Statement from Dr. Eric Goosby on House Passage of Global AIDS Bill
San Francisco, May 1, 2003 — Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1298 by Representatives Hyde and Lantos, the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS Act of 2003 by a vote of 375 to 41. This bill would authorize President Bush’s global AIDS initiative, announced in his State of the Union message in January 2003. Unfortunately, the House also approved some amendments to the bill that would be counterproductive to the global AIDS effort.
Dr. Eric Goosby, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, issued the following statement regarding the passage of this bill:
“I am extremely pleased that the House has acted on this measure and has approved spending $3 billion per year to fight this pandemic utilizing an integrated approach that includes care, prevention and treatment. Time is of the essence in getting these desperately needed resources into the field. It is disappointing that the House added amendments to the bill that would siphon funds to HIV prevention programs that exclusively focus on abstinence and ignore the benefits of condoms for those who are sexually active.
“The Senate must now respond swiftly by introducing and moving a similar measure, without the addition of these unnecessary and harmful amendments. This effort is critical to the health and well-being of the 42 million people worldwide living with HIV and the millions of others at risk for HIV infection.”
Pangaea was established to strategically address the global impact of HIV, particularly in developing countries, which account for 95% of all new HIV infections in the world. The organization's core focus is to broaden access to HIV drugs in the developing world and to support the development of an HIV vaccine. Towards these ends, Pangaea has initiated partnership that support the development of medical care services capable of delivering a full spectrum of HIV treatment and care, including distribution of HIV antiretroviral drugs. So far, Pangaea has launched HIV treatment access initiatives in Rwanda and South Africa. Pangaea is also engaged in a major project in Kampala, Uganda to construct an HIV clinic and training center in partnership with the Ugandan government, Pfizer Inc. and the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa. In working in resource-constrained countries, Pangaea is committed to ensuring that its efforts lead to long-lasting and sustainable HIV treatment and care programs and that such programs are controlled by and tailored to the specific needs of the partner countries.
Media Contact: Redge Norton, Media Relations Manager, San Francisco AIDS Foundation