and to rid the world of the scourge of AIDS. We thank Senators Coburn and Burr for introducing this legislation that restores the heart of the PEPFAR global AIDS program."

According to a press release distributed by Senator Coburn's office today:

"U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), a practicing physician and Richard Burr (R-NC) today introduced legislation that would ensure the highest priority for U.S. global HIV/AIDS funding would be saving lives by providing treatment to those infected and eliminating baby AIDS by preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

"As the Senate begins the reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), it seems that some have forgotten that HIV/AIDS is a disease that we can diagnose, treat and prevent. Both the House and the Senate bills prioritize everything but diagnosis and treatment. AIDS 'experts' and Washington, DC consultants who have built an industry around the billions we spend on AIDS think they know how to spend the money better, but most Americans and most people affected by HIV/AIDS would agree that ending baby AIDS and providing treatment to those already infected should take precedence over spending for other initiatives that do not have the same lifesaving impact," said Dr. Coburn, who has personally delivered children with HIV and cared for HIV/AIDS patients'.

AHF has been critical of elements of the House bill, House Resolution 5501 (the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act). AHF officials earlier lauded the tripling of PEPFAR funding to $50 billion; however, AHF expressed grave concern that the bill only increases the target number of patients on treatment by one million (from 2 million to 3 million) over the next five years. The House bill also has no requirement that any PEPFAR funds be spent on treatment.

PEPFAR was the result of President Bush's groundbreaking 2003 State of the Union pledge to bring two million HIV positive Africans and others into treatment and prevent seven million new HIV infections via a five-year, $15 billion US-funded program. It currently operates in 15 focus countries and claims to support antiretroviral treatment for 1.4 million people worldwide. PEPFAR has been one of the most successful global humanitarian programs in recent memory, providing medical care to millions of people with HIV/AIDS, it has given hope to the 33 million people with HIV/AIDS in the world.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider. AHF currently provides treatment, care and support services to more than 65,000 individuals in 20 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org.