Gilead Sciences announced in November 2019 the recipients of its 2019 Gilead Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant Programme.
The research-based bio-pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, announced in November 2019, the recipients of the Gilead Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant program will be awarded a total of US$1.4 million to almost 40 projects across Asia Pacific. The regional grant initiative aims to support community-led programs for people living with HIV in the Asia Pacific region.
Started in 2018, the Gilead Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant program is part of Gilead’s broader efforts to enhance public-private partnerships in the Asia Pacific region to address the challenges facing communities affected by HIV. A total of 136 entries were received across the Asia Pacific region during the grant application with proposed projects that seek to address three areas of high unmet need; access and quality of life, multidisciplinary care, and diversity and inclusion.
“For people living with HIV, the virus is one among myriad factors that contribute to their total health and well-being,” said Amy Flood, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences, Inc. “The Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant program recognizes the need for a broader approach to helping people with HIV live well – one that goes beyond HIV suppression – and the central role of community-based organizations in helping to address the diverse challenges that can affect quality of life, including mental well-being and HIV-related discrimination.”
This year, the 2019 Gilead Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant aims to accelerate progress on the “Fourth 90”, which complements the “90-90-90” global treatment goals established by UNAIDS to end HIV. These targets aim to achieve the goal that 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 percent of people who know their HIV-positive status will be on treatment, and 90 percent of people on treatment will have a suppressed viral load. The “Fourth 90” aims to ensure that 90 percent of people living with HIV achieve a good health-related quality of life.
“With support from the Gilead Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant, Action for AIDS will be able to plug some of the gaps in the healthcare system and create a more positive environment for the community, as well as implement some of the proposed activities as outlined in the community blueprint to end HIV transmission and AIDS in Singapore by 2030,” said Avin Tan, Advocacy Manager, Action for AIDS, Singapore. [APBN]