To mark the 25th anniversary of the International AIDS Society we captured the memories and observations of all 13 IAS Presidents from 1988 onwards through a series of video interviews. Each of our Presidents looks back on their tenure as IAS President and reflects on the development of the HIV epidemic and what impacted them the most over during the last 30 years.
Lars Kallings (Sweden) - IAS President from 1988-1990
International AIDS Conferences:
Stockholm & Montreal
Key Events:
| 1987: |
AZT approved but has difficult side effects |
| 1988: |
World AIDS Day starts (December 1). UNAIDS reports that the number of women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa exceeds that of men |
| 1989: |
US travel ban imposed |
| 1990: |
8 million have HIV worldwide |
Paul Volberding (USA) - IAS President from 1990-1992
International AIDS Conferences:
San Francisco & Florence
Key Events:
| 1990: |
U.S. FDA approves use of AZT for pediatric AIDS |
| 1991: |
Red ribbon becomes symbol of HIV/AIDS |
| |
Freddie Mercury. Lead singer of Queen, dies from AIDS |
| |
Magic Johnson, basketball player announces he has HIV, and retires from sport |
Peter Piot (Belgium) - IAS President from 1992-1994
International AIDS Conferences:
Amsterdam & Berlin
Key Events:
| 1992: |
International AIDS conference moves to Holland due to US travel ban |
| |
FDA licenses first rapid HIV test in the US, which provides results in as little as ten minutes |
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AIDS becomes number one cause of death for U.S. men aged 25 to 44 |
| 1993: |
"Philadelphia," a film starring Tom Hanks as a lawyer with AIDS, opens in theaters, becoming the first major Hollywood movie on AIDS |
| |
World class ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev dies of AIDS. |
| |
President Clinton establishes White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). |
David Cooper (Australia) - IAS President from 1994-1998
International AIDS Conferences:
Yokohama & Vancouver
Key Events:
| 1994: |
U.S. Public Health Service recommends use of AZT by pregnant women to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV, based on "076" study showing up to 70% reduction in transmission |
| 1995: |
8 million with HIV worldwide |
| |
First protease inhibitor, saquinavir, approved in record time by the U.S. FDA, ushering in new era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) |
| |
U.S. FDA approves first non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), nevirapine |
| 1996: |
First combined antiretroviral treatment |
| 1997: |
First vaccine trials in France |
Mark Wainberg (Canada) - IAS President from 1998-2000
International AIDS Conferences:
Geneva & Durban
Key Events:
| 1998: |
Nevirapine drug made available |
| |
Despite earlier optimism, several reports indicate growing signs of treatment failure and side effects from HAART |
| |
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) forms in South Africa; grassroots movement pushes for access to treatment |
| |
First human vaccine trial in a developing country begins in Thailand |
| 1999: |
WHO publishes recommendations for MTCP |
| |
UNAIDS, WHO and other global health groups announce joint initiative with five major pharmaceutical manufacturers to negotiate reduced prices for AIDS drugs in developing countries |
| 2000: |
27 million with HIV worldwide |
Stefano Vella (Italy) - IAS President from 2000-2002
International AIDS Conferences:
Durban & Barcelona |
|
IAS Conference:
Buenos Aires |
Key Events:
| 2001: |
United Nations General Assembly convenes first ever special session on HIV/AIDS, "UNGASS" |
| |
The World Trade Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, announces "DOHA Round", to allow developing countries to buy or manufacture generic medications to meet public health crises, such as HIV/AIDS |
| |
Generic drug manufacturers offer to produce discounted, generic forms of HIV/AIDS drugs; several major pharmaceutical manufacturers agree to offer further reduced drugs prices in developing countries |
| 2002: |
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria begins operations; approves first round of grants later that year |
| |
HIV is leading cause of death worldwide, among those aged 15-59 |
| |
UNAIDS reports that women comprise about half of all adults living with HIV/AIDS worldwide |
Joep Lange (The Netherlands) - IAS President from 2002-2004
Visit our special page: In remembrance - Professor Joep Lange
International AIDS Conferences:
Barcelona & Bangkok |
|
IAS Conference:
Paris |
Key Events:
| 2003: |
WHO launches 3 by 5 campaign |
| |
PEPFAR launched |
| |
AIDS vaccine trial fails (AIDSVACX) |
| |
The South African Government announces new antiretroviral treatment programme |
Helene Gayle (USA) - IAS President from 2004-2006
International AIDS Conferences:
Bangkok & Toronto |
|
IAS Conference:
Rio de Janeiro |
Key Events:
| 2004: |
WHO 3 by 5 campaign reached but 33m now have HIV |
| |
The World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the United States Government, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announce results of joint efforts to increase the availability of antiretroviral drugs in developing countries. An estimated 700,000 people had been reached by the end of 2004. |
| 2005: |
Nelson Mandela‘s son, Makgatho Mandela, dies from AIDS |
Pedro Cahn (Argentina) - IAS President from 2006-2008
International AIDS Conferences:
Toronto & Mexico City |
|
IAS Conference:
Sydney |
Key Events:
| 2007: |
WHO recommends male circumcision in developing countries |
| 2008: |
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier receive Nobel Prize for Medicine |
| |
4 million people have access to treatment in developing countries, 700 000 in industrialised countries |
Julio Montaner (Canada) - IAS President from 2008-2010
International AIDS Conferences:
Mexico City & Vienna |
|
IAS Conference:
Cape Town |
Key Events:
| 2009: |
Atripla is on the market. |
| 2010: |
South African researchers announce results of a clinical trial (CAPRISA 004) showing that use of microbicide gel significantly reduced risk of HIV infection among sexually active women. |
| |
Large international clinical study (iPrEx) showed a daily dose of combination antiretroviral pill reduced the risk of acquiring HIV among men who have sex with men and transgendered women who have sex with men. |
| |
Obama Administration releases first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States in July. |
Elly Katabira (Uganda) - IAS President from 2010-2012
International AIDS Conferences:
Vienna & Washington DC |
|
IAS Conference:
Rome |
Key Events:
| 2010: |
Obama lifts restrictions for HIV positive people to enter USA |
| 2011: |
Large, multinational study of discordant, mostly heterosexual, couples (HPTN 052) shows early treatment of HIV-infected person greatly reduces transmission to negative partner. |
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (France) - IAS President from 2012-2014
International AIDS Conferences:
Washington DC & Melbourne |
|
IAS Conference:
Kuala Lumpur |
Key Events:
| 2012: |
U.S. FDA approves the use of Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for reducing the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals at high risk, marking the first HIV treatment to be approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). |
Chris Beyrer (USA) - IAS President from 2014-2016
International AIDS Conferences:
Melbourne & Durban |
|
IAS Conference:
Vancouver |