Industry Liaison Forum

Case study 1: Strengthening regulatory pathways for HIV diagnostics

The Forum has worked to improve regulatory pathways for in vitro diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries. In 2018, the Forum published a perspective on World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification in Clinical Infectious Diseases, and in 2022, hosted a roundtable discussion with representatives of regulatory and normative agencies and the diagnostics and pharmaceutical industry, introducing the WHO Collaborative Registration Procedure to key regulatory and industry stakeholders. In 2025, the Forum’s diagnostic partners published “Improving the Efficiency of the Regulatory Approvals of HIV In Vitro Diagnostics in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”, in PLOS Global Public Health, offering recommendations to streamline approval processes and expand access to quality diagnostics.

Case study 2: Advancing PrEP delivery in Latin America and the Caribbean

At HIVR4P 2024, the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, the Forum and Medicines Patent Pool convened industry, providers and community leaders to tackle barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake in Latin America and the Caribbean,. Discussions focused on key barriers like stigma, cost, logistical challenges and limited provider training that hinder uptake.

Industry representatives from MSD, ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences highlighted ongoing efforts to improve access through voluntary licensing, collaborative delivery models and investment in long-acting PrEP. You can find the session recording here.

Case study 3: Exploring long-acting solutions for mothers and newborns

In 2022, our roundtable discussions on long-acting technologies had a wide impact; over 5,100 participants accessed roundtable resources, and they led to two articles in the JIAS supplement, “Advancing LAED HIV prevention and treatment regimens”. As these technologies advance, the group identified a new challenge: meeting the specific needs of pregnant and breastfeeding people and newborns, particularly in resource-limited settings. The Forum’s session at IAS 2023, the 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science, “Advancing HIV care for mothers and newborns through long-acting solutions”, addressed obstacles in developing and implementing long-acting HIV prevention and treatment options for mothers and newborns and shared experiences and best practices. The session drew 200 participants, generating remarkable engagement: 15,957 impressions and 406 interactions on social media.

Case study 4: The GAP-f

The Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations (GAP-f) resulted from collaboration between members of the Forum, the IAS Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) and WHO. Forum corporate partners working with international stakeholders steered the agenda and efforts to create GAP-f.